InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ One Shot ❯ One Shot Part II ( Chapter 2 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Striking Falcon 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 02.28.2005 | Pages: 7 | Words: 8.5K | Visits: 2.4K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 02.28.2005 | Pages: 7 | Words: 8.5K | Visits: 2.4K | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: Yeah, I know. This doesn’t belong to me. Inuyasha belongs solely to the genius who first came up with him.
SF: Ok people. This is the second and last part of this one shot. I wish I had thought of a better name for it than ‘One shot’ but sometimes the simplest things are the ones that work. Thanks so much for the positive feedback (except for that one person. You know who you are dude) and I truly hope that this lemon isn’t as sour as I predict it to be. Hey, if there are any complaints let me know and I’ll send them straight to my cousin. He’s supposed to be doing my lemons anyway.
‘It is not that this Sesshoumaru is not grateful,’ he said to himself as he lifted a morsel of the crabmeat from his bowl. ‘It is not my way to be coddled as such. I am taiyoukai, more powerful than this little immortal that deems herself my protector-‘ He glanced up at the sound of a door opening, the stiff paper making a slight hissing sound as the door slid down its wooden tracks. Two females entered the room, and by scent he recognized them to be the miko and her personal guard. The heavy thunk of the guard’s spear was steady with the soft scraping of her boots against the wooden floor and the slight ringing from the steel wrapped around the toes of her footwear contrasting with the quick, nearly silent steps of her mistress.
“Kagome-sama,” the young woman’s voice said as they moved past his screen to the other side of the room. “What troubles you? You’ve been quite preoccupied these past couple of days.”
“It’s nothing Yuko,” he heard the miko deny. “Please, don’t worry about me.”
The guard laughed, the sound nasal in quality and irritating to Sesshoumaru’s ears. Sesshoumaru winced slightly but payed attention to the conversation. “Surely you jest dear aunt,” the guard continued to chuckle. “You know it’s a family pastime to worry about you.”
Kagome laughed as well, though it wasn’t as mirthful as the sound should have been. “Yeah, I know. Don’t worry about me though. It’s late and you should get some sleep.”
“If you’re sure Kagome-sama.” Kagome must have nodded and soon he heard the guard’s footsteps walking past him again. The door opened and closed, leaving himself alone with Kagome having retired from the small fore room to her bedroom just beyond. Sesshoumaru stood and quit the room, the edges of his midnight blue hakamas scraping along the frigid wooden floor. He passed her room door, noticing not for the first time the oddness of the door’s knob that allowed him entrance instead of the simpler sliding shojins like the rest of the castle.
He found her in her usual place at her vanity, the old tai’s furniture replaced with surprisingly darker woods and furs. Never would he have guessed in his time observing the young miko prior to Naraku’s demise that her tastes were so dark and sophisticated. Even his room; though the woods were slightly lighter than the nearly black timber of her bed, vanity and chemise, reflected her tastes in stained pine and mahogany. She stared at a small silver frame in her hands, her gray eyes distant as he stood and watched her.
“Miko,” Sesshoumaru said finally when she had yet to acknowledge him. Kagome jerked out of her stupor and glanced up at him, the frame returning to it’s place by the vanity’s mirror as she hastily wiped at her eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Kagome said with a rueful smile. “How long were you standing there?”
“What troubles you?” he asked instead of answering her question. How long he stood there was unimportant he decided, but the sudden anxiety and fear in her aura was. “You’re guard is correct in her worry for you, yet you lie. Why so?”
Kagome laughed then, a short snort-like sound as she turned on the vanity’s short stool. The frame was once again in her hands as she spoke to him. “Do you remember Miroku and Sango?” she asked, her eyes not on him but on the frame’s surface. Sesshoumaru thought a moment, then nodded. “Yes, I believe I remember the tajia and the houshi.”
“I’m glad.” She smiled wistfully, her attention still on the picture before she finally turned her silvery gaze to his. “Sesshoumaru-sama, they were my dearest friends. There is nothing I would not have done for them.” A single tear escaped her attention, the crystalline droplet slowly careening down her cheek to pause at her chin. This disturbed Sesshoumaru more than he would willingly admit and against his better judgement he crossed the room to her, only stopping to close the door behind him before standing a few inches in front of Kagome’s slippered feet and wiping the tear away.
“What troubles you little miko?” he asked her when she bit her lip to keep it from trembling. “Never has this Sesshoumaru seen you cry, even when my bastard brother would venture off on his nightly visitations.” Her scent lightly streaked with anger before the sadness overran it, giving proof that something was indeed wrong with the tiny immortal. Sesshoumaru inwardly sighed, wondering to himself what he had done to deserve such punishment as he kneeled down in front of her, hooked his index finger underneath her chin and raised her eyes to his. “Surely whatever it is cannot warrant these tears. You are made of stronger stuff, so cease this blubbering so this Sesshoumaru can understand.”
Kagome frowned, the slight irritation she felt at him earlier returning almost instantly. Sesshoumaru moved to sit at the foot of her bed, his knee almost touching hers as she dabbed at her eyes again and shot him a fearsome glare. “I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment or what Sesshoumaru-sama,” she grumbled testily. Sesshoumaru ignored it, sensing that little part in her aura that was actually grateful to him for his distraction and wise words (no matter how rudely spoken). “May I ask you a question?”
“I do not see why not,” Sesshoumaru answered with a slight shrug. “So long as I have the option not to answer it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about the 60-year rule?”
“The...60-year rule...” Sesshoumaru pondered this and found that he had no idea what she spoke of. “I do not recall a 60-year rule miko. What do you speak of and how does it pertain to this Sesshoumaru?”
‘Arrogant as always,’ Kagome griped with a mental sigh. ‘This doesn’t look good,’ she thought as she sank further into despair. ‘If he doesn’t know about the rule, then he wouldn’t know of another way to get around it. I may be in trouble.’ “I received visitors four days ago....they were the current ruler of the Western land Yoshiyuki and his Elder Advisor Raidon.”
Sesshoumaru suppressed the snarl that threatened to rip from his throat, his eyes flashing crimson briefly before settling back into their original gold. Kagome glanced out the window and blinked back tears, unaware of her companion’s momentarily loss of control. “Raidon is the one that told me about the rule. Yoshiyuki...demands my hand and my kingdom, or he will slaughter my court and mate me by force.”
“He does not have the right,” Sesshoumaru told her and frowned when she shook her head. “The Youkai Council-“
“I’m not youkai, remember?” Kagome sniffed. “So I really don’t think they’d do anything about him. Anyway, he does have right according to the 60-year rule.”
“What is this rule?” Sesshoumaru asked again. “You’ve spoken of it twice, but have yet to explain.”
“It’s in one of the textbooks in the library, one with the rules of the Youkai Council written inside. The 60-year rule is...that...any female tai that has ruled for 60 years without knowing the touch of a male will be forced to acquire a mate before her 61st year begins.” Kagome shook her head, the few tendrils of ebony hair framing her face brushed against her cheeks. “If I refuse, the Council has the right to give him my kingdom...and myself...to do with as he sees fit.”
“That is a rule?” Sesshoumaru’s frown deepened when she nodded and the sharp scent of tears returned. ‘I do not recall that little piece of ridiculousness.’ “Prove this miko.” Kagome quickly produced a thick black leather book with the Youkai Council’s cyclonic symbol stamped on the front in silver.
“Here you go,” she said as she pointed to a thin strip of garnet ribbon. “I marked the place because I planned on showing it to you earlier.”
“But you did not,” Sesshoumaru replied absently as he read over the page. Though the rule was a bit fluffed out than Kagome’s original explanation but her gist of things were completely correct. ‘This will produce a problem.’ “Why did you not speak on this sooner?” Sesshoumaru asked her.
“I’ve been searching for a way around it the first two days, then my plans went to more important things.”
“What is more important than this?” Sesshoumaru demanded, his eyes narrowed slightly at her foolishness.
“You,” Kagome answered shyly. “I’ve been trying to figure out a way to help you since your arrival 11 months ago.”
“I...see...” Sesshoumaru stood and moved to stand beside the window, his eyes focused on the world outside as Kagome sighed again.
“I...actually have something in mind,” Kagome said to break the silence. Sesshoumaru merely raised a brow, his arms crossed over his broad chest and his hands deep within his pale blue haori. “I think it’ll work but-“
“What are you going to do?”
Kagome stopped mid sentence and gazed up at him, his eyes focused on the stars above as he waited for her answer. “I’m going to refuse him. There’s nothing else I can do.”
“But has he not threatened your court if you do not comply?”
Kagome nodded. “He has, but it would only be worse if I willingly gave myself to him. If I fight back, then maybe I can still protect my people and my court.”
“He is a taiyoukai now,” Sesshoumaru reasoned. “He is stronger than you as well.”
“His strength is stolen. I was born with mine. All I have to do is resist him.” Her fist balled and before Sesshoumaru could utter another word she slammed it onto the vanity’s surface. “I’m not going to let him beat me!”
“Such determination...” she heard Sesshoumaru whisper. “Why? You yourself have stated many times that you feel as if you don’t deserve to govern. Why not give that power over to another?”
