InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Blessed Curse ❯ The Snow ( Chapter 13 )

[A/N]

Yume: Due to my current goal to enter the TokyoPop Rising Stars of Manga contest, I've been sorry to say that I've been badly neglecting my fics. (bows) Gomen!

CF: We need to update a lot of stuff, but CF is stressing over too many ideas for comics, and stories, and arg!

Yume: Yes, everything's just kind of hectic, and I've been having a bit lack of inspiration. So go on, read the next chapter. WARNING! FLUFF AHEAD!

*~*~*~*~*

Blessed Curse

By: Youkai Yume

Act 13: The Snow

All was quiet in the castle. It seemed as if not even the tiniest of creatures was stirring about, and Sesshomaru basked in the morning's serenity as he watched the snow flutter slowly from the sky. Only a few, but it was enough to give him the impression that the white specks of cold were dancing.

Well, that is to say he was enjoying the peace, until the excitable shrieking of a child pierced the air, and the pitter-patter of little feet could be heard throughout the hallways. Before she burst through the door, the demon lord already knew it was Rin.

"SESSHOMARU-SAMA!" She squealed, running through the door and hugging his leg. He patted her head like he so often did and gazed at her with a sparkle of amusement.

"Yes, Rin?"

"Kagome-neesan and Rin are going to play in the snow outside!" She giggled, and at the mention of it, he saw that she was dressed in multiple layers in preparation for said activity. It was precisely then that Kagome peeked her head out from behind his shoji doors, smiling broadly and stepping in.

"I take it she told you."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, glancing at the still clutching girl to the grinning miko.

"I thought I told you not to bring Rin outside in such conditions-"

"Without your consent first. I know, I know, that's why I came here to get it!" She quipped, causing the demon lord to scowl at her slightly. Seeing this, Kagome sighed and approached him, prying Rin from the Taiyoukai and bringing her to her own embrace.

"Aw, c'mon, Sesshoamru-sama!" She began, "You know Rin loves it. Don't be such a spoil sport." Nudging Rin lightly, the two girls then proceeded to give giant puppy-dog eyes. The demon lord could only stare back and describe them as irresistible, but he would not give in. But it wasn't until Rin gave out a "Pwetty Pweeze," that he all but surrendered.

"Fine, do as you wish," He growled, and out of the corner of his golden irises he saw Kagome patting Rin on the head with a look of approval. Rin gave a squeal of delight and ran out of the room, headed for the gardens. Kagome was about to follow, when she found herself being pulled back, her wrist captured by Sesshomaru's long slender fingers.

She looked back at him curiously, and was surprised to see that he was slightly irritated.

"You planned that all along, didn't you, wench?" He growled.

"Plan what?" Kagome asked back innocently, further angering the demon lord.

"Do not feign ignorance, woman. The request, the eyes, having Rin plead to me like that."

"I have no idea what you're talking about Sesshomaru-sama," She spoke with a grin on her face. Oh, the miko knew perfectly what he meant, and she was teasing him! And what's more, she had taken advantage of him being hanyou to persuade him into giving her what she wanted.

But at the moment, he wasn't as annoyed as he thought he would be. In fact, it was almost…light-hearted, amusing and endearing in a way…these childish antics of hers.

"Do not corrupt Rin," he said simply. Kagome giggled, nodding and after a while, she suddenly turned a bit red.

"Um. Sesshomaru, can you let go of my wrist now?" She all but whispered meekly. The demon lord's eyes widened for a moment before he looked down at their hands, which his was still firmly wrapped around her delicate wrist.

A foreign heat seemed to rise to his cheeks, and he instantly let her wrist go, which she took back, cradling against her chest. His hands were almost as hot as his cheeks, and he could only imagine that what he was experiencing for the first time was a blush…

Something that he had seen Kagome done countless times. He wasn't supposed to blush! 'Damn these human emotions,' He cursed in his mind as he quickly averted his gaze elsewhere. He could feel her eyes on him, boring a hole into his back.

After a few seconds, he could hear the sound of her light footsteps to the door. There was a momentary pause however when she reached the door, and the demon lord waited with baited breath for her to leave the room. But it never came.

"Sesshomaru-sama," She called out softly, and he couldn't help but turn to the sound of her bell-like voice. "Why don't you join us this time, instead of watching all the fun from your balcony?" Kagome asked with a twinkle in her blue eyes.

He didn't know how long they stayed in complete silence, with her just staring at him from the door.

