InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hidden Ways ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter Ten:

Kyoko quietly entered the study, observing the surroundings of large shelves filled with scrolls upon scrolls. She whistled through her teeth at the site, her gaze going to Sesshomaru who stood up from his mat on the ground near his desk that was low to the floor.

"Well, at least you smell better," He stated to her in slight annoyance. Kyoko's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms. "The kimono suits you, human."

The run away slave looked herself over, her cheeks flushing slightly at his remark. "Yeah, I guess it do. I like the colors," she replied, her hands clasping awkwardly behind her back as she rocked back and forth on her heels. The taiyoukai before her nodded solemnly.

"Red is the color of an untamed spirit," He said before turning gracefully and walking over to a shelf where he withdrew a scroll. Kyoko didn't really know what to make of the whole `red is the color of an untamed spirit' thing so she shrugged and followed him. The Inuyoukai's golden eyes turned towards as she came closer.

"What're we doin'? Whatcha gonna edj-cate me in tonight?" Kyoko asked, her voice laced in wonder. She did want to learn to read. She had always seen noblemen and higher classed women reading off of parchment scrolls and such and found it fascinating. She also wanted to write flowing letters that would form words.

"For the next while, we are going to work on your speech," Sesshomaru replied promptly, his deep voice holding slight superiority.

"My speech? What the hell're you talkin' `bout? My speech is well `nough!" Kyoko exclaimed. "No. We ain't workin' on the way I talk."

"Yes we are working on the way you talk. It is very disappointing that for as long as you have been alive that no one has had any decency to make sure you spoke correctly with grammar and language," The taiyoukai told her firmly, his face brooking no argument. Kyoko's demeanor softened as her arms relaxed and fell to her sides. Sesshomaru watched her carefully, noting that she had never backed away from one of his assaults towards her before.

"Fine but let's jest do it `till I talk tolerable, all right? I've always wanted to read, Lord Sesshomaru. I've heard it's excitin'," The runaway slave told the taiyoukai, a bright light of hope shining in her luminous, dark eyes.

"Reading can be exciting. It just depends on what you are reading," he replied in a calm voice, pointing to the ground in front of the low desk where she was to sit. Kyoko plopped down on the mat and propped her elbows up on the table and rested her chin on her hands, staring at Sesshomaru as he sat down as well. He looked at her with no emotion for a moment before he cleared his throat and reached forward and pushed her elbows off the table with his arm.

"Why'd `ya do that?" Kyoko asked him, her face full of genuine bewilderment.

"It is not becoming to place your elbows on the table, Kyoko, nor is it proper to slouch in the presence of a man," He told her in a condescending voice of arrogance and superiority. The young woman only huffed and leaned back from the table, spreading out on the floor, her head whipping forward to smirk evilly at Sesshomaru when she arched her back and spread her legs.

"Is this becomin', Lord Sesshomaru?" she shot at him, her voice rich in husky amusement as he looked to the side, an annoyed sigh passing his lips and the fingers of his hand drummed against the desk top, his claws clacking every time they came into contact with the hard surface.

Kami-sama. I'm going to have to tame this wild spirit, the taiyoukai thought in anger, frustration and annoyance.

**

"KAMI-SAMA! HOT!" Kyoko roared when she was drenched again by the scalding hot water of the hot springs. She thrashed around and then attempted to reach behind her and scratch her back where her thick and wet hair was plastered to her back. She grunted but then gave up, flopping backwards against the side of the tub, relaxing when the kitsune who had been washing her before continued.

"I see, Tsuki-chan," The kitsune told Tsuki, the neko hanyou who had been dealing with Kyoko's hair in the earlier encounter at the hot springs. "Milk works much better to get the built up smudge off of skin. Look at how fine a skin tone she has underneath all of this filth," she added, holding up Kyoko's now refreshingly clean arm. It was the color of creamy peaches and twice as soft.

"We should have used it earlier, Moriko-chan," Tsuki replied with a smile while lifting Kyoko's hair to scrub the curve of her back clean.

"PEH-TOOEY!" The runaway slave blanched and spluttered when Tsuki got milk and soap in her mouth. "The stuff's awful! BLECH!"