Kagome ‘hnmh’ed in insult, her arms folding underneath her breast and her nose turned up in the air. “I may not deserve to, but I’ll be damned if I just hand over this kingdom to a couple of snakes like them!”
“Then why do you weep?” Sesshoumaru asked as he turned to look at her. “You are passionate in your decision, so what about it makes you cry unnecessarily?”
“Once I do this,” Kagome began, her voice soft and pained as regret and indecision plagued her aura and scent. “It will result in war...war between myself, your lands and probably the Council. I don’t want to have to do that. I...don’t want to kill anyone because of someone’s order.”
“Shouldn’t you worry about yourself?” Sesshoumaru asked her. “My soldiers...his soldiers are the best in the Four Territories.”
“Yes, I know. That won’t save them.” She smiled weakly at his confusion. “My borders are protected with a special barrier. Any youkai intending on doing me or my subjects harm is fried on the spot. Haven’t you noticed that there aren’t a lot of rogue youkai around?”
“But what of humans?” Sesshoumaru countered. “Surely he will figure out the barrier’s defect and exploit it.”
“Then he will face my army, made of humans, youkai and hanyou working together. They would easily cripple his defenses.”
“Then why do you worry?” Sesshoumaru asked her. “You are so assured in your powers and forces, so you should fear nothing.”
“I don’t want to hurt them. Your soldiers,” she blushed then, an action that he found to be ludicrous but endearing in their present situation. “I can’t go to war with a people that are suffering. They’re your people and they need you Sesshoumaru-sama.”
“So they do,” Sesshoumaru mumbled softly. He raised his fist to his lips and cleared his throat before speaking again. “However, you said you had found a solution.”
Kagome fell silent at this, the fingers of her right hand settled against her chin as she chewed on her lower lip. “I have-“ she stopped and steadied herself when she squeaked, then tried again. “I have a deal for you Sesshoumaru-sama.”
“Really?” he began, a thin ebony brow quirked curiously. “Then please, enlighten me little miko. What have you in mind?”
“Um...I’ll help you escape from here.”
“I was not aware of my imprisonment,” Sesshoumaru quipped dryly. He smirked when her temper flared and returned back to his seat at the foot of her bed. “This is intriguing so far. Continue.”
Kagome groaned softly and glanced out the window to keep from glaring at him outright. “What I meant was that I would help you leave here unnoticed. Anyone here would recognize you, but I could give you an amulet that would conceal your scent and appearance.
“Also,” Kagome said when he opened his mouth to speak. “I would give you another gi...though not one as flashy as the one you used to wear.” She giggled at his scowl, her hand covering her lips to muffle the sound. “And I’ll get you a weapon, a steed and this.” She held up her right hand and displayed a single ring. The tiny silver band shone from her ring finger. Engraved beneath the single diamond in the middle was a single leaping flame, her symbol as ruler of the East. “You’ll need this for the rest of your journey.”
“The rest of my journey?” Sesshoumaru repeated as Kagome stood up and fumbled deep inside a nearby clothes closet. “Miko, I’m afraid I do not understand.”
“There’s nothing to understand Sesshoumaru-sama,” Kagome’s muffled voice said from deep within the closet. “I said I’d help you, and I will. However, the horse, concealment spell, the ring and anything else come..at a price.”
“What price is that?”
“Um...” She sat down on the floor of the closet and crossed her legs. “Remember what I said about that 60-year rule?”
“Yes, I do,” Sesshoumaru nodded as she grabbed something and disappeared behind a nearby screen. “But I do not see what it has to do with-“
“The rule says that he can make me his ...mate, so long as I remain untouched.”
For once in his life, Sesshoumaru’s brain actually stuttered to a stop. He stared at the jet black screen for more than a few seconds, his eyes distant and confused while he mentally repeated what she said. He glanced up when she cleared her throat and was surprised to find her directly in front of him, slate gray eyes only millimeters away from his own. “Sesshoumaru-sama,” she whispered softly. “I know the idea disgusts you, but I really, really need your help.”
“What are you asking of me miko?” Sesshoumaru asked in a voice nearly as soft as hers. “Because for once in my life I truly have cause to doubt my hearing.” He looked on when she laughed and turned away from him, her shoulders tense and her hands fidgeting along the front of her sleeping kimono.
“I believe you know what I’m saying Sesshoumaru-sama,” Kagome said finally. “In exchange of me granting you everything I think you’ll need to have a successful journey, your to assist me by making it impossible for the Western tai to take advantage of me.”
“Even if I wanted to do this-“ ‘Do I WANT to do this...’ thought Sesshoumaru as Kagome turned to look at him. “My mark would put you in far more danger and create a cause for war just as quickly.”
“No, I don’t want you to make me your mate,” Kagome shook her head and the blush on her cheeks darkened considerably. “I just want...” she cleared her throat nervously and picked at her nails, unable to keep eye contact with him for more than a few seconds before turning away. “If you and I do it, then I won’t have to mate him because I won’t be pure like he thought I was. The rules say that I can’t be forced if I’m not pure and that’s what I’m counting on. Um, I can always wash away your scent so...what do you think?”
Sesshoumaru’s face lost it’s cool facade, his confusion plain as the sunshine on a clear day as he stared at her. “What of the kitsune?” he asked. “The one that you used to coddle. What of him?”
“He’s my son,” Kagome hissed in outrage. “I couldn’t even think of him that way! How sick!”
“Miko, lower your voice,” Sesshoumaru growled in annoyance when his ears began to ring. “I am sitting right here. I do not need your screeching in my ear.”
“Sorry,” Kagome replied sheepishly. “But that was just wrong Sesshoumaru-sama. Me and Shippou? Ewwww.” She shuddered violently, her disgust plain on her face as he bit back a chuckle at her antics. “Anyway, even if I thought like that-which I won’t-he’s in Mongolia and won’t be back in time.”
‘And Inuyasha is of course unavailable,’ Sesshoumaru remembered with another mental groan. ‘Which leaves...every other male in her court.’ “Why me?” he inquired. “There are others in your court, so why this Sesshoumaru?”
“Because you’re the one that could benefit the most from it,” Kagome answered. “Anyone else would just take advantage of the situation, but you have more honor than that.”
“I have more honor than to do this too,” Sesshoumaru retorted. “What makes you think I would touch you, no less rut with you?”
“Yeah, ehem. There is that.” Kagome’s blush returned and to Sesshoumaru’s surprise she wasn’t as offended as he thought she’d be.
“It is my understanding that human females value their innocence. Why give yours away so freely?”
“Because I have two choices,” Kagome replied. “One, I could simply tell him no and start a war where thousands of people, youkai and human, will be killed. It would potentially wipe out your entire kingdom before you had a chance to regain it. Or, I could do it this way, save a bunch of lives and help you all at the same time. And since we’ll have an equal exchange in the matter, you won’t feel obligated to repay me or anything.”
Sesshoumaru had to accept her honesty and her way of viewing the situation. To her, the lives she’d spare was enough to justify her decision, both to try to save their people and to help him at the same time. “You’re willing to give me your ring, clothes, and provisions and all so I could take your virginity? Forgive me miko, but I feel as though I’m the only winner in this trade.”
“Argh!” Kagome’s hands fisted in her hair in frustration. “Why are you making this so hard? You said it yourself, you benefit more out of this than I do! So why are we still talking about it?!”
“Quite.” Sesshoumaru smirked at her frustrated growl. This wasn’t the first time he found this little human funny, and he supposed that it wouldn’t be the last. She whirled away from him and moved toward the window when he grasped her wrist and tugged her back to his side. “Now, how many days do we have to prepare?”
“Um...” Kagome blinked, not exactly expecting the question. “He said he’d return at the end of the week so...three or four days.”
“Then I will take my leave on the third day. Be sure to be prepared by then.”
“So you’ll do it?” Kagome gasped. “You’ll help me?” She couldn’t help the sudden rush of relief and happiness when he nodded and she launched herself into him before she could stop herself. “Thank you so much Sesshoumaru-sama!” she grinned as he sat there. “Thank you so much! You won’t regret this!”
‘You are right little miko, I will not regret this,’ Sesshoumaru said to himself when she released him and walked away. He watched her, noticing for the first time the gentle curves hidden underneath her clothes. He remembered the short green and white kimono she used to wear before her merger with the Shikon no Tama and the way it highlighted her still developing figure. He also remembered her love for his brother and how the absence of the hanyou plagued his curiosity. ‘But you,’ he thought as Kagome hummed about the room, the stress she was in earlier completely melted away by a few simple words. ‘You may come to think better of your decision in the end. What will your hanyou think when he learns that you’ve given to me what you were more than willing to give to him?’
*
The remainder of the week was left to making plans and preparations. Kagome assured herself that everything she promised him was readily available and included some things that she failed to mention to the former taiyoukai. Sesshoumaru stayed in his room, using his senses to observe not only the miko’s scent but the conversations that went on in her bedroom entranceway.
Sesshoumaru opened the door to the master bedroom and stood in the threshold, unconsciously imprinting everything to memory as he waited. The vanity rested against the opposite wall between the two balcony doors, the doors already closed and covered for the evening. The massive bed was against the far right wall and two large clothes cabinets marked the way to the private bathing room on the other side. Everything about the room was as it normally was...except for the yellow pack that now sat in the far left corner of the room. Sesshoumaru eyed it curiously, recognizing the loud, cumbersome thing from when it rested on the young miko’s shoulders. As a matter of fact, he remembered a time when it actually toppled her over, sending her to the ground before any of her other companions had a chance to catch her.
