InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Her Protector ❯ This Dude looks like a Lady, But she, She's the man! ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Inuyasha, it's the sole property of Goddess Romiko Takahashi, and I cannot take credit for her genius. I neither own “Dude looks like a lady” which is by Aerosmith nor “She's the Man!”.

 

Kagome is a college student unaware of the mortal peril she is in. He's a bitter silver - haired Adonis with a checkered past and a vow to protect humans. So when the two meet, it's a given that fireworks follow…

 

A/N: A big warm hug to my wonderful beta, Rowdyjaner!

 

 

Chapter 7 -

This Dude Looks Like a Lady…but she, She's the Man!

 

 

“Wow!” Sesshomaru gave a low whistle as he clapped his eyes on his female avatar for the first time in the mirror. He twirled around, critically assessing his naked feminine form. `Not bad, not bad at all. The kit has done well!'

 

The demon was surprised at how closely he resembled the Poison girl. When he had given Shippo the vague description and instructions last night, he had hoped the resulting persona would at least be pleasing to the eye. But somehow, the kit had got most of it right, not only successfully emulating the stunner's looks, but also enhancing them drastically. The face was quite similar - the same big chocolate eyes, the same heart shaped face, the same button nose, the same full, pouting lips. There were a few points of difference, mainly in the shape of the chin, the youkai ears, the hairstyle and the new markings on his face. Instead of the crescent moon and the two magenta stripes that adorned his male face, he now sported a single delicate golden stripe beneath his avatar's eyes.

 

The body was where the kit had exceeded his expectations. Kikyou's body was fuller and curvier than the one he remembered in his arms. Of course, he had no visual recollection to compare it to, but the feel of the mysterious girl under his claws was all too vivid for him, even now. His avatar's breasts were seemingly riper than the other's, her waist narrower, her hips flaring sharply into a pair of long, shapely legs. He brought his hand to the slit at the juncture of his thighs narrowing his eyes at the lack of a certain till-now vital organ and gave a soft sigh, feeling rather unmanned and vulnerable without it.

 

This whole thing was bizarre. He felt strange, almost as if he was wearing a skintight costume over his own skin with the only difference being that he could feel the `second skin'. He could feel his own skin but could not touch it, while he could touch and feel the softer feminine skin. What was even more disconcerting was that his fake skin was in places inches above or below his actual skin. Getting his mind around the whole thing was giving him a headache.

 

The morning had been an eventful one. After being smuggled into Divine Protections to avoid any interaction with his colleagues and, thus, the bemused questions and comments that would follow such an interaction, the demon had Shippo quickly rectify the charm. He had also had the new scent-distortion charm and the power limiter fused to his youki. Only the testing of his avatar remained.

 

He nodded to himself as he redressed himself in the baggy clothes. `Kikyou is indeed ready.'

 

As he opened the door of the dressing room, an eager Shippo bombarded him with questions. “So, what's the verdict, Sesshomaru-sama? Do you like it? Is the voice OK? What about the power-limiter? Have you-”

 

The demon lord roared in exasperation, “Enough!” Visibly calming himself, he put his hand on the pouting kit's shoulder. “It's quite good, Shippo. As for your other questions, this Sesshomaru will test it out before answering any questions.”

 

The kit swelled up with happiness as Rin giggled softly. They both knew that the demon was stingy with praise and that these seemingly insignificant words conveyed much more than they meant.

 

“Hai. Last night I didn't get a chance to talk to you about the transformation. Do you wish to ask me anything, my lord?”

 

Kikyou raised her eyebrow in a very familiar Sesshomaru-like expression. “Kit, this one wants to know about the charm. Will it always seem so tight and uncomfortable?”

 

The fox demon smiled and waved his small hands, “No, not at all. I know what you mean. You must mean the discomfort with the fake skin. It will take a little getting used to, but the feeling will dissipate with time. The more you are in the female form, the faster you will get used to it.” He paused and took a deep breath. “Sesshomaru-sama, whenever the charm is on and you are in the feminine form, please remember that all your reactions and physical responses will be feminine. And, therefore, your behaviour must also correctly reflect your new femininity.”