"So how about it?" She broke the silence. "I'll race you to the gardens!" With that, Kagome sprinted out the door, and he could hear her run down the hallways. A sudden feeling of excitement rose within his chest, and he found his feet making their way to the door.

He looked down the hall, seeing her raven hair turn round the corner, and before he knew it, he was following her. First a slow and steady walk, then a brisk pace, and then he was sprinting with demonic speed, catching up the laughing Kagome.

Sesshomaru knew he would catch her in a mere second, but it was a rush of predatory excitement he hadn't felt in a long time. As he closed in on her, he allowed a smirk to spread across his stoic features.

*~*~*~*~*

"Kirara! Catch Rin if Kirara can!" The little girl shouted in mirth as she sprinted across the garden adorned with a silver blanket. The little fire neko ran after her, mewling happily as it caught up to Rin, pouncing on her shoulder and causing the child to fall onto the soft snow in surprise.

Rin laughed, catching Kirara in her tiny arms and hugged the little youkai to herself. Sitting up, Rin began to play with Kirara's ears, but didn't get to for very long when she suddenly felt a cold 'splat!' on her back. She gave a squeal of surprise, standing up instantly and looking around her surroundings like a frantic deer.

"Over here, Rin-chan!" Kagome's voice came from across the garden, and the little girl turned attention to her. Her brown eyes widened when she realized that Kagome had a snowball firmly clutched in her hands.

"Ah! No! Don't get Rin!" The little girl scrambled to her feet, running around the snow-covered gardens to avoid getting hit, and before either of them knew it, a little snowball fight ensued.

From afar, a demon lord observed them impassively, seemingly used to their games in the snow as he had watched them countless times before. He never understood the silly game, and quite frankly, he didn't want to. After all, who would want cold snow thrown at them?

But Rin and Kagome enjoyed it enough, and so he permitted such nonsense. 'How humans amuse themselves,' he thought to himself as he watched, amused as Rin caught Kagome by surprise by dumping a considerable amount of snow down her kimono.

"Agh! I'm going to get you Rin!" Kagome growled, stalking after the insanely giggling child as she ran and ducked behind some bushes.

Sesshomaru smirked. It was still so very endearing to watch them though…that was another one of his reasons for allowing himself the simple pleasure of being out here today. He noted, as Kagome searched frantically for the little girl, how her cheeks still remained rosy despite the frigid weather.

He knew it must be the human emotions that he was getting so accustomed to, but he absolutely loved to see her cheeks tinted red. It made Kagome seem so much more lively and energetic, and she often blushed when she was happy. Almost smugly to himself, he also noted that she had been blushing a lot more lately when she was around himself.

But then…so was he when he was around her… 'Like this morning,' He suddenly shook his head of the thoughts, reminding himself that he need not grow acclimated to this human trait. After all, he was a demon lord.

A barely inaudible sigh passed his lips. But for now, he was hanyou, and that alone was more than enough to make him feel this way…strangely happy when Kagome was near, a flutter in his stomach with a brush of her skin, a warmth that flowed throughout his body when she smiled and laughed.

And help him, Kami-sama…he seemed to want more of it. Wanted, perhaps even craved more of her… He knew it was wrong of him to feel so, but he could not deny it. He was beginning to fall under Kagome's bewitching spell, and no matter how much he fought and denied it, with each passing glance she sent him, he was desperately losing.

It was then that the demon lord realized that everything was strangely quiet-too quiet, and he quickly snapped out of his reverie. Scanning the snow-white gardens, Sesshomaru narrowed his golden eyes as he scoured for either of the two girls.

Their scents lingered in the atmosphere, but only vaguely. A deep worry began to rise in his chest, and the taiyoukai stood up from his spot and walked over to the middle of the gardens.

'How could I have let them out of my sight?' He growled to himself. Just as he was about to start his search, he heard a slight rustling from a nearby bush. Freezing completely, he let his youkai senses become dangerously alert, hearing soft giggles and light footsteps around him.

Sesshomaru felt relief tug at his tense nerves. They weren't in any danger…they were just caught up in some game… He smirked. 'Foolish humans, trying to hide from this Sesshomaru.' He closed golden orbs, listening intently to his surroundings closely.

He could hear their breathing, Kagome's calm breaths to Rin's heavy one. He followed each and every one of their crunched footfalls in the snow, grinning when he heard Kagome hush Rin from her fit of silent giggles.