‘Why she ever bothered with that monstrosity I haven’t a clue,’ Sesshoumaru mused. He crossed the room toward it and was moving to touch it when the door opened. He turned just as Kagome entered the room with a white bundle securely tucked underneath her arm. She nodded her head once in greeting and continued toward the nearest clothes closet. She hoisted two more bundles from it’s depths before approaching him. “Good evening Sesshoumaru-sama,” she said as she tucked two of the three bundles into the pack. “How are you?”
“As well as can be expected,” Sesshoumaru answered, far more interested in her as she puttered about the room than in the small talk she was attempting to use to mask her slight nervousness. “What are you doing?”
“Packing. I have to make sure you have everything you need,” Kagome answered before huffing in frustration. She glanced around the room, her fists planted firmly on her hips before snapping her fingers (abusing Sesshoumaru’s ears) and crouching down beside the bed. “See this?” she asked as she held up a small golden chain. “This is my favorite necklace. It held the Shikon shards when we searched for it. It’s now your talisman, and it’ll be in charge of your illusion.”
“How does one break the spell?” Sesshoumaru asked.
“You can’t,” Kagome replied as she returned to her bed and dropped to her knees. “I’m the only one that can break it, so you don’t have to worry about a thing. Now where is that stupid...” Her voice faded as she fumbled underneath her bed before her fingers found what she was seeking. She pulled another cloth wrapped bundle from underneath it and shoved that into the pack too before turning to him and reaching for her right ring finger. She snatched her hand away and exhaled sharply before turning to him.
“You know what?” she said suddenly. “I can’t do this. I mean, what kind of person am I to force you to sleep with me! I-I can’t! Here!” She jerked off her ring and handed it to him. “Take it.”
“Take...it?” Sesshoumaru repeated, knowing that his feigned confusion would only irritate the already irrational woman. “I do not understand.”
“Yes you do. Look, let’s just say that this is in return for helping us with Naraku and call it even ok?” She held out her right fist to him, a pleading look in her eyes as she gestured to take her hand and retrieve the ring. “I can’t make you do it Sesshoumaru-sama. Take the pack and the ring and go. There’s a steed waiting for you in the stable.”
“I see.” ‘Well,’ he thought as he reached for her hand. ‘That was easier than I thought. However...’ He latched onto Kagome’s wrist and spun her around, her back colliding heavily with his chest as he wound his arm around her stomach and held her against him. “Sesshoumaru-sama,” she gasped as she struggled against him. “What are you doing? I said you could go.”
“And leave a pact unfulfilled? I think not,” Sesshoumaru growled in her ear with a little added pressure to hold her still. “You and I have agreed to the terms already little miko. Have you reason to doubt my honor now?”
“N-no,” Kagome stuttered out, his closeness finally having an effect on her nerves. “Of c-course not Sesshoumaru-sama. I just feel-“
“And that is all you shall do for the rest of the night,” Sesshoumaru interrupted. “Now, is this the ring,” he asked before tapping her balled fist. Kagome nodded shakily and watched as his free hand came up to it. “Give it to me.” She obeyed, her trembling hand coming up to deposit the tiny silver ring in his palm. Sesshoumaru nodded in approval and moved the ring to the nightstand beside them before using the same hand to inspect her kimono sleeve. “You and I seem to have come to a misunderstanding,” he whispered as he set his chin on her shoulder. His breath danced inside her collar and she shivered involuntarily. “W-we have?”
Sesshoumaru nodded, his chin digging into the softness of her shoulder as he continued to study the designs on her clothing. “I believe so. You see, one would consider your purchase and harboring of this Sesshoumaru as repayment for his services toward Naraku, wouldn’t you say?”
“Well yes but-“
“And one would think,” he continued. “That you would be trying to ‘get out’ of your end of our bargain and disgrace this Sesshoumaru.”
“No!” Kagome shook her head. “Not at all! I just-“
“Then I see no problem with our agreement...so long as you heed my every command.”
Kagome blinked, her mind replaying his words over and over until she said, “Huh?”
Sesshoumaru smirked, then slowly ran his nose from her collarbone to the back of her ear before answering her. “I think you heard me...Kagome,” he whispered softly. She shivered when his lips brushed along her earlobe, that and a slight twist beginning in her scent not unnoticed by the former tai. “I believe our little ‘deal’ to be a good one-“
“But-“
“The night is long, but not as long as one might think. The rest of the evening is in my hands...so long as you agree to do as I say.” He smirked at her hesitation and purred, “I am not leaving until you do...”
“But...But...” Kagome glared at him over her shoulder but only met golden eyes of determination, mischief and...something more. “Oh very well,” Kagome finally relented.
“Say it.”
“Say what?” Kagome asked and groaned at the knowing look on his face. “Oh all right. I’ll do exactly what you want me to do for the remainder of the night, ok?”
“Good.” He gave her shoulder a slight push, watching as she stumbled ahead of him before she whirled around with a fearsome glare.
“What was that for?” she demanded but received nothing more than another quick shove. “Would you stop?”
“I want your back to me,” Sesshoumaru told her. “And be quick about it.” He ignored her grumbling as she turned around, her back finally to him as she stared into the remainder of the room. Sesshoumaru glanced her over, his eyes moving from the tight bun at the crown of her head, the large lavender flame in the middle of her plum robes to the tiny hints of her matching slippers. “Take this off.”
“Wh-“
“How did you expect to do this?” Sesshoumaru asked her. “Now no questions. Do as I ask.”
Kagome quickly untied her obi and tossed it away from her, then shrugged out of her heavy upper layer. A white haori and hakamas waited underneath, and she was just tossing the haori away before Sesshoumaru stopped her. “What is this?” he asked as he pointed to the false layers sewn to the edges of her hakamas.
“Oh, well you know how princesses and stuff are supposed to wear those ‘seven-layer kimono’ things right?” Kagome asked and waited until he nodded before continuing. “Well I can’t move around like that so I have the seamstresses sew on ‘false layers’ to my hakamas and haori sleeves.”
“Smart,” Sesshoumaru mumbled in appreciation. “Remove them as well.” He watched as she untied the waist strings and allowed the hakamas to slide down her legs to the floor, then stepped out of them and shoved them toward her obi and the rest of her clothes. The slippers were the next to go, along with the stockings that were underneath him until Kagome stood in nothing but her underwear. She soon shed the strange piece of fabric covering her breasts but Sesshoumaru stopped her when she moved to remove her panties.
“No, not yet,” he told her. Kagome nodded in understanding and crossed her arms across her chest, her eyes slightly downcast as Sesshoumaru fell silent. She jumped when he touched her shoulder, her senses on high alert for any malicious intentions inside his aura. Her back straightened when his knuckles made a slow trail down her spine, his touch more gentle than she would have guessed it to be. He took his time going from the back of her neck to just below the small of his back. His touch was luring and surprisingly comforting.
Sesshoumaru’s hands moved from her back, his right hand caressing her lower stomach and his left moving up and down her left side. The dull surfaces of his claws glided along her skin, claws she knew to be lethal in any other circumstance. She watched in a daze as his right hand pressed the tender flesh of her stomach, her mind a mess of butterflies as the tip of his little finger traced along the elastic waist of her panties. She gasped again when he lightly scratched her, the tiny welt produced more exhilarating than threatening. Kagome whimpered in protest when his warmth left her, his hands moving away like pale birds at flight.
‘The miko is full of surprises isn’t she?’ Sesshoumaru mused when Kagome unconsciously leaned toward him. Her skin was soft, the muscles beneath surprisingly toned for a human in her standing. She felt different than any female youkai, who would be all snarls and scratches by now. The scent of her arousal was gentle, it caressing his senses the way his fingers caressed her. His interest turned to her hair, still tightly pinned in it’s high constrictive bun. He remembered when it was always loose and free to fly in the wind and found the urge to feel those same dark tresses between his fingertips. He plucked the bone hairpins free one by one, taking the time to lay each one on the vanity’s glass top before asking Kagome to shake her head. Blue tinted midnight flowed like water down her back to her hips in wild, controlled waves. Sesshoumaru brought the tips of the rose scented tresses to his nose and inhaled deeply. He gathered it all in two dark ponytails and flipped them en mass over her shoulders, then gently tugged her arms away from her breasts to hang by her sides. She lightly shook her head while he used his thumbs to massage her upper arms, the muscles underneath relaxing under his touch.
Sesshoumaru used his left arm to turn her around. Kagome complied willingly, her head down and her eyes at half mass. He leaned over and used his nose to trace the shell of her ear while his hands returned to her back. Kagome’s head lulled to the side, allowing him access to her neck and her bare shoulder as she fisted her hands in the folds of his haori. The tip of his nose followed the pathway to her shoulder, where he left an open mouthed kiss that sent a tremor though the young miko’s body. Sesshoumaru repeated himself and again she trembled, the scent of her arousal spiking until it surrounded him completely.
