InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ For Richer or Poorer ❯ Jealousy ( Chapter 14 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or Sesshoumaru, or any other of the gang. I know it is a very tragic thing, but it's true.

 

(A/N: Whew, this story is starting to pick up, and I'm getting back into the rhythm of writing. Hallelujah! I'm so glad every one liked that last chapter, and I'm sure you are going to LOVE this one. After all, who can resist Hojo…? (insert evil laugh)

 

Warning: this chapter might be a little bit steamier than most. I will not, repeat, WILL NOT be writing a lemon, but I do want to experiment with my limes. Hence, the warning.

 

 

 

Chapter Thirteen

Jealousy

 

“Envy can be a positive motivator. Let it inspire you to work harder for what you want.”

Robert Bringle, quoted in “Redbook.”

 

It was a very tense ride on the way back to Sesshoumaru's house. Kagome didn't wake up from unconsciousness until halfway through the ride, and even then, she didn't speak a word. His ears had to strain from time to time to hear her shallow breathing, and every time she shifted in her seat, he could hear her breath hitch on a wince. She kept drifting in and out of wakefulness for the remainder of the ride, and a rush of relief filled him as he saw the lights of the house in the distance. Jaken came scurrying out of the front door as he was stepping out of the car, and gaped at the sight of blood on Sesshoumaru's arms.

 

“My Lord, how…what…why-?!” he began, but was silenced with one look from Sesshoumaru.

 

“Fool, it is not mine. The detective was attacked. Make preparations for her in her room and be gone by the time I get there.”

 

With a low bow, Jaken scuttled back inside, knowing that Sesshoumaru was close to losing his temper.

 

Sesshoumaru opened Kagome's door and with the same gentleness he had in the station, lifted the woman into his arms. The movement woke her completely, and she said, her voice faintly weak, “I can walk, Sesshoumaru. Put me down.”

 

“No,” he said casually, looking down in time to see a small pout on her lips.

 

“Have I ever told you were an over-bearing ass?”

 

“Never out loud, but I'm sure that you've thought it many times,” he said wryly. Talking with her helped to distract him from how pale her face was getting.

 

“Well, now you know,” she said sleepily, and decided to make herself comfortable. It wasn't everyday she was allowed to snuggle in a TaiYoukai's arms. She frowned. Well, minus the kiss and every opportunity he used to touch her…but that was an act anyway, so it didn't really count. She was going to enjoy it while it lasted. She tucked her head into the crook of his neck and nuzzled slightly. She could have sworn she felt his step falter for a split second before he found his rhythm again, and she let out a tiny smile. She could feel his heart beat against her arm, lulling her with its gentle pounding.

 

Sesshoumaru nudged her door open with his foot, approving mentally when he saw the room lit softly, the bed turned down, and most importantly, Jaken out of sight. He stepped into the bathroom and lifted her to sit on the sink counter, so her head was level with his chin. She sat there, her shoulders slumped and tired as she watched him gather rags and start the water out of the corner of her eyes.

 

“What are you doing?” she asked curiously, coming fully awake as he stepped closer to her.

 

“I'm cleaning the blood off of you,” he said calmly, and lifted a hand fisted with the wet rag to her neck. She noticed that his knuckles were white from gripping the washcloth so hard, but his movements were gentle on her skin.

 

He was afraid for me, she realized, and lifted her hand to cover the one that was tending the slice on her neck. “I'm fine, Sesshoumaru.”

 

He stopped his ministrations and took a step back, not letting her hand leave his. His golden gaze covered her from head to toe, making her want to squirm, but she resisted, knowing that he needed to be sure she was safe.

 

He drank in the sight of her, bloody and bruised, not saying a word. The wound on her neck was still bleeding sluggishly, and her entire arm was soaked in red through the makeshift bandage he had placed there. It had dripped down her arm and coated the ring he had placed on her hand hours before. Seeing the stark red against the muted amber tones disturbed him more than anything. There were dark bruises in the shape of finger marks all over her neck and arms, and he knew it was because Hakudoushi had laid his hands on her. The scent of her blood permeated his senses, forcing him to close his eyes to stay under control. He knew…he understood how close he was to losing her tonight. All because he failed to protect her…he wasn't there for her. It was enough to cause him to hate himself. His fists clenched again, and she could feel the tenseness in him. She gently lifted the hand that wasn't holding his own to his face, gently tracing the marks on his cheeks, causing his eyes to fly open at her. The look that was in them shocked her. They were practically dilated, pure black with just a slit of gold at the edges, and she realized he was close to losing control. His other hand came up to grip the one on his face, and she let out a gasp and licked her suddenly dry lips, causing his eyes to focus on that spot.