 

Rin broke in with a soft “Hai. We will work on it.”

 

The teen grinned at Rin “Also, as you may have obviously realized, you will not be able to enjoy…um…the company of your pet, or any other female for that matter.” His grin grew wider at Rin's blush and then died a quick death at the sight of Kikyou's glittering eyes in an otherwise stoic face. `Damn, he's scary even as a woman!'

 

Clearing his throat and attempting to relax his frazzled nerves under the inu's unblinking stare, he continued in a rush. “Yeah…uh...so I was saying. The power limiter has been set at half your normal strength and power, so, no trying to barge through any walls. The power limiter also affects your senses - so your eyesight, hearing and sense of smell will not be as good as they are with your full power. Of course, you could always slide the power limiter to release more of your power but the more power you release the more it will suppress the concealment charm causing your illusion to waver.”

 

He saw the older youkai's thoughtful frown and knew that he had successfully distracted the inu and had thus saved himself from being punished for embarrassing the young girl. Shippo was extremely fond of Rin, but the overly-protective older demon had made it clear long ago that the girl was not to be harassed in any way. The kit knew that she was a pet, but was a little put-off that she was off-limits to all while the demon was free to pursue other demonesses.

 

Suppressing a surge of sudden anger, he looked at his handiwork and was surprised to see the avatar's nipples clearly visible through the soft cotton of her T-shirt. Licking his lips nervously, he averted his eyes and rambled on in a high-pitched voice. “Clothes! Uh…any clothes you wear, whether in male or female form, will adjust to fit your other state. So if you need to change forms at the spur of the moment, your clothes will still fit you. After all we can hardly have a demon lord dressed in tatters running around or a demoness floating in extra large clothes. It would seem-”

 

“Is there anything else, anything constructive, you need to tell me, Shippo?” The Kitsune demon looked at the clearly irritated taiyoukai and silently shook his head. “Fine. We will be leaving now.”

 

No sooner had Sesshomaru stepped out of the trial room with Rin, than he saw an enraged Hiten striding towards the door they had just exited. He groaned mentally and then walked on calmly, secure in the knowledge that in his female avatar, no one could link him to him. As the thunder demon passed him, he exhaled softly, unaware that he had been unconsciously holding his breath.

 

And when his colleague doubled back to stop in front of him, he gave a nervous start before letting the mask of stoicism cover his face.

 

“Hey, you're Rin, right?” The thunder demon asked Rin, though his eyes never left the female Inu in front of him.

 

“Hai, Hiten-sama.”

 

“I though I recognized you from the New year party last year. And who is your gorgeous friend?” He gave a short bow and addressed Sesshomaru. “I don't believe we have been introduced. I am Hiten Oshima, a thunder demon and you are?”

 

Sesshomaru's jaw dropped before he quickly composed himself and gave what he hoped was a serene smile. `What the hell. He didn't recognize me. Well, of course, I knew he wouldn't but…to actually see it happen. Damn! This is so strange. And what is stranger is the way he's staring at me. Like a cat staring at a dish of cream.'

 

Rin saw the uncertain smile on Kikyou's face and knew that Sesshomaru was thrown as to how he should behave. Normally, he would have given a curt nod if he even deigned to notice his subordinate, but now he was no longer a taiyoukai, no longer Hiten's superior. Hell, he wasn't even a male. The thought of her rescuing him, brought a huge grin to her face. “Hiten-sama, this is Ms Kikyou Chikamori. She is a very special friend of mine.”

 

Sesshomaru growled softly at the girl's teasing tone. “Pleased to meet you, Hiten-sama.”

 

The thunder demon waved his hands while blatantly checking her form out. “Please, please, no formalities, call me Hiten. Any friend of Rin's is my friend. I would love to better our acquaintance.”