He drew her closer until she was flush against his chest and buried his nose deep within the hair at the nape of her neck. His nuzzling distracted her from his hands as they traveled lower down her back until he gave her rear a gentle squeeze. Sesshoumaru chuckled darkly at her squeak of surprise.
“You think that’s funny huh?” she whispered as he continued to laugh. A slight shrug and a warm tougue against her neck was her answer and Kagome found herself in a very forgiving mood as Sesshoumaru’s tail snaked up from it’s previous place on the floor and wound it’s way around her hips. He picked her up and lowered her onto her bed, his tail dropping her at the last minute and causing her to fall. Kagome flailed to catch herself and stop her bouncing before glaring up at him, her glare dying a swift death as Sesshoumaru followed her descent. He stalked up the length of her body toward her, his clothes long since shed and piled somewhere on the floor. He waited patiently for Kagome’s eyes to drink her fill of him, her eyes skimming from the perfect muscles of his chest and abs to lower, more prominent attractions.
“Eyes on me miko,” Sesshoumaru softly reprimanded with a slight purr. She returned her eyes to his and gasped when his hand returned to her stomach, his touch more forceful than the last. His hand moved up to cup her left breast, his thumb giving it a casual pass before he leaned down and to lick taste the rapidly pinking flesh. He frowned when she pulled away, causing his lips to touch empty air. He tried again and again she denied him, a coy smile on her lips when he gave her a stern glance.
“Do you think that’s funny?” Sesshoumaru asked her in a perfect repetition of the question she asked him earlier. Kagome rose on her elbows and shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “Do you think you’re funny?”
“I can be,” he growled before bracing his hands on her back and lifting her to his lips. Her struggles ceased the moment he reached his reached his target. Her back straightened and her hands tangled in his hair as he gave the tender mound of flesh his undivided attention. His tail returned her to the bed as he moved to her right breast, his hand coming up to caress the one left behind. He reveled in the little moans and sighs she gave him. His ears twitched in appreciation of every one before her fingers found them. Her ministrations left him nearly as breathless as she was and his inner beast stirred at the attention.
Sesshoumaru barely pushed It down when Kagome fisted her hands in his hair and jerked him toward her. He frowned, obviously displeased with such treatment, and was moving to say something when she pressed her mouth to his. He jerked violently, the shock from her actions unnoticed as the tip of Kagome’s tongue traced his lower lip and passed it to his tongue. ‘Wh-what is she doing?’ was his last coherent thought before her tongue shyly touched his. The taste of her and her power surged from his mouth to his loins and blasted free the few strings of his control. Something in the back of his head sparked and he returned this strange (but pleasant) sentiment wholeheartedly.
Sesshoumaru rose from the haze she had thrown him in a daze when their lips finally parted. He trailed wet, fevered kisses down her neck to her shoulder, the panties that were on before the kiss started shredded and tossed to the ninth depth of Hell. She squirmed, beautiful gray eyes sealed away as his fingers stroked her, the tips of his claws playing absently in the soft obsidian curls that hid her secrets from him. Her hands had loosed their shyness and were traversing his back, her tiny human nails lightly scratching him as her legs wound their way around his.
“What?” he began after a slight shake to clear his head. “What did you do? What spell did you cast on me?”
“Spell?” Kagome moaned before her eyes fluttered open. “Wha-“
“Just now,” Sesshoumaru growled against her throat. “What did you do to this Sesshoumaru?”
“Huh?” She gazed up at him, the passion and lust in her eyes dulling slightly in concern. “Are you talking about the kiss?”
“Kiss?” Sesshoumaru repeated thoughtfully while his fingers remained in constant motion. Kagome whimpered, her eyes closing briefly before gazing into his confused golden orbs.
“Haven’t you ever been kissed before Sesshoumaru?” He shook his head once and Kagome felt a tiny nudge at her ego for being his first. “But I thought-“
“Youkai do not ‘kiss’,” he answered as though it were a simple concept to understand.
“But they do everything else?” Kagome asked and gasped when his fingers pressed a sensitive spot. Sesshoumaru quirked a knowing brow at her and silkily purred, “Obviously.”
“OK,” Kagome answered shakily. “But-“
“It is not a spell?”
Kagome shook her head. “No, it’s a human custom. I’m sorry if I offen-“ One of his hands fisted in her hair and held her still as he kissed her, his attempt welcomed as Kagome opened her mouth and encouraged him with a quick pass of her tongue along his fangs. His senses instantly became tuned to her every breath, her heartbeat and the constant shifting of her aura as he returned this ‘kiss’. He tasted not just the spice that was her power but the sweetness that was her and a purr escaped him as he deepened the kiss.
Sesshoumaru stopped when she wrenched away from him and a sharp gasp burst from her throat. He looked down when she did and found his index and middle fingers deeply imbedded within her, the slight spotting of blood from his claws from when they ripped through her maidenhood. He looked back when she sighed and watched her blink back tears.
“I hurt you?” he asked. Kagome nodded, her eyes closed and her hands still grasping strands of his silver hair. “My apolo-“
“Don’t worry about it,” Kagome interrupted him when she finally opened her eyes. Sesshoumaru nodded and began to withdraw his fingers when she gasped again and closed her legs around them. “No, wait,” she said to his questioning gaze. “Please, not yet.”
Sesshoumaru ignored her and slowly began to remove his fingers. He pushed in her again and smirked when she shuddered, this time without the pain. Her inner walls clenched against him as he finally left her and her gaze turned pleading and feverish. “Sesshoumaru, I-“
“What do you want?”
“What?” Kagome stammered. Her eyes widened when he rested his head against her shoulder, his nose making slow, sensuous circles along the tender flesh of her throat.
“What do you want me to do?” he whispered. His breath danced along her skin and his earlier smirk widened to a mischievous smile when she blushed a light rose. His hands moved continuously along her form, flowing from her thighs to her breasts, neck and back again. Kagome struggled with reality, her senses scattered to the wind as he strummed every chord on her body.
“You wish for something,” he breathed against her ear and smirked when she moaned. “Tell me and this Sesshoumaru will give it to you.”
She understood when his hips replaced his fingers, her mind almost swooning when he ground his arousal against her inner thigh. She pushed back and the friction between them increased until it became a mindless race when Sesshoumaru finally forgot his little game and buried himself deep inside her. Kagome moaned and grasped his upper arms, her lower lip wedged between her teeth to keep from screaming her pleasure to the rest of the castle. The rhythm he set was maddeningly slow, almost as if he were teasing her. She bucked against him instinctively, her body well aware of the secrets of this dance even if it’s owner remained clueless.
She moaned again and opened sightless eyes when he finally sped up, the white hot spring inside her tightening as tiny beads of sweat rose on her flushed skin. Kagome’s hands left Sesshoumaru’s arms and fisted themselves in the jeweled bed linens beneath them. A slight panic rose in her breast as the spring wound tighter and Sesshoumaru growled through clenched teeth at her attempts to escape. He left her walls, kneeled and jerked Kagome up and toward him. He impaled her before she had time to protest, his thrusts harder and deeper than last as she barely grasped his shoulders.
He grasped her hips to keep her still when she struggled again and purred nonsense in her ear, the deep rumbling from his chest to hers and his insistence were her undoing. The spring in her snapped and she was tossed over her edge, her teeth clenching Sesshoumaru’s shoulder as she whimpered her release. He followed her into the abyss soon afterward, his passion spent at his release as he returned Kagome to her sheets.
“Woah,” Kagome giggled once she returned to her senses. “That was...amazing.”
“You seem to think that we are done, little miko.” Sesshoumaru smirked down at her confusion. “We are far from finished.”
“We are?” Kagome asked. Sesshoumaru merely rolled her onto her stomach, his tail urging her hands and knees up.
“Yes,” he told her as he grasped her hips from behind. “We are.”
)-(
Sesshoumaru gazed at the ceiling hours later, one hand cradling the back of his head while the other brushed a stray silver hair away from Kagome’s face. She slept, her hand curled against his side as she peacefully dozed. Sesshoumaru ran a claw along her jawline, surprised that she had managed to last so long under his endurance. He turned his gaze to a nearby window and realized that dawn was soon approaching. He rose quietly, careful not to awaken the sleeping beauty as he moved her to the head of her bed and pulled the various blankets and sheets over her naked form. She sighed and snuggled against a pillow, a contented smile painting her features while he looked on. He picked up Kagome’s clothes and tossed them into a nearby chair for the maid the next morning then set about preparing himself to leave.
Sesshoumaru turned away and gathered his clothes, then searched the nightstand for Kagome’s signet ring. He threaded the golden chain through tiny silver hoop and placed it in his pocket for safekeeping. He grimaced at the yellow bag, wondered why she would choose such an awful color, and strapped it to his back before opening a window. He turned back when Kagome shivered, moaned and frowned as the cool spring wind brushed against her skin. Sesshoumaru closed the window and stopped by her bedside.
‘This Sesshoumaru cannot be concerned with the likes of you,’ he told her as he caressed her shoulder. Kagome turned toward the touch and nuzzled her cheek against his hand. ‘I have a kingdom to reclaim, allies to find and traitors to destroy. I cannot worry for you.’ She turned over on her back, her hand curled on the pillow and the onyx tresses that first endeared her to him spread over the surface of the pillow.