And then, he was brought out of his musings as a something cold and wet impacted with his back, making a loud 'Splat!' as it hit him. Sesshomaru jumped a bit, his eyes snapped wide open as he spun around towards their direction.

He glared at them dangerously as Kagome and Rin stood from their hiding position, grinning proudly.

"Yay! Kagome-neesan got Sesshomaru-sama!" She piped excitedly, jumping up and down with snowballs clutched in her little hands. Next to her, Kagome nodded and laughed, pointing at the disgruntled demon lord.

But they were soon silenced by his low growl.

"How dare you attack this Sesshomaru?" He bit at them, his golden irises glinting with malice that Kagome was so accustomed to.

"Uh…it just slipped out of my hand?" She replied innocently.

Sesshomaru stared at her for a while, studying her very guilty face before a mischievous thought surfaced into his head and a smirk crossed his pale lips.

Kagome's sapphire eyes widened as she saw the demon lord crouch down, scoop a handful of snow in his hands and patted them into what she recognized to be a very large snowball. All the while, he never took his gaze off of her, and she knew who he meant it for.

"Um, Rin, I think you better go and hide before this gets ugly."

"Huh? Why-" But the child got the message when she caught sight of her Sesshomaru-sama with the ball of snow, and squealing bloody murder, she ran to where Jaken was supposedly sleeping in the far corner, seeking protection which the toad begrudgingly didn't want to supply.

"Smart girl," Sesshomaru complimented. "You know your inevitable doom." He drew back his arm, ready to hurtle the snowball to get his sweet, sweet revenge when he was hit with another loud 'Splat!' right in his face, causing him to stumble backwards.

In his surprise, he dropped his weapon, and wiped off the snow off his face, growling as Kagome's loud laughter echoed in his ears.

"Oh, don't flatter yourself, Sesshomaru-sama!" Kagome chuckled. "I still got some moves up my warm sleeve!"

Not letting the girl get any more smug than she was, the demon lord sped towards her, his eyes glinting as she let out a surprised squeak and ran away.

"Silly human, you can't win…" He said smoothly, taking chase after the giggling Kagome as she rounded behind a tree and peeked from behind.

When she turned to look at the spot where Sesshomaru was last however, he was no where to be found, and she heard a slight crunching noise behind her.

Ebony hair whipped around her face, sapphire eyes wide as she saw the demon lord loom behind her, ready to take the kill.

But before he could lay a claw on her, she quickly scooped up and hit him with a another snowball, fleeing at the second he stopped mid tracks to grudgingly wipe the snow off his face.

"Nya Nya!" Kagome teased, sticking out her tongue and making a face at the disgruntled Sesshomaru. He growled deeply at her, no doubt frustrated at her wily games. But despite his snow drenched self, he couldn't help but let an amused smile tug at his lips.

Kagome stopped her absurd face making, realizing that the demon lord had stopped altogether and was looking at her in a rather mischievous look that made her quite nervous.

The chase began anew,

From behind the bush, Rin and Jaken watched the two adults chase each other down, throwing snowballs as if they were merely a pair of children. Needless to say, the toad of a retainer was shocked beyond all reason that his lord and master was behaving this way.

Playing a child's game with a human miko, looking as if he was enjoying it. The spectacle really was baffling to the mind.

"Wow, Rin didn't know it looked so dangerous from here, Jaken-sama," Rin commented, kneeling next to her guardian and watching with a sort of awed expression at Sesshomaru and Kagome.

Her eyes followed them as she ducked behind a bush, trying to seek safety from the demon lord, but she soon found herself drenched in snow as Sesshomaru dumped a load of the freezing substance from behind. Rin chuckled to herself as Kagome danced around the grounds, trying to get the snow out of her clothes and chasing after Sesshomaru with a renewed assault of snowballs.

"Rin wants to play too…" She pouted.

"I think you should sit t this one out, Rin," Jaken advised. After all, just watching Lord Sesshomaru and Kagome was giving him a shivering feeling-as if he too was dumped in snow….Either that or it was just Rin tossing little specks of the snow at her feet into his face before she saw the child run inside.

*~*~*~*~*

Kagome looked to her right. Then she looked to her left. A snowball was clutched tightly in her hand, and she stayed absolutely still atop the hill. Her breathing came out in puffs in front of her, and her heartbeat was thumping at a thousand miles per hour.

She was sure the demon lord could hear her, from wherever he was hiding, contemplating his next move. Good god, she felt like a sitting duck, just waiting for something to happen.