 

He knew he was probably frightening her, because he could smell her nervousness under the blood and her usual pleasant scent, but he couldn't seem to help it. Suddenly he had to know in the most basic way that she was okay…that she was safe. When she licked her lips and drew his attention there, he couldn't seem to stop himself.

 

His lips slammed onto hers with an almost frightening desperation, causing her to let out a muffled gasp against his mouth. His intensity was almost overwhelming, and the barely constrained violence she felt in that kiss caused her to shudder. It was the same feelings she had when he kissed her in the office, and she began to lose focus on her surroundings, only concentrating on the lips slanting ferociously and frantically over hers. She began to return the kiss just as desperately, subconsciously knowing that this was important to him, this contact between them.

 

She gripped his hands and let the feelings overtake her as he stepped closer to her.

 

Not enough, he thought, and sought to cover the distance between their bodies. She was still sitting on the sink and he just naturally stepped between the cradle of her thighs to continue to devour her. But it still wasn't enough. The smell of blood began to surround him again, as well as with the scent of her beginning arousal, and that brought him between the fine line of sanity and madness. She was driving him steadily over that line…

 

He lifted their joined hands to his head, making her hands cradle his skull, unwilling to relinquish his hold on her. She seemed to understand as she fisted her hands in his hair and pulled him closer. She couldn't think, she couldn't breathe, and she couldn't stop if the world was crumbling down now. She didn't think it was this possible to want someone so much…

 

She almost let out a whimper when he removed his lips from hers and moved to her jaw line, giving frantic little nips here and there, causing her to let out a small moan. She could feel his smirk against her skin, but she couldn't get up the willpower to yell at him for his arrogance. The smirk disappeared as he moved to her neck and she almost jumped as she felt his tongue on her wound. Her hands fisted even more in his hair, clutching him to her as she felt his tongue run over the cut, washing the blood away and soothing the sting. She leaned into him, silently begging for more and let out a deep moan as he bit her gently, her skin clamped in between his fangs without breaking the skin. He wanted to take away the pain and marks that Hakudoushi had placed on her and replace them with his own.

 

She could feel the trembling in his body as her hands moved from his head to run down his chest and wrap around his waist, pulling him even closer, if that was possible. She ducked her face down to meet his lips again, and it was another duel of lips, teeth, and tongue.

 

It was not meant to be a gentle kiss. It was meant to show Sesshoumaru that Kagome was alive and tangible, and what better way to prove that than in his arms, making him lose his mind? It was almost frightening the way she was making him feel, without even trying, but if he could spend the rest of eternity in her arms, just like he was now…nothing could be wrong.

 

She was his now, without a doubt, and she would never be unprotected again. A possessive growl welled up in him, and Kagome felt it against her chest before she heard it. Unconsciously, she began to ease the kiss to sooth him, turning it into something soft and tender that brought tears to her eyes. His clawed hands came up and cradled her face, stroking softly as he responded, showing her that he cared for her beyond just the physical level. If she had any doubts after tonight about that he would have to make sure that he spent everyday making sure to remind her.

 

“Sesshoumaru!”

 

He heaved a mental sigh as he heard the obnoxious voice of his half-brother downstairs. Their lips slowly parted and her eyes fluttered open, trying to focus. He fought a smirk at how dazed she looked, but then realized that he probably wasn't in the position to laugh. After all, he probably had that same look. He had never been floored so completely by any woman or demon before…it was such a pity that they kept on being interrupted. He would have liked to see how much more she could stand.

 

He pressed his lips to hers one last time before finally stepping back. Their eyes never left each other as she untangled her hands from where they were gripping his long hair.

 

“Sesshoumaru!!”