"Well, I told you to keep your mouth shut, m'lady Kyoko-san," she teased while she finished wiping her face clean. Another smile lit her face when she put a hand under Kyoko's chin and inspected her face. The young woman felt a bit cornered and fought her grip, escaping and glared at her.

"What're `ya doin'?" She demanded, her eyes softening when she saw the surprised and giddy expressions of the two youkai who were attending her. "What're `ya lookin' at? Is mah face that funny lookin'?" she started to feel her cheeks around in embarrassment.

"No, Kyoko-san. We couldn't tell you had freckles on your nose and cheeks until we cleaned you up. You were that filthy," Moriko answered her, reaching out a hand. "Come now. You smell fresh and you are looking ethereal. Let's get you dressed again," she added, helping Tsuki to dry her off and handed her an ensemble of a green and brown patchwork hakama that tied with a red obi and had a blue touch for finishing kimono.

Kyoko was fully dressed and felt somewhat lighter and more… clean! She hadn't felt this way in a long time and she was not going to complain. She walked into the castle again and went down the pathway to the study, dreading her next lesson. The night previous did not follow in good turn after she had questioned the suggestive position she had been sitting in…

Flashback

"Repeat after me so you will know how words are supposed to sound," Sesshomaru told her in a measured voice, his own temper rising as he fought to keep it under control. "Actually."

"Ax-shoolly."

Sesshomaru stared at her skeptically for a moment before he nodded and his eyes flickered briefly. "Drop all of your foolishness, human. I am trying to school you so you will be able to keep my charge company without angering me even time I hear you speak and you also wish to learn to read. You can only attain that goal if you can speak properly," He informed her in a more firm voice. His stoic façade was now lacing and drowning in frustration and irritation.

"I ain't foolin'! It's how I talk an' it's how I talked fer mah whole life," Kyoko fired back at him, maintaining the posture he showed her. She sat with her back arched so that her breasts were high and out and so her shoulders were relaxed. She was supposed to look and feel `proper' in his words. She felt ###### and suffocated.

"You will have to attempt to put all of that behind you then," Sesshomaru barked, ending all conversation. The young woman sat dead silent, glaring at him in frustration. He had no idea how it felt to be mistreated and misunderstood like this. "Now then. Concentrate and think about what you should sound like when you say the syllables. Repeat. Actually," he said the word rather slow this time. His eyes watched her accordingly as she thought it out.

"Ok. I'm goin' tah try," she told him and saw him nod in slight impatience. "Ax-" She cut herself off. She was about to say it wrong again but she couldn't. She had to prove to him that she was capable of speaking normally. She gazed down at the surface of the desk in slight nervousness. "Ac-shull…" she looked up to see him nod for her to continue. She felt slightly relieved. So far, so good. "Ac-shully!" she exclaimed and grinned from ear to ear and shot up, her arms spreading in both directions. "See! I done it! I done it!"

"Well done," Sesshomaru mumbled in sarcasm, as he felt rather bored at the moment. He was impressed however with her determination. He half expected her to fall away and say she wanted to discontinue for the night. "Now. Say it again."

Kyoko grinned again and placed her hands on her hips in triumph. "Ax-shoolly-" she gasped and frowned. "Awg! Damn it all!" she shouted and stomped her foot. The taiyoukai crossed his arm in his sleeve and eyed her all-knowingly.

"If you think you are going to catch on that quickly, think again. It takes hours to undo the spoken habits of a word that has been said wrong one's entire life," he told her, shattering the pride she had instilled in herself for achieving her goal.

"What the hell do `ya mean by that?" Kyoko exclaimed, flopping down on the floor in bewilderment. Her arms crossed as she eyed the taiyoukai across the table.

"I suppose we are going to practice the word actually until it is reformed in your vocabulary speaking bank correctly. It's quite annoying to hear your awful mutilation of the word," he answered her, his baritone voice alight with amusement.

"WHAT?"

"Now then. Repeat. Actually."

End Flashback

She groaned, just remembering how many times she had had to say the annoyingly painful word, `actually.' She had it right now. It only took her… three hours! She rubbed at her eyes that were slightly tired from the lack of sleep she had gotten. She had had a night terror. She had not had one for a week but had broken her non-night terror streak with the awful one she had had last night. She wrapped her arms around herself and continued to walk along.