“Thoughts of you cannot deter me,” he whispered as he kneeled at her side. “So cease whatever spell you are trying to cast.” Kagome mumbled something faint and batted at her nose, something that Sesshoumaru found to be infuriatingly cute and endearing. Her innocence still shone from her, their night together having no effect on her purity as evidence of it sparkled brightly in her aura. ‘You are too innocent for your own good.’
Sesshoumaru stood and made to leave when he looked back at her again. He sighed and, before he could second guess himself, pressed his lips to hers in a petal soft kiss. “My gift to you,” he whispered against her. “May you use it well.”
He nodded then and opened a window farther from her bed. He stepped onto the ledge and jumped without another word, his tail trailing along to close the shutters behind him.
(End chapter)
SF: OK folks, that’s it. Tell me for real, does it suck? I think it sucks.
Inu-chan: Hey, I didn’t get any.
SF: And do you honestly think I care? Anyway, be honest folks. I get the feeling that I need to give up this lemon thing and see if my cousin will just do mine from abroad and send them to me.
Converting /tmp/php3sShmG to /dev/stdout
SF: Ok people. This is the second and last part of this one shot. I wish I had thought of a better name for it than ‘One shot’ but sometimes the simplest things are the ones that work. Thanks so much for the positive feedback (except for that one person. You know who you are dude) and I truly hope that this lemon isn’t as sour as I predict it to be. Hey, if there are any complaints let me know and I’ll send them straight to my cousin. He’s supposed to be doing my lemons anyway.
Part Two: A Kiss is His Undoing
Sesshoumaru sat behind his screen, his dinner set on a small table in front of him as the sounds of a summer evening filtered through the open windows. He secretly marveled at the power of the ofudas that protected him, the ones that enabled him to open or close the windows as he saw fit without worrying that his scent would trickle out to the grounds below or the sky above. He glanced out the window directly in front of him, all of the other windows shielded behind his screen. He glanced down at his plate and suddenly felt like a pet, a well fed pet but a pet all the same though he knew it wasn’t Kagome’s intention.‘It is not that this Sesshoumaru is not grateful,’ he said to himself as he lifted a morsel of the crabmeat from his bowl. ‘It is not my way to be coddled as such. I am taiyoukai, more powerful than this little immortal that deems herself my protector-‘ He glanced up at the sound of a door opening, the stiff paper making a slight hissing sound as the door slid down its wooden tracks. Two females entered the room, and by scent he recognized them to be the miko and her personal guard. The heavy thunk of the guard’s spear was steady with the soft scraping of her boots against the wooden floor and the slight ringing from the steel wrapped around the toes of her footwear contrasting with the quick, nearly silent steps of her mistress.
“Kagome-sama,” the young woman’s voice said as they moved past his screen to the other side of the room. “What troubles you? You’ve been quite preoccupied these past couple of days.”
“It’s nothing Yuko,” he heard the miko deny. “Please, don’t worry about me.”
The guard laughed, the sound nasal in quality and irritating to Sesshoumaru’s ears. Sesshoumaru winced slightly but payed attention to the conversation. “Surely you jest dear aunt,” the guard continued to chuckle. “You know it’s a family pastime to worry about you.”
Kagome laughed as well, though it wasn’t as mirthful as the sound should have been. “Yeah, I know. Don’t worry about me though. It’s late and you should get some sleep.”
“If you’re sure Kagome-sama.” Kagome must have nodded and soon he heard the guard’s footsteps walking past him again. The door opened and closed, leaving himself alone with Kagome having retired from the small fore room to her bedroom just beyond. Sesshoumaru stood and quit the room, the edges of his midnight blue hakamas scraping along the frigid wooden floor. He passed her room door, noticing not for the first time the oddness of the door’s knob that allowed him entrance instead of the simpler sliding shojins like the rest of the castle.
He found her in her usual place at her vanity, the old tai’s furniture replaced with surprisingly darker woods and furs. Never would he have guessed in his time observing the young miko prior to Naraku’s demise that her tastes were so dark and sophisticated. Even his room; though the woods were slightly lighter than the nearly black timber of her bed, vanity and chemise, reflected her tastes in stained pine and mahogany. She stared at a small silver frame in her hands, her gray eyes distant as he stood and watched her.
“Miko,” Sesshoumaru said finally when she had yet to acknowledge him. Kagome jerked out of her stupor and glanced up at him, the frame returning to it’s place by the vanity’s mirror as she hastily wiped at her eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Kagome said with a rueful smile. “How long were you standing there?”
“What troubles you?” he asked instead of answering her question. How long he stood there was unimportant he decided, but the sudden anxiety and fear in her aura was. “You’re guard is correct in her worry for you, yet you lie. Why so?”
Kagome laughed then, a short snort-like sound as she turned on the vanity’s short stool. The frame was once again in her hands as she spoke to him. “Do you remember Miroku and Sango?” she asked, her eyes not on him but on the frame’s surface. Sesshoumaru thought a moment, then nodded. “Yes, I believe I remember the tajia and the houshi.”
“I’m glad.” She smiled wistfully, her attention still on the picture before she finally turned her silvery gaze to his. “Sesshoumaru-sama, they were my dearest friends. There is nothing I would not have done for them.” A single tear escaped her attention, the crystalline droplet slowly careening down her cheek to pause at her chin. This disturbed Sesshoumaru more than he would willingly admit and against his better judgement he crossed the room to her, only stopping to close the door behind him before standing a few inches in front of Kagome’s slippered feet and wiping the tear away.
“What troubles you little miko?” he asked her when she bit her lip to keep it from trembling. “Never has this Sesshoumaru seen you cry, even when my bastard brother would venture off on his nightly visitations.” Her scent lightly streaked with anger before the sadness overran it, giving proof that something was indeed wrong with the tiny immortal. Sesshoumaru inwardly sighed, wondering to himself what he had done to deserve such punishment as he kneeled down in front of her, hooked his index finger underneath her chin and raised her eyes to his. “Surely whatever it is cannot warrant these tears. You are made of stronger stuff, so cease this blubbering so this Sesshoumaru can understand.”
Kagome frowned, the slight irritation she felt at him earlier returning almost instantly. Sesshoumaru moved to sit at the foot of her bed, his knee almost touching hers as she dabbed at her eyes again and shot him a fearsome glare. “I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment or what Sesshoumaru-sama,” she grumbled testily. Sesshoumaru ignored it, sensing that little part in her aura that was actually grateful to him for his distraction and wise words (no matter how rudely spoken). “May I ask you a question?”
“I do not see why not,” Sesshoumaru answered with a slight shrug. “So long as I have the option not to answer it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about the 60-year rule?”
“The...60-year rule...” Sesshoumaru pondered this and found that he had no idea what she spoke of. “I do not recall a 60-year rule miko. What do you speak of and how does it pertain to this Sesshoumaru?”
‘Arrogant as always,’ Kagome griped with a mental sigh. ‘This doesn’t look good,’ she thought as she sank further into despair. ‘If he doesn’t know about the rule, then he wouldn’t know of another way to get around it. I may be in trouble.’ “I received visitors four days ago....they were the current ruler of the Western land Yoshiyuki and his Elder Advisor Raidon.”
Sesshoumaru suppressed the snarl that threatened to rip from his throat, his eyes flashing crimson briefly before settling back into their original gold. Kagome glanced out the window and blinked back tears, unaware of her companion’s momentarily loss of control. “Raidon is the one that told me about the rule. Yoshiyuki...demands my hand and my kingdom, or he will slaughter my court and mate me by force.”
“He does not have the right,” Sesshoumaru told her and frowned when she shook her head. “The Youkai Council-“
“I’m not youkai, remember?” Kagome sniffed. “So I really don’t think they’d do anything about him. Anyway, he does have right according to the 60-year rule.”
“What is this rule?” Sesshoumaru asked again. “You’ve spoken of it twice, but have yet to explain.”
“It’s in one of the textbooks in the library, one with the rules of the Youkai Council written inside. The 60-year rule is...that...any female tai that has ruled for 60 years without knowing the touch of a male will be forced to acquire a mate before her 61st year begins.” Kagome shook her head, the few tendrils of ebony hair framing her face brushed against her cheeks. “If I refuse, the Council has the right to give him my kingdom...and myself...to do with as he sees fit.”
“That is a rule?” Sesshoumaru’s frown deepened when she nodded and the sharp scent of tears returned. ‘I do not recall that little piece of ridiculousness.’ “Prove this miko.” Kagome quickly produced a thick black leather book with the Youkai Council’s cyclonic symbol stamped on the front in silver.
“Here you go,” she said as she pointed to a thin strip of garnet ribbon. “I marked the place because I planned on showing it to you earlier.”
“But you did not,” Sesshoumaru replied absently as he read over the page. Though the rule was a bit fluffed out than Kagome’s original explanation but her gist of things were completely correct. ‘This will produce a problem.’ “Why did you not speak on this sooner?” Sesshoumaru asked her.
“I’ve been searching for a way around it the first two days, then my plans went to more important things.”
“What is more important than this?” Sesshoumaru demanded, his eyes narrowed slightly at her foolishness.
“You,” Kagome answered shyly. “I’ve been trying to figure out a way to help you since your arrival 11 months ago.”