 

Reluctantly, he broke all contact with her and took a step to the door. “You might want to change out of those clothes while I go see what Inuyasha wants,” he said, talking over his shoulder. After a moment, she gave a tiny nod and slipped off of the sink as he walked out of the door. She was glad he closed the door behind him because her knees buckled as soon as her feet touched the floor, and she had to grab onto the counter to keep herself upright. And a part of her knew that it wasn't caused by all of her blood loss either. Kami, that demon could kiss. Quickly, she shrugged out of her bloody shirt, wincing as she pulled it off of her shoulders, leaving her clad in a tank top. She walked back into her bedroom and pulled out a pair of gym shorts to replace her dirty jeans and then limped downstairs.

 

 

 

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Sesshoumaru had slowly walked downstairs to meet his half-brother, trying to calm down his blood and cool his senses. Inuyasha was waiting impatiently for him along with another male.

 

“How is Kagome?” Inuyasha asked.

 

“She is getting changed right now,” Sesshoumaru said, and looked pointedly at the shuffling human standing beside Inuyasha.

 

“This is Hojo,” Inuyasha said, giving a slightly disdainful look to the boy. “He's a doctor friend of Kagome's and was willing to come and patch her up.”

 

“If you would please show me to Higurashi-san's room…,” the shy doctor said with a pleasant smile on his face and a small blush forming on his face as he mentioned Kagome.

 

Sesshoumaru glanced at him impassively, inwardly suspicious. Just how close of a friend was Kagome in this human's eyes? “The kitchen has better lighting,” was all he said. The thought of this man in Kagome's room, invading her personal space was…unsettling to him. Especially after tonight, he was especially edgy with anyone around her. He was slightly amused at the small bout of jealousy he was feeling, and scoffed at himself. This man was just a puny human, and Kagome was Sesshoumaru's, hands down. “I will go retrieve Kagome while Inuyasha shows you the way.”

 

He walked back upstairs without another glance to the doctor, and found Kagome suitably dressed and more than ready to go after Sesshoumaru explained the situation.

 

“Hojo is here?” she exclaimed, her eyes lighting with pleasure. All of his amusement at himself from before fled him as another surge of jealousy surged in him. He gave a curt nod and kept his arm around her waist as they slowly descended the stairs. She still ached and her energy was sorely drained, but she still found enough willpower to break from Sesshoumaru's grasp to hug Hojo as they reached the kitchen.

 

Something white and hot flowed through him at the sight of the detective in the awkward doctor's arms, and he let a small growl escape before he stifled it ruthlessly. Inuyasha's gaze landed on him sharply, and after looking from the hugging couple and back to Sesshoumaru again, he let out a small smirk. Sesshoumaru's getting possessive…this night might turn out to be entertaining after all, he thought.

 

Loudly, the hanyou spoke loudly to keep Sesshoumaru from lunging at the couple. “Hojo, how about bandaging Kagome now?”

 

“Oh,” Hojo said, flustered. “Right. If you would sit down, Higurashi-san?”

 

He led her to the kitchen table and took out the things he would need from his bag. Inuyasha sat in another chair at the table, while Sesshoumaru preferred to stand, wanting to watch every move the doctor's hands made, that way he could rip them off of the bumbling idiot if he touched Kagome in the wrong way. He repressed the killing urges for now, knowing that Kagome needed medical attention, and she came first before anything else.

 

Hojo first took the makeshift bandage off of her arm, which was the worst of the injuries. He whistled softly at the sight. “Whoever did this certainly did a number on you. It must have hurt a lot. It's really deep and long, and it will require quite a few stitches…”

 

“Uh, Hojo, could you skip the commentary for now?” Inuyasha broke in nervously after watching Sesshoumaru's reaction to every word Hojo said. The taiyoukai was tense and his eyes grew darker and darker after every sentence. Inuyasha preferred to keep more blood from being spilled that night, and that included Hojo keeping his clueless mouth shut.

 

A needle and thread was brought out and sterilized as the surrounding area of the wound was cleaned gently. Then came the hard part. With every hissing breath Kagome took or every muffled moan that was stifled because of the pain, Sesshoumaru grew more and more homicidal. And his face grew more and more eerily blank, which gave Inuyasha clues to speed up the process.