 

Seeing his eyes were stuck at Kikyou's chest, Rin rolled her eyes and gave a quick squeeze to the angry demon lord's shoulder. Tamping down on his irritation, the inu-youkai nodded to the other demon. “Yeah. I'm sure it would be a scream.”

 

“Well, this was fun but we have to go. We have to…err…meet Sesshomaru-sama at the café in ten minutes.” Rin chirped with a sunny smile.

 

At his superior's name, Hiten almost sprang to attention and nodded a touch nervously. “Yes, yes, please go ahead. It was a pleasure meeting you, Kikyou. I hope we meet again, soon.”

 

Sesshomaru nodded and almost dragged Rin away from the place. They moved in silence till they were outside the premises and then Rin burst out laughing. The demon sent her a scathing look as he clenched and unclenched his fists in frustration. “The way he was looking at me, I wanted to punch his lights out. I almost feel dirty.” The demon shuddered in revulsion and then suddenly glanced at the deathly-quiet, pale girl. 'Kuso!!! I should have thought before speaking.'

 

“Rin, I am sorry. I should not have-”

 

“It's okay, Sesshy. Every girl learns to handle things like that. You're new to this being female thing, so its doubly horrible for you. Some men are just such jerks. One just has to learn to ignore such-”

 

“Rin.” He shifted into his male form and interrupted the girl's babbling, taking in her tear-filled eyes and her pained expression. “I was not thinking before speaking. I know that my words reminded you of that time. It was insensitive of me.” He pulled her into his arms, laying her head against his shoulder. “I have always felt your pain and thought I could understand what you were feeling, that I could understand the depth of your grief. But, today I realize that I had not even fathomed one-hundredth of it. If a mere look caused me so much revulsion and disquiet, I cannot even begin to imagine what you were feeling like when what you went through was a million times worse. I am so sorry, Rin.”

 

Rin moved her head from his shoulder and looked into his anguished amber eyes. She gave him a tremulous smile and a quick peck on his cheek. “You're too good to me, Sesshy.”

 

Wiping her eyes, she put her hands on her hips and gave him a mock-scowl. “And what do you think you're doing, changing forms like this? Didn't you hear what Shippo said? You have to remain in female form for as long as possible so that you get used to it. Now, change back.”

 

Sesshomaru scowled at her before changing forms again, muttering, “Yes, sir!”

 

She smiled at his irritation. “Well, at least Shippo was right about the clothes altering to fit either form bit. And that reminds me, we have to get some clothes for you. So let's hit the malls.”

 

Four agonizing hours later, Sesshomaru sat on his bed massaging his aching feet and cursing the person who had invented spike heels. `Women have to be masochists to wear such painful footwear. Damnit all to hell, my feet are killing me!'

 

The first thing Rin had done in the mall was buy him a pair of shiny black spike heels. And had then proceeded to drag a stumbling Kikyou from one end of the mall to the other. His wardrobe had acquired quite a number of feminine articles of clothing - everything from skirts, halters, tube tops and dresses to the more unisex jeans, wifebeaters and shirts. It was in the lingerie store that Sesshomaru had finally put down his foot. He had argued with Rin that he did not need a bra since his avatar's rather-well formed chest was magically `bound' and was not answerable to gravity or other movements. Plus, he had fiercely argued that changing forms would be highly difficult and embarrassing if he was wearing a bra. He had won that round but at the cost of several purses, belts, shoes, make-up and jewellery.

 

And now that they were back home, Rin was looking at him with a calculating look in her eyes as she assessed his forlorn feminine form. “Kikyou, your training begins now. You have three days left till the beginning of college. You-”

 

Kikyou leaned back against his bed with a grimace “Actually, I will join college two days later, since the client's daughter, my principal - what's her name, um, Kagome - has to stay at home for some religious function.”

 

“Quiet! Now as I was saying before you very rudely interrupted me Kikyou, I will leave on Monday which gives us only three days. These three days, you will not remove the charm, not even for a second. You will live, breathe, act and even think like a woman. I mean it, Kikyou.”