But Kagome had to admit it was the biggest rush of excitement she had in a long time, maybe even more so than her usual adventures with Inuyasha. Because this time, she was up against Lord Sesshomaru, and even a simple thing such as a snowball fight seemed dangerous and thrilling in its' own right.

She knew in the end she would lose. Sesshomaru would catch her, and she would face his wrath. The funny thing was…she wanted to be caught…

'Is that a…bad thing?' Kagome thought with a blush.

His youkai senses were more in tune that it had been in a long time, his golden eyes sharp as it stayed focus on his prey. Sesshomaru flexed his claws, licking his lips…it was just like the thrill of a hunt. He watched as the girl looked from side to side, obviously looking for him.

The bubbling feeling of excitement rose in his chest once more. He'd teach the wench a thing or two, get his revenge for the face-full of snow she countlessly fed him. Sesshomaru couldn't wait to take her by surprise, show her that it was not wise to mess with the Taiyoukai of the Western Lands.

Slowly, he made his way from the shadows and stalked upon his prey.

In a silver blur Sesshomaru sped clear across the gardens to where Kagome stood atop the hill, oblivious.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" Kagome let out a scream as something firm impacted her, sending her falling to the snow covered ground. A glint of silver caught her eye and she knew it had happened. He had caught her.

Sesshoamru wrapped his arms around her as they fell to the ground, the impact of their collision causing more than just a fall as they both found themselves tumbling down the hill.

Kagome was laughing like mad, squeaking as they rolled downwards, still tightly clutching to each other as if each of the other was a lifeline. Sesshomaru found himself feeling an elated sense of laughter himself just wanting to spill from his lips, yet he refrained.

When the reached the bottom the hill, the stopped to a halt. Sesshomaru lay across her body trembling with laughter, her arms still tightly wrapped around his torso. Without knowing it, he began to burst out in laughter too, letting the childishness of it all get to him.

He propped himself up, gazing at Kagome as her giggling died down. She stared back at him, sapphire eyes alight with mirth, her hair messy from their tumble down the hill, and her cheeks rosier than he had ever seen them.

His breath became hitched in his throat. He had never noticed it before, but she looked absolutely breathtaking, here in the sparkling snow.

He became transfixed on her flushed face…he could feel the heat she was radiating under his intense gaze. Slowly, he leaned down closer to her, so that their breaths were mingling, Kagome's breaths became heavier, but she made no move, her sapphire eyes in a daze as she continued to watch the demon lord above her.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes, inhaling her sweet scent. 'Intoxicating…' was the first thought that came to his head, staring at her blushing features still. He wondered vaguely, if she was as warm as she looked…

Unconsciously, his hands came up to find out just that, inching almost achingly to touch the skin on her face. He knew he should've stopped, but he couldn't…there was a deep want, a craving, as if he needed to know how her skin felt beneath his fingertips.

He let his slender fingers touch lightly the side of her face. Kagome blinked once, seeming to have stopped breathing altogether as she stared wide-eyed at the Taiyoukai, not sure what he was going to do next. Seeing no disapproval, Sesshomaru traced her features delicately, careful not to scratch her with his claws, being oh so gentle with her.

Kagome closed her eyes, visibly relaxing under his touch. He felt pleased at this, a rising warmth spreading throughout his body as he felt her shift slightly beneath him. He watched in almost awe at her parted lips, drawing breath ever so calmly. His fingers grazed over her lips as well, noting how soft they felt to touch, and wondering if they were just as soft to kiss.

He leaned in even closer, his palm fully cupped against her face and ready to sate his curiosity when he felt her shiver beneath him, her breathing erratic once more and her sapphire eyes opened instantly. She caught him by the wrist, pulling his hand away from her face.

Sesshomaru's eyes flashed with disappointment briefly. Was she offended? Had he perhaps done something that she felt he violated? Did she not…want him to touch her? But just as quickly his emotionless mask slipped back on, watching as she sat up, still holding his hand tightly.

"Sesshomaru-sama, you're freezing!" She said worriedly. He looked at her confusedly, not realizing what she meant until her fingers traced the palm of hand lightly. His palm was cold to her skin, and that was why she stopped him…he felt a sense of relief at knowing this.

"You're shivering…" Kagome added, looking him over and touching his arm lightly. Funny, he had not noticed his own cold until she had mentioned it. But with their snowball fight and he himself drenched in snow, his clothes now damp, he was quiet in fact, a bit cold.