 

“Uh, Hojo?” he said again. “Do you think you can work any faster?”

 

“Hmmm?” Hojo said, looking up from his work and finally getting a good look at the demon that was standing to the side of him. Sesshoumaru cracked his claws and allowed his eyes to flash red once, promising a painful death if Hojo should screw up. Kagome was oblivious to the whole thing as she was paying attention to the needle that was hovering around her arm, and missed the way Hojo gulped nervously and returned to his work at a quicker pace. She also missed Sesshoumaru's pleased smirk at the scent of fear that filled the room.

 

Finally, her arm was stitched and bandaged, and both Inuyasha and Hojo breathed a mental sigh of relief. Now all that was left was her neck and the various bruises on her body.

 

Hojo looked closely at the cut on her neck and let out a breath. “Wow, Higurashi-san, this already looks relatively clean. Did you try to clean it yourself before I came here?”

 

He missed the sporting blush on her face as Sesshoumaru spoke up, feeling devious, “She had help.”

 

The memory of his kiss and his cleaning of her wound burned in both of their minds, and Inuyasha looked at them both suspiciously before letting out a choked laugh. If anything that made Kagome blush harder before she quickly replied, “Can you just bandage it already?”

 

Hojo quickly placed a bandage on the cut and gave her a few instructions for keeping it, and her arm, clean over the next week. He prescribed ice and bed rest for the next day, and stood up to gather his things.

 

“Thank you so much, Hojo,” Kagome said, touching his arm. “It was nice to see you again.”

 

“You too, Higurashi-san,” Hojo said, gathering his coat and bags. He returned the hug she gave him, but froze at the sound of light growling.

 

Inuyasha heard the growl and began coughing loudly to try and cover it up, shooting Sesshoumaru a dirty glare. Sesshoumaru bared his fangs back, and mentally smirked in approval as the human quickly let go of Kagome before hightailing it out of his household.

 

“What the hell was that about?” Kagome rounded on him as soon as Hojo left.

 

“Sesshoumaru was jealous,” Inuyasha supplied, a grin forming on his face. Sesshoumaru shot him a glare.

 

“What the hell does he have to be jealous of?”

 

“Hojo has the hots for you.”

 

“What?” Kagome's jaw dropped. “He's an old school friend of mine, not a potential boyfriend. It's…he's….Hojo. I mean, he's sweet and all, but…” She broke off, not knowing what else to say.

 

Inuyasha cheerfully put his foot in his mouth again. “Don't feel too bad `Gome. He thinks I have the hots for you too.”

 

Sesshoumaru let out a growl again as Inuyasha began laughing hysterically. Inuyasha soon found himself in the familiar death grip against the wall with a very pissed off TaiYoukai in front of him. “You mean you made me deliberately think you were in love with her?”

 

“How else were you going to make a move on her? Although, by the looks of her blush a while ago, I could tell my input wasn't needed.” Even in a choke hold, Inuyasha managed to have a sly look as Kagome blushed again. She threw up her hands in the air and exclaimed, “I'm too tired for this shit! I'm going to bed, and I expect to be left alone for the rest of the night, understand?”

 

Both demons watched her stalk out of the room before Sesshoumaru let Inuyasha drop to the ground. Inuyasha gasped as he said, “Man, Sesshoumaru, you've really got it bad for her, huh? 500 years ago, Hojo would have been sliced and diced in less than a second.”

 

“You have no idea,” Sesshoumaru replied sincerely for once.

 

“So,” the hanyou said, standing up and dusting himself off. “What are we going to do now? Our undercover operation has officially been exposed, Naraku is after Kagome, and I'm assuming that you are not going to let her leave here until he is caught.”

 

“She will be better protected here,” Sesshoumaru said, waving the matter away. “What you need to do is find out what Naraku wants her for. Tell Miroku he might not be done yet in Naraku's company. We need information.”

 

Inuyasha considered this and nodded. “Fine, I'll call him tonight and tell him to get on that tomorrow.”

 

Sesshoumaru nodded and began walking Inuyasha to the door. “Oh, and one more thing. You will take Rin and Jaken tomorrow and let them stay at your place until this is settled.” He got a certain satisfaction at seeing Inuyasha's eyes bug out of his head comically.