"M'lady," she heard the toad youkai Jaken call out after her. Kyoko turned to see him waddling along.

"Yeah? Whaddya want?" she asked him in calm curiosity.

"Lord Sesshomaru told me that you are to go outside for your lesson today. He wishes to meet you out in the field," Jaken informed her, his raspy voice slightly out of breath. Kyoko made a weird face but nodded and thanked him briefly as she changed her course of direction to the outdoors.

**

"Ah, I see Jaken found you," Sesshomaru stated, his eyes fixing on Kyoko. They roamed around her and Kyoko grew edgy and jumpy under the heat of his scrutinizing gaze. "Your skin is much fairer now that you are completely clean," he told her as he looked away in disinterest. Kyoko relaxed and let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding.

The two lapsed into uncomfortable silence, not knowing what to say that golden rays of sunshine flowed over the beautiful field they were in. Kyoko wanted to form conversation so she began by saying, "It's a lovely day, ain't it?"

"Very moderate," was the curt and accurate response from the taiyoukai. Kyoko deflated. This youkai did not have very good social skills, it seemed.

"I know we was gonna have our lesson but kin I go n' bask in the sun?" She asked him calmly, watching as he nodded shortly. She grinned at him and ran a distance away, rolling down a small hill and drew herself back up, whirling around under the suns golden rays.

Sesshomaru watched her from a far, his youkai vision giving him an advantage and a view of something strangely odd… Her dark eyes were sparkling with mirth… her long hair was swaying across her hips and flowing behind her… her fair skin glowed in ethereal depiction under the great ball of fire… her laughter was ringing through his ears. Then, she turned and smiled at him.

Her slender face was creased in a light smile at him, her cheeks slightly flushed, making the freckles on her nose stand out more. Her hair was blowing past her as she tangled her fingers through a few skeins. She looked… dare he think it… beautiful and serene… perfectly blending with her surroundings. He swallowed as his own control went into hyper-drive before he got himself tampered down. She was not ugly. Far from it…

Sesshomaru stiffened when her scent breezed into his nose, the flowery scent somewhat more spicy than normal. His eyes narrowed as Kyoko walked a smaller distance away and he saw the way she was walking. Her slender and shapely form was swaying slightly and he felt disgusted as he watched her too closely. Kami-sama… She's aroused AND she's bleeding… He thought, his body responding to the call of estrus that Kyoko was in.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Her voice called, bringing him out of his reverie. " Come lookit this!" The taiyoukai wondered what she was gaping at but he gracefully strode over, his eyes growing somewhat confused. "Lookit that! Ain't that goh-geous?"

Sesshomaru gazed down at the red flower, seeing that it was one he had never seen before. "It is only a flower," he snorted, looking bemused and bored.

"Only a flower? That's one helluva red flower! I ain't never seen one the likes of this anywheres," she shot at him, bending down to smell the sweet fragrant pollen inside. "It smells good in there," she pointed.

"Yes. I can smell it from here," Sesshomaru told her bluntly, his visage switching to stony instead of bored and irritated. "It is that of your scent," he informed her, watching her when she whirled to look at him with a bright smile and red cheeks.

"'Ya mean… I smell that good to all `ya youkais?" She questioned him.

"I would not say `smell good' but yes, you smell that way to all youkai," He answered her, knowing full well that he was irritating her. He had lied about the way she smelled though. She had a very appealing scent just like the flower did.

Kyoko's face fell but she kept up a mischievous smirk. "'Course I smell good. It makes up fer my ugly looks! HA!" she laughed, her hair blowing behind her. Sesshomaru's breath was nearly taken away but he kept his gaze neutral.

"Stop this foolishness. We're going to begin your lesson," he ordered, grabbing her by the arm and dragged her along. Kyoko looked up at him and was smiling softly. His eyes went to her happy visage and narrowed. "What is it?"

"Do I really smell that bad to `ya?" she asked him, her face genuinely curious. Sesshomaru looked forward and kept his voice emotionless.

"You do not smell so bad that I cannot tolerate your presence," He replied.

Kyoko's eyes softened as she nodded, the content smile still upon her face as they walked to have the lesson.