But with all the excitement, he supposed it had made him numb to it all. Sesshomaru gazed at the girl, touched at her concern.

"So are you," He said, looking at her own shivering frame. After all, he had dealt her a considerable amount of snowballs too. Kagome laughed, nodding weakly.

"Y-Yes, I suppose I am," She was still blushing, avoiding his eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself. "We should go inside now, before we catch a cold…"

Sesshomaru nodded, slightly disappointed that their evening in the snow ended so soon, but he could not risk her catching illness for it. Standing to his feet, he assisted Kagome to hers as well. She did not let go of his arm when they walked back to the castle.

Kagome huddled as closely as possible to the demon lord, he suspected because she wanted to gather body heat for warmth. Nonetheless, whatever her intentions where, Sesshomaru found himself not being able to pull away, wanting her to stay there by his side for as long as possible, and drawing her nearer as their walk short walk to the castle end.

*~*~*~*

Golden eyes stared transfixed into the fireplace, gazing at the dying embers deep in thought. A sigh could be heard, and he averted his eyes downward at the girl occupying his knee, and no, it wasn't Rin. It was Kagome, sound asleep as she lay curled on the floor, head propped up on his knee as a pillow.

In her hand was an open book, splayed out across the rug. Kagome had been reading with him in the library after they went into the castle to warm up. Not wanting their time for the day to end quite yet, she had suggested reading by the fireplace.

It had been a quiet, yet enjoyable evening, just listen to her soft voice as she wove out the words of a story, her eyes glittering at a particular part in the book that she liked.

Sesshomaru would never admit it, but he loved the sound of her voice, which he found to be melodic instead of annoying as of late. Soon after, she had fallen asleep, and the demon lord allowed her to use his knee as a makeshift pillow. Strangely, he didn't mind, more or less content with her lying here next to him.

Idly, he ran his fingers through her hair.

'So soft,' he thought, letting his claws run down to trace her features like he had earlier. 'I shouldn't be doing this…' the demon pride in him spoke. 'This contentment is not real…' the voice said. And yet a small smile adorned his lips when Kagome stirred, sighing in her sleep and cuddling closer, unaware of her actions. 'You're not supposed to feel…'

Carefully, the demon lord took her in his arms, standing up and carrying her out of the library and down the halls to her room.

'She is a human…'

But Sesshomaru found himself blocking out these thoughts, letting himself think of only the feeling that he was bathed in right now…want.

What had happened today in the gardens, it left him craving to know…how the rest of her skin felt like, how her lips tasted…it was infectious, eating at him as his grip tightened around the girl.

He yearned to see her sapphire eyes shine with some emotion for him…god help him why.

When he got to her room, he eased her into her futon, pulling up the covers and tucking her in as if he was tucking in Rin. Except there was a fondness, a sudden attachment that he felt towards Kagome that was different than caring for a human child.

He brushed ebony bangs away from her eyes, gazing at her serene face. 'I never got to see if her lips were as soft to kiss as they were to touch…'

As if in a bewitched state, he leaned down to her face, mere inches away. 'This is wrong,' he thought. But oh, how he wanted to, the curiosity was eating at him. Not being able to resist, he closed the distance between them, his lips barely brushing hers as he stole a sweet kiss from Kagome.

He stared at her still sleeping form, not the least disturbed by his kiss. He leaned down and kissed her again, longer this time, reveling in the feel of her soft lips against his own. Gently, he caressed her lower lip with his warm tongue, losing himself in the simple act.

Kagome let out a soft moan, bringing the demon lord back to reality and he swiftly pulled away, fingers against his lips as if to confirm what he had just done. The girl rolled to the side, apparently still in deep sleep.

'What did I…?' He stood up abruptly, leaving the room and hopefully his thoughts on the girl. But it was no use, his lips still tingled with her warm softness, her scent still clung to him.

He had stolen a kiss from Kagome, he thought, a growl coming to his lips. 'It was probably her first as well…' Sesshoamru knew that if Kagome had been awake, what little of their bond would've been ruined. The guilt was beginning to rise.

Why was he feeling this way? Was this one human girl causing all these emotions to arise, or is it just his hanyou weakness? Well, whatever it was, Sesshomaru could not deny it…it felt right.

End Chapter

[A/N]

Yume: that's it for now. Thanks for the reviews! I'll try to update soon.

CF: READ AND REVIEW! No flames please.