 

“What? Why?”

 

“It will be dangerous here for the next few days, especially if Naraku is after Kagome. I don't want Rin stuck in the middle of it.”

 

“But-I-I-…I DON'T know how to take care of a child!!!”

 

Sesshoumaru let a sigh escape. “You feed her, clean her, clothe her, make sure she sleeps, and pay adequate amount of attention to her. It's not that difficult, even for an idiot such as yourself.”

 

Inuyasha pouted. “But why Jaken too?”

 

“He annoys Kagome,” he said simply. “Plus, he can watch Rin while you work.”

 

“Oh sure, he annoys Kagome,” Inuyasha said sarcastically. “You don't even consider that he annoys me.”

 

“You forget that I don't care if you are annoyed or not,” Sesshoumaru said coldly before opening the door and watching the grumbling hanyou leave. He shut the door and locked it before facing the quiet house. How did his life get so turned upside down? Just a few weeks ago he was a businessman just focused on keeping his company successful, and now he was going to be fighting for the woman he loved. His fingers cracked in anticipation of getting his claws on Naraku for what he had done. He would pay…and pay dearly.

 

He headed upstairs and checked on Rin before pausing outside of Kagome's door. He could hear her steady breathing from within and knew her to be already asleep. He rested his head against the door as he took in the event of the night. She nearly was murdered, he kissed her senseless, he experienced jealousy for the umpteenth time in such a short time of knowing her, and he found out that Inuyasha was not romantically involved with Kagome. It was the last one that made another smirk appear on his handsome face. It was very fortunate for Inuyasha that he revealed that bit of information to him. He would have really hated to kill Inuyasha for stepping in on what was HIS…

 

 

With that final thought he turned from her door to seek solace in his own room….waiting for what tomorrow would bring.

 

 

 

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Okay, yay, another chapter done! This one was definitely one of my favorite chapters to write, and I think it might be one of my best…maybe. I hope I did the kissing scene all right. Don't kill me if it wasn't good! Okay, now for reviewer responses...sadly, there weren't as many as I expected there to be. Maybe that's because A Single Spark is down. (cries) I miss it a lot!!!!

 

MistyTwillight: Oh, I'm so glad you like the story. Whenever I picture a future Sesshoumaru, I've always seen him as a ruthless business man, or in law enforcement. Since I made Inuyasha the cop in this fic, Sesshoumaru is the business tycoon. I think he fits the role rather well! I hope you liked this chapter, and thank you for reviewing!

 

Erik and Fae: Ah, my friend, long time no see! Don't worry, I'm a huge fangirl myself…well, I can be at times. I'm so glad your computer is fixed. I'm glad mine has never crashed! (knocks on wood) Heaven forbid if I lost all of my stories and anime. (cries at the thought) I'm so glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope you liked this one as well!

 

Stormsight: Ha, making Sess mad is one of my favorite past times. I think I do it too often for my own good, though. But, he's just so HOT when he's pissed off, don't you think?

 

Azera-v: Yes, something is special about the ring, but that will be explained in the end. Then end is KIND OF going to be like you suggest, in a way. You'll just have to see, and thanks for the suggestion! Thank you for the review as well, I'm so glad you like this fic!

 

Cutebaby: Yeah, my mind TOTALLY moves faster than my hands can type, and since I'm so eager to get out the chapter, I hardly ever look it over. I know it's horrible of me as a writer, but I can't seem to help myself. Please don't think I'm one of those authors who doesn't know how to use grammar. I'm actually and English major in college, and I try to make it as good as I can, but I'm not perfect. I'm glad you called me on it though, because it's always good to be reminded. I try to go over my chapters more now before I put them out. Thank you for your awesome review, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 

SilverPhoenix7: LOL, your review was very…sporadic. It made me laugh, so now you get a cookie. I hope Sesshoumaru appeased your desires this chapter!

 

Naraku'sgirl12: Oh, my sympathies. I hope your computer gets better soon. Thanks for the review, sweetie.

 

Fluffychick15: I don't mean to be evil…well, maybe I do a little. I'm sorry to leave you hanging. I probably just did it again with this chapter, but hey, it keeps you interested in the story, right? I wouldn't want to lose any of my readers!

