InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Cursed ❯ Verbal Outbursts ( Chapter 36 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter Thirty Six - Verbal Outbursts

Takana paced nervously inside the sleeping chamber of Sesshoumaru's private quarters. She was still a little surprised at the tenacity he'd displayed that morning. She stopped a moment in her nearly frantic pacing and took what was supposed to be a series of deep calming breaths. However, they only served in making her feel a bit light headed and not calm in the least.

It just seemed a bit strange, he'd been moving so slowly with her before this. It had begun with the little, but very powerful kiss in the gardens. Then it had been his touches, very subtle ones but with definite intent. He would touch the small of her back as they walked, or embrace her from behind while she stood on the balcony and lightly rest his chin on top of her head. He'd even kissed her neck now and then, igniting her want for him and reminding her of his continued desire for her but never anything so...well blunt. She hadn't known what to do or even say. His request along with when and where he'd issued it had left her completely unprepared for any semblance of a witty or even intelligent reply. She'd merely nodded, dumbfounded. He hadn't given her any time to take back her decision either, quickly making his exit.

She'd just sat at the table as Sura cleared away the breakfast dishes in a state of utter shock. Only when her legs started cramping from sitting in the same position for too long, did she finally realize just how long she'd been there. As she stood, his request repeated itself in her mind, filling her with equal parts anxiety and excitement.

“Will you join me in my bed tonight?”

Just hearing the words again in her mind took her breath away and caused her to feel little tingles in areas she'd been trying to ignore lately. She wanted to smack herself in the forehead. All she'd done was dumbly nod her head before he left. What he must think of her! She felt herself blush for probably the tenth time in the last hour. Why couldn't she have said something...anything to him? It's not like this was going to be their first time. They had been intimate with one another lots of times.

She kept repeating that in her mind but couldn't quite make herself feel as casual as it sounded in her head. It was all because of the little voice that chimed in every time she tried to calm herself down that way. Yes, she had been with him in that way before but she had never been with him like this before. And his manner of asking didn't help either. He could have been a bit more subtle, maybe just hinting at it during any of their dozens of little romantic moments. But no, he had to just blurt it out while she finished her soup.

“Arggg!” She threw up her hands and stomped over to the bed. She sat down on it in a very undignified manner and just buried her still flushed face in her hands. The waiting was torture too...it was nighttime after all and Yuti would probably be wanting to get out of here too. Just where the hell was Sesshoumaru and why was he taking his sweet time. Didn't he know what he was doing to her? All this anxiety couldn't possibly be good for the baby. She reached down to gently rub her swollen abdomen. He just had to wait to do this until she was six months pregnant too! Yet one more little anxiety to add to the rest. Did he really know what she looked like under all this fabric? She had never been one of those tiny little women but she had also never had anything near the size of the belly she now sported. What if he did finally show up, she found the courage to go through with it only to have him be disgusted with the sight of her once she was nude.

Her hands left her belly to firmly grip the sheets she sat on. Maybe that was why he was taking so long. He was waiting until it was too dark to see her. Well, she thought indignantly, if that was the reason, he could just forget it. She wasn't about to give herself to someone who found her repulsive.

“Argggggg!” She growled to no one as she let herself fall back onto the bed, only to quickly roll onto her side. Lying on her back had become uncomfortable lately, her swollen belly making it hard for her to breath in that position. Sheepishly, she corrected herself. She seriously doubted that he found her repulsive. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Whatever it was that was going on, all she knew was that he'd better hurry up and get his ass in here before she thought up something really bad and really ridiculous. The longer he kept her waiting, the more he was putting himself at peril. That was all she could really be sure about at the moment.

When she heard the outer doors open, her stomach did a little flip. She hurried out of the bed chambers and into the ante room that separated the sleeping quarters from the rest of his private domain. With as much anxiety as excitement, she quickly slid open the door only to find that it was just Tomo come to check on Yuti. She sighed and walked back into the ante room. She sat down on a soft chair and huffed. When she heard Yuti make an uncharacteristic squeal of delight, she turned her head to see the youkai female getting some kind of gift from her mate. She couldn't help but smile but it reminded her of Sess and his continued absence. Just where was he?