 

A bemused smile blossomed on Kikyou's face. “Sure, whatever you say, my beautiful sensei.”

 

The girl narrowed her eyes at the demoness' flippant attitude. “You wanted my help, Kikyou, and you've got it. But we will do things my way. I think in all the excitement of meeting Inuyasha, you've forgotten that you're supposed to be protecting a young girl. A girl who you will be with 24x7 and who you will be interacting a lot with. Even a small slip-up can end up exposing you and, as your sensei in this matter, I absolutely cannot allow it. I will not allow you to botch this up and add to the guilt already burdening you. Do we have an agreement, Sesshomaru Taisho?”

 

The inu-youkai gave the girl a mock bow. “Hai, Sensei.” “Kuso! The next three days are going to be hell. Who knew my sweet Rin was a Neo-Nazi in disguise.”

 

“Now, the first thing we will learn is how to walk properly like a female and not how a man thinks a-”

 

Sesshomaru groaned. `Aaaaah! Kill me, kami!'

 

 

xxXxxXxxXxx

 

`Kill me now!'

 

Kagome stretched grumpily, popping her stiff muscles and then plopped back into bed with a scowl. She was beyond bored. Under virtual house-arrest by her mother, Kagome was seriously contemplating running away from her house just to get away from it all. Why her mother had turned into a nut-case was beyond Kagome's understanding. Her mother had been the coolest, smartest, most empathic and friendly adult the girl had the privilege of knowing. They had always been extremely close, being the only family each of them had. Kagome still remembered the horrible accident, which had claimed the lives of her father, grandfather and brother when she was just a kid, leaving the two shattered females all alone to fend for themselves. Satori had painstakingly rebuilt their lives, even giving up her job to run the Higurashi shrine as her husband's legacy. Through thick and thin, heartbreak and joy, the two of them had remained together, enjoying a bond that transcended a mere mother-daughter bond becoming something more.

 

And now, the bond was slowly unraveling. Satori had become paranoid about her daughter's safety ever since the Eyeless Murders began a couple of weeks ago and the girl, in turn, had resented her mother's mollycoddling. The only reason she had agreed to remain in the house was the whispered plea her mother had made at the end of their last pre-truce fight. It had been a vicious argument with each side loudly vocalizing their current grievances with the other. Kagome had been passionately recounting her objections, when her mother's soft, weary voice stopped her mid-flow. “Please Kagome. You are all I have. If anything were to happen to you, I…please remain at home, just for a few days. I beg you.”

 

The words had touched Kagome and brought tears to her eyes. At that emotionally charged moment, she had agreed, figuring that it was just a couple of days before she left for Tokyo University. But it had been sooooo hard, not to mention boring, to stay at home. Her only reprieve had been going to Poison with Inuyasha, but even that had got bungled due to that good-looking but rude youkai bastard. And just today she had been informed that she wouldn't be leaving home on Monday for the University, as she had been expecting, but instead would leave on Wednesday, since a major purification ceremony was to be held at the Shrine on Tuesday, for which Satori needed her daughter's assistance.

 

`Great! Can it get any better than this?'

 

Oh, but it did. Since the past few days, Kagome was convinced that she was loosing her mind. Bright flashes of unexplained light, colours growing sharper and then muting again, feelings of unexplained danger and creepiness that crept upon her occasionally - if not madness what could it be? Kagome had at first grown fearful of the strange symptoms, but then had rationalised that it was just sensory deprivation and boredom that was resulting in her hallucinating and becoming neurotic. There, that sounded so much better than saying I'm going crazy, ne?

 

And Inuyasha was not helping. He had tried his best to alleviate her boredom and make her incarceration more tolerable for the first couple of days, but of late, he had become rather scarce. She had tried his number several times, but with no success. `Some friend he turned out to be! Maybe I need a man like my friends keep telling me…Someone to call my own. Someone who I could talk to and be close to, someone…'

 

Just then, the phone rang, jolting a fuming Kagome out of her thoughts. Glaring at the instrument and, indirectly, at the caller, who she knew had to be Inuyasha, she flipped it open. “Moshi-moshi. Betrayed by best friend and almost too furious to be speaking, speaking.”