 

Scorpion's Lady: Oh, I bet your boyfriend wasn't happy about that! Still, I'm honored that you would ignore him to read my story. It's like the time when I made someone five bucks because they place a bet that I would update within the week on another of my stories. I laughed my ass off at that. Same thing with you…I'm so glad you love the story!

 

Chibes: Mwuhahahahahaha, you cannot kill me `cause you wouldn't have anymore chapters. Life's a bitch, ain't it? No, Inuyasha does not have the rosary in this fic. I couldn't really find a plausible way to bring it in…of course, that's what I said about the Shikon no Tama in the beginning of this story. Meh, things change. Mistress Centipede, however, will not show up. She has nowhere to go…Thanks for the review! Oh, and the Shikon no Tama's reappearance…it's a secret.

 

Naien: I know, I kind of didn't want Sesshoumaru to “save” Kagome at the end of the last chapter, but it needed to be done for the sake of the plot. I did have her kick ass, though, just to show that she's not a weakling. However, logically, she WAS against a demon, and she's just a human. It makes sense that she would lose in the end. I'm glad you love the story!

 

LynGreenTea: (dies of shock) Wow, I feel so honored. (to the audience) She likes me, she really likes me…(sniff). What would I do without you?

 

StarPrincess2020: I'm so glad you think this is one of the best Sess/Kag fics out there. It makes me feel very honored. Oh, and I'm glad you didn't die from the wait!

 

Angel: Gosh, you couldn't have fed my ego any more in your review. I honestly don't know where I come up with my plots. I just think about random things and go, “Oh, that would work well” and end up writing it. I have a very strange imagination. I'm glad you enjoy it, and thank you for the wonderful review!

 

Ruth: But I wanna see the chapter NOW!!!! Hurry and get it typed up so I can read it. And in answer to all of your questions…you'll just have to wait and see! (sticks out tongue) I hope college is going well for you!!!

 

Wood: So sorry for the length of the last chapter. I made this one a little longer. For a while there, I didn't want to write, but when I started updating again, it was a little hard to get into the rhythm of it again. But, I'm getting it back slowly, and I hope it shows! I'm glad you like “Speechless” too. It makes me feel great to know that you like both of my stories.

 

Coldqueen: I'm sorry for the cliffhanger!!!! Your review made me crack up, so you get cookies! I've uploaded just like you asked, and I hope I didn't disappoint!!

 

Me: the format of your reviews always crack me up. No, the ring does not track Kagome, or mark her as Sesshoumaru's…well, it kind of does. He's chosen to give a ring from his family to her, so that has some significance. I'm glad you liked the whole “vengeful god” thing. I thought it would sound too corny, but I couldn't help myself, so I left it as it was.

 

Arcander: Yes, silly Arcy. You made me miss my routine bouts of insanity from you. (pouts) Maybe that's why I've felt the last few chapters were off. I hope you liked the coddling of Sess even more in this chapter. Not to mention the HOTNESS… Lol, loved your skit…

 

For those of you who want a little laugh, here is the skit that Arcander sent me in her review about Sesshoumaru coddling Kagome and her getting sick of it. It had me laughing so hard at the picture it made:

 

"Kagome, you can't sleep alone anymore, Naraku might be lurking in

there!"

"That's IT Sesshoumaru! I've had it with your babying! I QUIT! FIND A

NEW PLAY-FIANCEE!"

"But... Kagome..." *goes off into a corner to sob*

 

Fluffi Li: Yes, Fluffi Li-chan. There, I said it, are you happy? (glomps) Of course you are!!!

 

And a BIG thanks to: s+s destiny, Ilse, Darktemp, kittypurr714, Dark-kgome, James (yay, a guy is reading my fic!!!! You are a guy, right?), che lee, The Violent Tomboy, Corin, fluffystwin (lol, you are very welcome!), Kyoko Super Girl, Kagome21, 1kenshinlover, and Blood Red Moon. Without you guys, there would be no me. (glomps all reviewers)

 

Please tell me if I did okay on the kissing scene. I was never really good with romance. (blushes). Until next time!

 

Ja ne,

Mujitsu