Sesshoumaru read over the same scroll for the hundredth time, still not comprehending its contents in any way what so ever. He should be going to her, he knew that, but he just couldn't bring himself to remove himself from his current position.

Why did he have to act so brashly? He was no longer an awkward pup when it came to matters such as these. Hell, he'd never been awkward when it came to matters such as these. So why was he now when it was the most inopportune time to be so? He'd just blurted it out like some kind of hentai. Hell, he might as well have asked to take her right there...that is what he'd wanted to do after all.

He pinched the brow of his nose in a futile attempt to ward off the impending, self induced headache. He just couldn't stop looking at her this morning at breakfast. More pointedly, he just couldn't stop watching her eat. Every little thing that touched her lips had only added to the smoldering feelings he was having. The worst had been when she'd sucked up the extra noodle that had tried to escape her spoon. That's when he'd said it. That's when he'd made a complete fool out of himself.

The look on her face, that was all he could think of now. What she must think of him. She'd been too stunned with his idiocy to even say anything. That's when he'd made his hasty retreat in order to save what little dignity he had left. He, Lord Sesshoumaru, the Lord of the Western Lands, running away from the possible reproach of a human female!

Oh how that mighty had fallen. What had she done to him? No, what had he let her do to him?

Now here he was, pretending to be busy in his library and hiding like some coward. Even though she'd nodded her agreement then, he couldn't help but worry that in the time since then, she may have changed her mind. What if she refused him?

“Enough!” He almost barked to himself as he stood. He was finished acting like a fool. He had made his bed and now he would sleep in it. He sighed. He just hoped that he wouldn't be sleeping in it alone. He set the scrolls aside and strode purposefully in the direction of his personal chambers. The closer he drew to his destination, the better he began to feel as his more rational side, the side he was far more accustomed to, took over. Even if she did reject him, it wasn't as though all was lost. She had been quite receptive to his advances lately, though nothing like this. It's not as if she would be rebuking him for all time...he hoped.

He was just about to turn the corner for the last leg of his journey when he and Tomo very nearly collided into one another. Both men were a little surprised by their combined lack of awareness of the other, both so caught up in their own thoughts.

“Lord Sesshoumaru!” Tomo bowed. He'd been looking for his lord everywhere. Yuti had said that she hadn't seen him all day. He'd managed to pull his mate away from her guardian duties temporarily, if only to an adjacent room, in order to give her the gift he'd found for her and to ask her opinion of what Lord Yaruko had told him of the rumors. To his surprise and relief, she was no longer upset with him, apologizing for her part in the matter as well. However, she absolutely adored the knives, promising him something that had left him fully aroused. Unfortunately, he'd had to spoil the moment by carrying on with the second part of his meeting with her. She'd found both rumors as ridiculous as he did. He was about to leave to find Sesshoumaru when he'd spied the human in the other room. She looked unusually worried about something. Had she heard? He didn't think that human ears were so keen. It was then that something in him clicked into place. He said nothing to Yuti and his goodbyes, not wanting to get into another argument after having just reconciled one and quickly strode out of the room.

He needed to find Sesshoumaru!

He was so preoccupied by his internal storm that he almost collided with his lord.

“Lord Tomo.” Sesshoumaru acknowledged quickly before moving around his general to continue on his way.

Tomo was quick to recover. He needed to speak with him. “Lord Sesshoumaru, may I please speak with you a moment.”

“It will have to wait.” Sesshoumaru was not going to be deterred in his mission, having finally gained the resolve to face the dilemma of his own making.

“My lord, it's very urgent.” Tomo pleaded.

Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks but did not turn to face this most recent roadblock. He shut his eyes and repressed the very strong desire to sigh.

“Are the Western Lands under attack?” He questioned in a mildly irritated tone.

Tomo was caught off guard yet again. “Uh...no my lord but...”

“Has hell opened up to take us all into its embrace early?”