 

Her bitter words where answered by a soft chuckle and a warm honeyed and extremely familiar voice. “Guess I caught you at a bad time, huh?”

 

“Hey! My main man. How are you? O Kami! Things have been so crazy that I haven't even had time to worry about you. And what with the time difference and stuff…I'm babbling. How are things going there?”

 

Another soft chuckle floated across the line. “Well, `things' are going well. I won.”

 

Kagome fell off the bed in her excitement. “What! WOW! I knew you'd do well at `Knockout', but winning the damn competition is absolutely out of this world. I guess I'm not surprised, Sango. The amount of hard work that you've been putting into your training had to pay off.”

 

Kagome had not been surprised when Sango had been selected to take part in the super-elite fighting competition. The girl had always been crazy about marital arts and wanted to be the best fighter in the world. Her spirit, strength and determination had garnered her a spot amongst the best, and Kagome knew that her friend would have given her all to achieve her victory.

 

She climbed back onto the bed slowly. “I'm just sorry I missed it. I wish I could have been there in Berlin for the contest.” When Sango did not immediately reply, Kagome knew that her other best friend had also missed her. She also knew that Sango would never make that admission to her. That's just the way she was.

 

“Ah, Kagome. That's all in the past. I've got so much in the future to look forward to. Guess what, as the winner of the all-human `Knockout' competition, I get an automatic spot in the all-youkai competition, `Annihilation', that's scheduled for later this year in Tokyo. I'm just so excited about it.”

 

Kagome frowned a bit as she processed the information. “I know you're extremely skilled and strong Sango, but…won't a human be at a disadvantage against youkai claws and fangs? Not to mention, their superhuman strength and their special powers.”

 

“Yeah, that is why I would be allowed to take any two weapons with me, while battling Youkai. Oh Kami, no human has ever made it past the first round in `Annihilation'. But I will. You see, Kagome, if I don't.”

 

Kagome grinned at the determination in her friend's voice. `Yup! That's the Sango I know. She will clear the first round, no doubt about it.'

 

“I know you will, honey. When have you ever let anything stand in your way-”

 

“Never!” the both of them exclaimed together, laughing with glee.

 

“So, how's Aunt Kirara? She must be ecstatic over your victory.” Kagome said with a small smile, recalling the Neko youkai who was her friend's guardian and most ardent supporter.

 

“Yeah! I called her a while ago and she was over the moon with happiness. She was so excited when I told her that some of the moves she had taught me were instrumental in my victory. I heard her say that she's going to treat the entire Youkai Law Enforcement Agency to doughnuts to celebrate.”

 

Kagome looked thoughtful. “Called? Wasn't she to go with you to `Knockout'?”

 

“She was supposed to, but at the last minute there was a batch of fresh incidents of rogue demons attacking humans and all YLEA officers were called off leave. She was really disappointed at that development.”

 

Kagome heard the wistfulness in her friend's voice. `I bet not as disappointed as you were. Not that you would ever let it show. Oh Sango, why do you bottle it all inside?'

 

“So you're all alone in Berlin?” She let a hint of playfulness enter her tone. “Sango let loose on Berlin. Run and hide Berliners!”

 

A snort answered her. “Nah, I can't show my true nefarious colours just yet. There are people from back home here, including, believe it or not, the pervert. I met him a couple of times.”

 

Kagome sounded baffled as she toyed with the bedcover. “You met a pervert?”

 

“No, no, not a pervert. THE Pervert.”

 

“Miroku?”

 

“Bingo! Frankly, I was surprised to see him here, until he told me that a fighting arena was the perfect place to score women. Something about all that testosterone-laden air driving women crazy. And since he had a different woman on his arm every other night, I'd say it worked for him.”