“I...see...” Sesshoumaru stood and moved to stand beside the window, his eyes focused on the world outside as Kagome sighed again.
“I...actually have something in mind,” Kagome said to break the silence. Sesshoumaru merely raised a brow, his arms crossed over his broad chest and his hands deep within his pale blue haori. “I think it’ll work but-“
“What are you going to do?”
Kagome stopped mid sentence and gazed up at him, his eyes focused on the stars above as he waited for her answer. “I’m going to refuse him. There’s nothing else I can do.”
“But has he not threatened your court if you do not comply?”
Kagome nodded. “He has, but it would only be worse if I willingly gave myself to him. If I fight back, then maybe I can still protect my people and my court.”
“He is a taiyoukai now,” Sesshoumaru reasoned. “He is stronger than you as well.”
“His strength is stolen. I was born with mine. All I have to do is resist him.” Her fist balled and before Sesshoumaru could utter another word she slammed it onto the vanity’s surface. “I’m not going to let him beat me!”
“Such determination...” she heard Sesshoumaru whisper. “Why? You yourself have stated many times that you feel as if you don’t deserve to govern. Why not give that power over to another?”
Kagome ‘hnmh’ed in insult, her arms folding underneath her breast and her nose turned up in the air. “I may not deserve to, but I’ll be damned if I just hand over this kingdom to a couple of snakes like them!”
“Then why do you weep?” Sesshoumaru asked as he turned to look at her. “You are passionate in your decision, so what about it makes you cry unnecessarily?”
“Once I do this,” Kagome began, her voice soft and pained as regret and indecision plagued her aura and scent. “It will result in war...war between myself, your lands and probably the Council. I don’t want to have to do that. I...don’t want to kill anyone because of someone’s order.”
“Shouldn’t you worry about yourself?” Sesshoumaru asked her. “My soldiers...his soldiers are the best in the Four Territories.”
“Yes, I know. That won’t save them.” She smiled weakly at his confusion. “My borders are protected with a special barrier. Any youkai intending on doing me or my subjects harm is fried on the spot. Haven’t you noticed that there aren’t a lot of rogue youkai around?”
“But what of humans?” Sesshoumaru countered. “Surely he will figure out the barrier’s defect and exploit it.”
“Then he will face my army, made of humans, youkai and hanyou working together. They would easily cripple his defenses.”
“Then why do you worry?” Sesshoumaru asked her. “You are so assured in your powers and forces, so you should fear nothing.”
“I don’t want to hurt them. Your soldiers,” she blushed then, an action that he found to be ludicrous but endearing in their present situation. “I can’t go to war with a people that are suffering. They’re your people and they need you Sesshoumaru-sama.”
“So they do,” Sesshoumaru mumbled softly. He raised his fist to his lips and cleared his throat before speaking again. “However, you said you had found a solution.”
Kagome fell silent at this, the fingers of her right hand settled against her chin as she chewed on her lower lip. “I have-“ she stopped and steadied herself when she squeaked, then tried again. “I have a deal for you Sesshoumaru-sama.”
“Really?” he began, a thin ebony brow quirked curiously. “Then please, enlighten me little miko. What have you in mind?”
“Um...I’ll help you escape from here.”
“I was not aware of my imprisonment,” Sesshoumaru quipped dryly. He smirked when her temper flared and returned back to his seat at the foot of her bed. “This is intriguing so far. Continue.”
Kagome groaned softly and glanced out the window to keep from glaring at him outright. “What I meant was that I would help you leave here unnoticed. Anyone here would recognize you, but I could give you an amulet that would conceal your scent and appearance.
“Also,” Kagome said when he opened his mouth to speak. “I would give you another gi...though not one as flashy as the one you used to wear.” She giggled at his scowl, her hand covering her lips to muffle the sound. “And I’ll get you a weapon, a steed and this.” She held up her right hand and displayed a single ring. The tiny silver band shone from her ring finger. Engraved beneath the single diamond in the middle was a single leaping flame, her symbol as ruler of the East. “You’ll need this for the rest of your journey.”
“The rest of my journey?” Sesshoumaru repeated as Kagome stood up and fumbled deep inside a nearby clothes closet. “Miko, I’m afraid I do not understand.”
“There’s nothing to understand Sesshoumaru-sama,” Kagome’s muffled voice said from deep within the closet. “I said I’d help you, and I will. However, the horse, concealment spell, the ring and anything else come..at a price.”
“What price is that?”
“Um...” She sat down on the floor of the closet and crossed her legs. “Remember what I said about that 60-year rule?”
“Yes, I do,” Sesshoumaru nodded as she grabbed something and disappeared behind a nearby screen. “But I do not see what it has to do with-“
“The rule says that he can make me his ...mate, so long as I remain untouched.”
For once in his life, Sesshoumaru’s brain actually stuttered to a stop. He stared at the jet black screen for more than a few seconds, his eyes distant and confused while he mentally repeated what she said. He glanced up when she cleared her throat and was surprised to find her directly in front of him, slate gray eyes only millimeters away from his own. “Sesshoumaru-sama,” she whispered softly. “I know the idea disgusts you, but I really, really need your help.”
“What are you asking of me miko?” Sesshoumaru asked in a voice nearly as soft as hers. “Because for once in my life I truly have cause to doubt my hearing.” He looked on when she laughed and turned away from him, her shoulders tense and her hands fidgeting along the front of her sleeping kimono.
“I believe you know what I’m saying Sesshoumaru-sama,” Kagome said finally. “In exchange of me granting you everything I think you’ll need to have a successful journey, your to assist me by making it impossible for the Western tai to take advantage of me.”
“Even if I wanted to do this-“ ‘Do I WANT to do this...’ thought Sesshoumaru as Kagome turned to look at him. “My mark would put you in far more danger and create a cause for war just as quickly.”
“No, I don’t want you to make me your mate,” Kagome shook her head and the blush on her cheeks darkened considerably. “I just want...” she cleared her throat nervously and picked at her nails, unable to keep eye contact with him for more than a few seconds before turning away. “If you and I do it, then I won’t have to mate him because I won’t be pure like he thought I was. The rules say that I can’t be forced if I’m not pure and that’s what I’m counting on. Um, I can always wash away your scent so...what do you think?”
Sesshoumaru’s face lost it’s cool facade, his confusion plain as the sunshine on a clear day as he stared at her. “What of the kitsune?” he asked. “The one that you used to coddle. What of him?”
“He’s my son,” Kagome hissed in outrage. “I couldn’t even think of him that way! How sick!”
“Miko, lower your voice,” Sesshoumaru growled in annoyance when his ears began to ring. “I am sitting right here. I do not need your screeching in my ear.”
“Sorry,” Kagome replied sheepishly. “But that was just wrong Sesshoumaru-sama. Me and Shippou? Ewwww.” She shuddered violently, her disgust plain on her face as he bit back a chuckle at her antics. “Anyway, even if I thought like that-which I won’t-he’s in Mongolia and won’t be back in time.”
‘And Inuyasha is of course unavailable,’ Sesshoumaru remembered with another mental groan. ‘Which leaves...every other male in her court.’ “Why me?” he inquired. “There are others in your court, so why this Sesshoumaru?”
“Because you’re the one that could benefit the most from it,” Kagome answered. “Anyone else would just take advantage of the situation, but you have more honor than that.”
“I have more honor than to do this too,” Sesshoumaru retorted. “What makes you think I would touch you, no less rut with you?”
“Yeah, ehem. There is that.” Kagome’s blush returned and to Sesshoumaru’s surprise she wasn’t as offended as he thought she’d be.
“It is my understanding that human females value their innocence. Why give yours away so freely?”
“Because I have two choices,” Kagome replied. “One, I could simply tell him no and start a war where thousands of people, youkai and human, will be killed. It would potentially wipe out your entire kingdom before you had a chance to regain it. Or, I could do it this way, save a bunch of lives and help you all at the same time. And since we’ll have an equal exchange in the matter, you won’t feel obligated to repay me or anything.”
Sesshoumaru had to accept her honesty and her way of viewing the situation. To her, the lives she’d spare was enough to justify her decision, both to try to save their people and to help him at the same time. “You’re willing to give me your ring, clothes, and provisions and all so I could take your virginity? Forgive me miko, but I feel as though I’m the only winner in this trade.”
“Argh!” Kagome’s hands fisted in her hair in frustration. “Why are you making this so hard? You said it yourself, you benefit more out of this than I do! So why are we still talking about it?!”
“Quite.” Sesshoumaru smirked at her frustrated growl. This wasn’t the first time he found this little human funny, and he supposed that it wouldn’t be the last. She whirled away from him and moved toward the window when he grasped her wrist and tugged her back to his side. “Now, how many days do we have to prepare?”
“Um...” Kagome blinked, not exactly expecting the question. “He said he’d return at the end of the week so...three or four days.”
“Then I will take my leave on the third day. Be sure to be prepared by then.”
“So you’ll do it?” Kagome gasped. “You’ll help me?” She couldn’t help the sudden rush of relief and happiness when he nodded and she launched herself into him before she could stop herself. “Thank you so much Sesshoumaru-sama!” she grinned as he sat there. “Thank you so much! You won’t regret this!”