“Well...I don't think so...” He was completely unaccustomed to sarcasm coming from this individual but forced himself to walk up to the still turned figure of his lord.

“Then it is not urgent.” Sesshoumaru stated simply and prepared to make his departure from his general. He knew that he was being a smart ass to someone that truly didn't deserve it but beyond the two problems he'd mentioned, he could think of nothing more important than getting to his chambers at the moment.

Sesshoumaru hadn't gotten more than a couple of steps away when Tomo spoke again. The general couldn't help but feel a bit irritated at his apparent dismissal. Upon retrospect, Tomo realized that forgetting your place is a very stupid thing to do. “Which rumor is true, that you will take her as a mate or that the pup is yours?”

The next thing Tomo knew, his vision had dimmed, his lungs burned with the force of expelled air and his head and neck hurt like hell. It almost felt as though he were floating. That was, until he realized he was being held by his neck, against the wall, with his feet hovering off the floor out of its comforting reach. Well, he'd gone and done it. He'd always known that his mouth would get him killed one day, he just hadn't thought that it would happen this early in life.

He looked down with some difficulty at the red eyed creature that now held him. At least he knew he'd struck a cord and if he lived, he doubted that the young lord would ever so easily dismiss him again. It was a small consolation as he realized that he couldn't take in a breath at the moment.

Sesshoumaru stood there in a rage and for a short while, it completely controlled his actions. He couldn't even give coherent thought to his anger. He just stood there holding Tomo against the wall by his neck, his grip remaining the nearly bone crushing strength it had started. Luckily for the general, Sesshoumaru regained control of himself in only a matter of moments but it did nothing for the anger. He slowly slid Tomo down the wall, back to eye level and loosened his grip only enough so that the general didn't pass out from lack of oxygen.

“What rumors?” He asked, his voice cool, calm and deadly.

“The ones…concerning…your…human.” He was just barely able to get out. He'd really said the wrong thing. But Tomo was an old dog and as such, never learned new tricks quickly. “So which…one…is…it?”

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed fractionally more before he released Tomo all together. “If you were not my sister's mate…” He let the end of the statement answer itself.

Tomo fell to the ground coughing and sucking in badly needed breath. He delivered his next speech from the floor. “I know...”, he coughed some more, “that you are my lord and that I serve you, not the other way around but I cannot serve you to the best of my ability if things as important as this are kept from me.” He coughed again as he pulled himself off the floor.

Sesshoumaru turned away. As much as he hated it, he knew Tomo was right. “You don't even know what is being kept from you.”

Though it hurt to speak at the moment, Tomo didn't let that stop him. “That's exactly what I mean. If you intended on taking her as your mate, there are things I could be doing to soften the impact of such an announcement. I could be…” But he didn't have a chance to finish. He'd guessed incorrectly.

“The rumor of the child is the correct one.” He said quietly, almost embarrassed at how good it felt to finally said it aloud.

Tomo stopped cold, all thought frozen. In his wildest dreams, he hadn't thought that was the right choice. How could it be? “But…but how?”

Sesshoumaru ran his hand through is hair. “It is a long story.” He turned his head to the side and addressed his general. “One that is probably long overdue in the telling.” He then continued on his original course down the hall but motioned for Tomo to follow. It would be best if Takana aided him in telling it. Yuti should hear it as well. He would have to temporarily put off his original plans for the moment.

AN: I said I'd have some Sess/Takana action in this chapter and I did...kinda but I hope you don't hate me for the tease in that chap since they didn't even stand in the same room on this one. Trust me though, more is bound to happen between them soon. Fanfiction wins this round, they had twice the review! *mumbled under breath* so it was 2 to 1, they still won. he he, anyway, happy reading.

Nikkie23534: You are too kind as always but I'm happy you liked it. It was actually one of my more recent favorites to write. I really like Tomo for some reason which is biased and strange since he's my character but hey, I still like him. You kinda got your tender moments in that one even if it was without them actually being in the same room. And babies...everyone seems to want to see her baby. I do too but much to do before then. Tata!