 

Kagome laughed heartily at Sango's disgusted tone. If there was one person that the fighter detested, it was him. True, the girl had only met Inuyasha's friend a couple of times, but Sango had taken a deep and unflinching dislike to the well-known pervert at their very first meeting. Perhaps it had something to do with the ass-grabbing that the fighter had been subjected to by the extremely tipsy pervert.

 

Sobering as a thought struck her, “So, you really had no one with you? It must have been very boring for you in between matches. All alone in an unfamiliar city and all that stuff.”

 

Sango cleared her throat softly, before she said “Not exactly. I…uh…I've met someone.” Kagome stared incredously at the phone as if it she could see her friend though it. `Did I hear correctly? Did I-don't-need-anyone-in-my-life Sango just say she met someone?'

 

Over the line, a cool voice filled the stunned silence, “I know what you're thinking, honey. Believe me, he almost matches my Golden Rules”

 

Kagome rolled her eyes at that. `Oh yeah, Sango and her Golden Rules. There's actually someone like that in this world?'

 

Sango was still talking about the guy she'd met. “He's a youkai who had come to the competition to fight in the opening exhibition match. Oh Kaggie, he's a magnificent fighter. You should have seen him…he was absolutely fabulous. Crisp, precise movements, a strong defense and an uncanny way of predetermining his opponent's movements. Beautiful, it was just beautiful.”

 

As Sango paused for breath, her perplexed friend broke through. “A youkai?”

 

She knew Sango had heard the censure in her voice, when she heard a sharp intake of air and a slightly louder-than-normal voice counter her. “I know what you are thinking. And it's not like that at all. He's very good looking AND a damn good fighter but I didn't get together with him because of these reasons. I wouldn't have hooked up with him except the poor thing was following me around, trying to court me. I almost pitied his relentless pursuit and so-”

 

Kagome heard an amused male voice over the phone, cutting off Sango's diatribe from somewhere behind her friend. “Ah! So you think I'm attractive AND a good fighter? I'm so honoured.”

 

Sango uncharacteristically stuttered “Uh…I…” as Kagome tried to smother her laugh. From the sound of it, her friend's youkai had heard her last remarks. `This should prove to be funny.'

 

The mysterious youkai continued huskily from somewhere closer to the phone. “And to think you only hooked up with me because of pity. Hmm, I would have thought it was because of this-” A thud signaled to Kagome that the phone had dropped from Sango's hand. She would have been alarmed if her friend's soft moan had not come to her over the airwaves.

“Or perhaps due to this-”

 

A louder, drawn-out moan had Kagome blushing like a beet. Her wild imagination supplied her with numerous images of what was happening on the other end. She blushed more and was about to close the phone when she heard the phone being picked up. The youkai spoke to her “I'm sorry but Sango is a bit pre-occupied as of now. “

 

“Yes, I heard.” Another moan punctuated her words, causing Kagome to flush some more. `He's talking to me while he's doing - whatever he's doing to her. Unbelievable!'

 

He must have felt the same because he signed off. “Well, it was nice talking to you, Sango's friend. Maybe we can meet when we reach Tokyo on Tuesday.”

 

“Uh…sure,” But the phone had clicked off from the other end.

 

Kagome looked at the phone in her hand as if seeing it for the first-time. Did what had happened, actually happen? Sango had won `Knockout', landed a spot on `Annihilation' and was getting it on with a youkai lover. It seemed all very surreal. And so very exciting!

 

And what had Kagome done while Sango was out fulfilling her dreams? She was cooped up at home, loosing her mind and becoming more depressed. Hearing her friend being pleasured …being loved had emphasized her own lacking in that department.

 

She was an eighteen-year-old virgin. She supposed that there was nothing wrong with that. Not everyone was in a hurry to jump into bed with a man at the slightest provocation. But she felt, sometimes, that she was missing out on something. And given her history with boys, she could not have pointed out what that something was.