‘You are right little miko, I will not regret this,’ Sesshoumaru said to himself when she released him and walked away. He watched her, noticing for the first time the gentle curves hidden underneath her clothes. He remembered the short green and white kimono she used to wear before her merger with the Shikon no Tama and the way it highlighted her still developing figure. He also remembered her love for his brother and how the absence of the hanyou plagued his curiosity. ‘But you,’ he thought as Kagome hummed about the room, the stress she was in earlier completely melted away by a few simple words. ‘You may come to think better of your decision in the end. What will your hanyou think when he learns that you’ve given to me what you were more than willing to give to him?’
*
The remainder of the week was left to making plans and preparations. Kagome assured herself that everything she promised him was readily available and included some things that she failed to mention to the former taiyoukai. Sesshoumaru stayed in his room, using his senses to observe not only the miko’s scent but the conversations that went on in her bedroom entranceway.
Sesshoumaru opened the door to the master bedroom and stood in the threshold, unconsciously imprinting everything to memory as he waited. The vanity rested against the opposite wall between the two balcony doors, the doors already closed and covered for the evening. The massive bed was against the far right wall and two large clothes cabinets marked the way to the private bathing room on the other side. Everything about the room was as it normally was...except for the yellow pack that now sat in the far left corner of the room. Sesshoumaru eyed it curiously, recognizing the loud, cumbersome thing from when it rested on the young miko’s shoulders. As a matter of fact, he remembered a time when it actually toppled her over, sending her to the ground before any of her other companions had a chance to catch her.
‘Why she ever bothered with that monstrosity I haven’t a clue,’ Sesshoumaru mused. He crossed the room toward it and was moving to touch it when the door opened. He turned just as Kagome entered the room with a white bundle securely tucked underneath her arm. She nodded her head once in greeting and continued toward the nearest clothes closet. She hoisted two more bundles from it’s depths before approaching him. “Good evening Sesshoumaru-sama,” she said as she tucked two of the three bundles into the pack. “How are you?”
“As well as can be expected,” Sesshoumaru answered, far more interested in her as she puttered about the room than in the small talk she was attempting to use to mask her slight nervousness. “What are you doing?”
“Packing. I have to make sure you have everything you need,” Kagome answered before huffing in frustration. She glanced around the room, her fists planted firmly on her hips before snapping her fingers (abusing Sesshoumaru’s ears) and crouching down beside the bed. “See this?” she asked as she held up a small golden chain. “This is my favorite necklace. It held the Shikon shards when we searched for it. It’s now your talisman, and it’ll be in charge of your illusion.”
“How does one break the spell?” Sesshoumaru asked.
“You can’t,” Kagome replied as she returned to her bed and dropped to her knees. “I’m the only one that can break it, so you don’t have to worry about a thing. Now where is that stupid...” Her voice faded as she fumbled underneath her bed before her fingers found what she was seeking. She pulled another cloth wrapped bundle from underneath it and shoved that into the pack too before turning to him and reaching for her right ring finger. She snatched her hand away and exhaled sharply before turning to him.
“You know what?” she said suddenly. “I can’t do this. I mean, what kind of person am I to force you to sleep with me! I-I can’t! Here!” She jerked off her ring and handed it to him. “Take it.”
“Take...it?” Sesshoumaru repeated, knowing that his feigned confusion would only irritate the already irrational woman. “I do not understand.”
“Yes you do. Look, let’s just say that this is in return for helping us with Naraku and call it even ok?” She held out her right fist to him, a pleading look in her eyes as she gestured to take her hand and retrieve the ring. “I can’t make you do it Sesshoumaru-sama. Take the pack and the ring and go. There’s a steed waiting for you in the stable.”
“I see.” ‘Well,’ he thought as he reached for her hand. ‘That was easier than I thought. However...’ He latched onto Kagome’s wrist and spun her around, her back colliding heavily with his chest as he wound his arm around her stomach and held her against him. “Sesshoumaru-sama,” she gasped as she struggled against him. “What are you doing? I said you could go.”
“And leave a pact unfulfilled? I think not,” Sesshoumaru growled in her ear with a little added pressure to hold her still. “You and I have agreed to the terms already little miko. Have you reason to doubt my honor now?”
“N-no,” Kagome stuttered out, his closeness finally having an effect on her nerves. “Of c-course not Sesshoumaru-sama. I just feel-“
“And that is all you shall do for the rest of the night,” Sesshoumaru interrupted. “Now, is this the ring,” he asked before tapping her balled fist. Kagome nodded shakily and watched as his free hand came up to it. “Give it to me.” She obeyed, her trembling hand coming up to deposit the tiny silver ring in his palm. Sesshoumaru nodded in approval and moved the ring to the nightstand beside them before using the same hand to inspect her kimono sleeve. “You and I seem to have come to a misunderstanding,” he whispered as he set his chin on her shoulder. His breath danced inside her collar and she shivered involuntarily. “W-we have?”
Sesshoumaru nodded, his chin digging into the softness of her shoulder as he continued to study the designs on her clothing. “I believe so. You see, one would consider your purchase and harboring of this Sesshoumaru as repayment for his services toward Naraku, wouldn’t you say?”
“Well yes but-“
“And one would think,” he continued. “That you would be trying to ‘get out’ of your end of our bargain and disgrace this Sesshoumaru.”
“No!” Kagome shook her head. “Not at all! I just-“
“Then I see no problem with our agreement...so long as you heed my every command.”
Kagome blinked, her mind replaying his words over and over until she said, “Huh?”
Sesshoumaru smirked, then slowly ran his nose from her collarbone to the back of her ear before answering her. “I think you heard me...Kagome,” he whispered softly. She shivered when his lips brushed along her earlobe, that and a slight twist beginning in her scent not unnoticed by the former tai. “I believe our little ‘deal’ to be a good one-“
“But-“
“The night is long, but not as long as one might think. The rest of the evening is in my hands...so long as you agree to do as I say.” He smirked at her hesitation and purred, “I am not leaving until you do...”
“But...But...” Kagome glared at him over her shoulder but only met golden eyes of determination, mischief and...something more. “Oh very well,” Kagome finally relented.
“Say it.”
“Say what?” Kagome asked and groaned at the knowing look on his face. “Oh all right. I’ll do exactly what you want me to do for the remainder of the night, ok?”
“Good.” He gave her shoulder a slight push, watching as she stumbled ahead of him before she whirled around with a fearsome glare.
“What was that for?” she demanded but received nothing more than another quick shove. “Would you stop?”
“I want your back to me,” Sesshoumaru told her. “And be quick about it.” He ignored her grumbling as she turned around, her back finally to him as she stared into the remainder of the room. Sesshoumaru glanced her over, his eyes moving from the tight bun at the crown of her head, the large lavender flame in the middle of her plum robes to the tiny hints of her matching slippers. “Take this off.”
“Wh-“
“How did you expect to do this?” Sesshoumaru asked her. “Now no questions. Do as I ask.”
Kagome quickly untied her obi and tossed it away from her, then shrugged out of her heavy upper layer. A white haori and hakamas waited underneath, and she was just tossing the haori away before Sesshoumaru stopped her. “What is this?” he asked as he pointed to the false layers sewn to the edges of her hakamas.
“Oh, well you know how princesses and stuff are supposed to wear those ‘seven-layer kimono’ things right?” Kagome asked and waited until he nodded before continuing. “Well I can’t move around like that so I have the seamstresses sew on ‘false layers’ to my hakamas and haori sleeves.”
“Smart,” Sesshoumaru mumbled in appreciation. “Remove them as well.” He watched as she untied the waist strings and allowed the hakamas to slide down her legs to the floor, then stepped out of them and shoved them toward her obi and the rest of her clothes. The slippers were the next to go, along with the stockings that were underneath him until Kagome stood in nothing but her underwear. She soon shed the strange piece of fabric covering her breasts but Sesshoumaru stopped her when she moved to remove her panties.
“No, not yet,” he told her. Kagome nodded in understanding and crossed her arms across her chest, her eyes slightly downcast as Sesshoumaru fell silent. She jumped when he touched her shoulder, her senses on high alert for any malicious intentions inside his aura. Her back straightened when his knuckles made a slow trail down her spine, his touch more gentle than she would have guessed it to be. He took his time going from the back of her neck to just below the small of his back. His touch was luring and surprisingly comforting.
Sesshoumaru’s hands moved from her back, his right hand caressing her lower stomach and his left moving up and down her left side. The dull surfaces of his claws glided along her skin, claws she knew to be lethal in any other circumstance. She watched in a daze as his right hand pressed the tender flesh of her stomach, her mind a mess of butterflies as the tip of his little finger traced along the elastic waist of her panties. She gasped again when he lightly scratched her, the tiny welt produced more exhilarating than threatening. Kagome whimpered in protest when his warmth left her, his hands moving away like pale birds at flight.