 

She was a girl who had dated only one boy before deciding to go steady with the extremely persistent and sweet Hojou. Cute, comfortable and caring…dull, boring and unexciting Hojou. They had broken it off a couple of months back, when she realized that he intended to propose to her. To a girl he barely knew, despite going out with her for nearly three years. To a girl he had hardly kissed, let alone going further than that. To a girl who clearly did not have marriage on her mind at this stage in her life. And, the dolt that he was, he was going to propose marriage.

 

Kagome had not minded her boyfriend's behaviour initially figuring it was better to be dignified and have an emotional connect rather than get pawed all the time. There would always be later for the physical stuff. Unfortunately, she had neither been able to get the emotional connect nor the physical intimacy.

 

It wasn't that she disliked him. In fact, she was still quite fond of him. And every now and then, when the blues got too much to bear, she would wonder if her life would have been better if she had agreed to his proposal. But those moments were few and far apart, and she did not regret her decision in any way.

 

She wanted to be loved…to be cherished. To be special for someone. To pleasure and be pleasured. To be wanted.

 

Sadly, It had not worked out like that. Since breaking it off with Hojou, she had kept to herself and had not dated. It was as if boys had been repelled by her. She just couldn't understand it. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that many people thought she was with Inuyasha. She wasn't, but the rumour persisted despite all efforts to quell it.

 

And then the closest that she had come to being wanted was by a random youkai against a bar wall at Poison. How sad was that?

 

It may have been sad, but it had also been exciting and forbidden. He had inflamed her desires with his searing kiss and Kagome had been lost. She had never ever felt this way before that day. Hojou's kisses had never made her feel as alive, as passionate as she felt that day. She knew in her heart that if he had not stopped, if he hadn't said those precise cold words to her, she would have happily surrendered her virginity to him. Even now, she could vividly recall the warmth of his breath against her sensitive neck, the sharp lust in his golden eyes, his claws roaming erotically over her body. And despite the fact that she had claimed that she hated him for comparing her to a whore, she would give anything to feel the same pleasure again.

 

As she settled down against her bed again, she briefly closed her eyes, remembering that briefly magical night. `Ah well! Just a couple of more days and then I will be free. Who knows, maybe this time I can do the seduction. Who knows, maybe this time I can be the man!'

 

TBC…

 

 

A/N: Apologies all around for the delay in updating but the simple fact is that this chapter has been a bitch to write. The whole Sesshomaru/Kikyou thing totally threw me off. I must have used up half of my writing book just trying to get it all to make sense. If you wonder what I'm talking about sample this:

A part of the original scene where Sessy sees his female self for the first time:

“Sesshomaru touched his breast curiously” - Uh! Yuck.

“Sesshomaru touched Kikyou's breast curiously” - The words just paint a totally different picture to the one intended.

“Kikyou touched her breast curiously.” - fine, except till upto this point we were talking of Sesshomaru and then suddenly Kikyou pops up.

 

It drove me mad. But I think we have some semblance of sense in this draft. I'm seriously contemplating reading some Ranma 1/2 fics so that I can see how they handle the male / female thing. ::notes down homework::

 

The next chapter, tentatively titled “Settling In”, will be up hopefully by the mid November. We will finally meet Miroku and …LOL. Suffice to say it will be interesting.

 

Like it, Hate it or just indifferent to it, Please, please, please review. It would really mean a lot to me.

 

Heartfelt thanks to my reviewers:

 

Sweetkijo: Thanks. It means a lot to be appreciated. Especially when a writer knows that certain aspects of the story will not go down well with many of the readers, any praise is like a big boost. As for the pairings, Sessy / kag is a given but for the rest…wait and see.

 

Sovereignty: Inucest…LMAO. That really cracked me up. There I am in office checking my mail and then there I was giggling uncontrollably after seeing your review. That was REALLY cute. Kikyou and Inuyasha? As I said…wait and see.

 

Ditany: Thanks, thanks and thanks. You made my day with your wonderful words. :: Frowns a bit at the 8 and 9 :: Well, I guess I gotta work harder at earning those 10s. And YES, I will be completing the story. I don't know why it says complete but believe me when I say that I have just begun to get warm on this one.