‘The miko is full of surprises isn’t she?’ Sesshoumaru mused when Kagome unconsciously leaned toward him. Her skin was soft, the muscles beneath surprisingly toned for a human in her standing. She felt different than any female youkai, who would be all snarls and scratches by now. The scent of her arousal was gentle, it caressing his senses the way his fingers caressed her. His interest turned to her hair, still tightly pinned in it’s high constrictive bun. He remembered when it was always loose and free to fly in the wind and found the urge to feel those same dark tresses between his fingertips. He plucked the bone hairpins free one by one, taking the time to lay each one on the vanity’s glass top before asking Kagome to shake her head. Blue tinted midnight flowed like water down her back to her hips in wild, controlled waves. Sesshoumaru brought the tips of the rose scented tresses to his nose and inhaled deeply. He gathered it all in two dark ponytails and flipped them en mass over her shoulders, then gently tugged her arms away from her breasts to hang by her sides. She lightly shook her head while he used his thumbs to massage her upper arms, the muscles underneath relaxing under his touch.
Sesshoumaru used his left arm to turn her around. Kagome complied willingly, her head down and her eyes at half mass. He leaned over and used his nose to trace the shell of her ear while his hands returned to her back. Kagome’s head lulled to the side, allowing him access to her neck and her bare shoulder as she fisted her hands in the folds of his haori. The tip of his nose followed the pathway to her shoulder, where he left an open mouthed kiss that sent a tremor though the young miko’s body. Sesshoumaru repeated himself and again she trembled, the scent of her arousal spiking until it surrounded him completely.
He drew her closer until she was flush against his chest and buried his nose deep within the hair at the nape of her neck. His nuzzling distracted her from his hands as they traveled lower down her back until he gave her rear a gentle squeeze. Sesshoumaru chuckled darkly at her squeak of surprise.
“You think that’s funny huh?” she whispered as he continued to laugh. A slight shrug and a warm tougue against her neck was her answer and Kagome found herself in a very forgiving mood as Sesshoumaru’s tail snaked up from it’s previous place on the floor and wound it’s way around her hips. He picked her up and lowered her onto her bed, his tail dropping her at the last minute and causing her to fall. Kagome flailed to catch herself and stop her bouncing before glaring up at him, her glare dying a swift death as Sesshoumaru followed her descent. He stalked up the length of her body toward her, his clothes long since shed and piled somewhere on the floor. He waited patiently for Kagome’s eyes to drink her fill of him, her eyes skimming from the perfect muscles of his chest and abs to lower, more prominent attractions.
“Eyes on me miko,” Sesshoumaru softly reprimanded with a slight purr. She returned her eyes to his and gasped when his hand returned to her stomach, his touch more forceful than the last. His hand moved up to cup her left breast, his thumb giving it a casual pass before he leaned down and to lick taste the rapidly pinking flesh. He frowned when she pulled away, causing his lips to touch empty air. He tried again and again she denied him, a coy smile on her lips when he gave her a stern glance.
“Do you think that’s funny?” Sesshoumaru asked her in a perfect repetition of the question she asked him earlier. Kagome rose on her elbows and shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “Do you think you’re funny?”
“I can be,” he growled before bracing his hands on her back and lifting her to his lips. Her struggles ceased the moment he reached his reached his target. Her back straightened and her hands tangled in his hair as he gave the tender mound of flesh his undivided attention. His tail returned her to the bed as he moved to her right breast, his hand coming up to caress the one left behind. He reveled in the little moans and sighs she gave him. His ears twitched in appreciation of every one before her fingers found them. Her ministrations left him nearly as breathless as she was and his inner beast stirred at the attention.
Sesshoumaru barely pushed It down when Kagome fisted her hands in his hair and jerked him toward her. He frowned, obviously displeased with such treatment, and was moving to say something when she pressed her mouth to his. He jerked violently, the shock from her actions unnoticed as the tip of Kagome’s tongue traced his lower lip and passed it to his tongue. ‘Wh-what is she doing?’ was his last coherent thought before her tongue shyly touched his. The taste of her and her power surged from his mouth to his loins and blasted free the few strings of his control. Something in the back of his head sparked and he returned this strange (but pleasant) sentiment wholeheartedly.
Sesshoumaru rose from the haze she had thrown him in a daze when their lips finally parted. He trailed wet, fevered kisses down her neck to her shoulder, the panties that were on before the kiss started shredded and tossed to the ninth depth of Hell. She squirmed, beautiful gray eyes sealed away as his fingers stroked her, the tips of his claws playing absently in the soft obsidian curls that hid her secrets from him. Her hands had loosed their shyness and were traversing his back, her tiny human nails lightly scratching him as her legs wound their way around his.
“What?” he began after a slight shake to clear his head. “What did you do? What spell did you cast on me?”
“Spell?” Kagome moaned before her eyes fluttered open. “Wha-“
“Just now,” Sesshoumaru growled against her throat. “What did you do to this Sesshoumaru?”
“Huh?” She gazed up at him, the passion and lust in her eyes dulling slightly in concern. “Are you talking about the kiss?”
“Kiss?” Sesshoumaru repeated thoughtfully while his fingers remained in constant motion. Kagome whimpered, her eyes closing briefly before gazing into his confused golden orbs.
“Haven’t you ever been kissed before Sesshoumaru?” He shook his head once and Kagome felt a tiny nudge at her ego for being his first. “But I thought-“
“Youkai do not ‘kiss’,” he answered as though it were a simple concept to understand.
“But they do everything else?” Kagome asked and gasped when his fingers pressed a sensitive spot. Sesshoumaru quirked a knowing brow at her and silkily purred, “Obviously.”
“OK,” Kagome answered shakily. “But-“
“It is not a spell?”
Kagome shook her head. “No, it’s a human custom. I’m sorry if I offen-“ One of his hands fisted in her hair and held her still as he kissed her, his attempt welcomed as Kagome opened her mouth and encouraged him with a quick pass of her tongue along his fangs. His senses instantly became tuned to her every breath, her heartbeat and the constant shifting of her aura as he returned this ‘kiss’. He tasted not just the spice that was her power but the sweetness that was her and a purr escaped him as he deepened the kiss.
Sesshoumaru stopped when she wrenched away from him and a sharp gasp burst from her throat. He looked down when she did and found his index and middle fingers deeply imbedded within her, the slight spotting of blood from his claws from when they ripped through her maidenhood. He looked back when she sighed and watched her blink back tears.
“I hurt you?” he asked. Kagome nodded, her eyes closed and her hands still grasping strands of his silver hair. “My apolo-“
“Don’t worry about it,” Kagome interrupted him when she finally opened her eyes. Sesshoumaru nodded and began to withdraw his fingers when she gasped again and closed her legs around them. “No, wait,” she said to his questioning gaze. “Please, not yet.”
Sesshoumaru ignored her and slowly began to remove his fingers. He pushed in her again and smirked when she shuddered, this time without the pain. Her inner walls clenched against him as he finally left her and her gaze turned pleading and feverish. “Sesshoumaru, I-“
“What do you want?”
“What?” Kagome stammered. Her eyes widened when he rested his head against her shoulder, his nose making slow, sensuous circles along the tender flesh of her throat.
“What do you want me to do?” he whispered. His breath danced along her skin and his earlier smirk widened to a mischievous smile when she blushed a light rose. His hands moved continuously along her form, flowing from her thighs to her breasts, neck and back again. Kagome struggled with reality, her senses scattered to the wind as he strummed every chord on her body.
“You wish for something,” he breathed against her ear and smirked when she moaned. “Tell me and this Sesshoumaru will give it to you.”
She understood when his hips replaced his fingers, her mind almost swooning when he ground his arousal against her inner thigh. She pushed back and the friction between them increased until it became a mindless race when Sesshoumaru finally forgot his little game and buried himself deep inside her. Kagome moaned and grasped his upper arms, her lower lip wedged between her teeth to keep from screaming her pleasure to the rest of the castle. The rhythm he set was maddeningly slow, almost as if he were teasing her. She bucked against him instinctively, her body well aware of the secrets of this dance even if it’s owner remained clueless.
She moaned again and opened sightless eyes when he finally sped up, the white hot spring inside her tightening as tiny beads of sweat rose on her flushed skin. Kagome’s hands left Sesshoumaru’s arms and fisted themselves in the jeweled bed linens beneath them. A slight panic rose in her breast as the spring wound tighter and Sesshoumaru growled through clenched teeth at her attempts to escape. He left her walls, kneeled and jerked Kagome up and toward him. He impaled her before she had time to protest, his thrusts harder and deeper than last as she barely grasped his shoulders.
He grasped her hips to keep her still when she struggled again and purred nonsense in her ear, the deep rumbling from his chest to hers and his insistence were her undoing. The spring in her snapped and she was tossed over her edge, her teeth clenching Sesshoumaru’s shoulder as she whimpered her release. He followed her into the abyss soon afterward, his passion spent at his release as he returned Kagome to her sheets.
“Woah,” Kagome giggled once she returned to her senses. “That was...amazing.”
“You seem to think that we are done, little miko.” Sesshoumaru smirked down at her confusion. “We are far from finished.”
“We are?” Kagome asked. Sesshoumaru merely rolled her onto her stomach, his tail urging her hands and knees up.
“Yes,” he told her as he grasped her hips from behind. “We are.”
)-(
Sesshoumaru gazed at the ceiling hours later, one hand cradling the back of his head while the other brushed a stray silver hair away from Kagome’s face. She slept, her hand curled against his side as she peacefully dozed. Sesshoumaru ran a claw along her jawline, surprised that she had managed to last so long under his endurance. He turned his gaze to a nearby window and realized that dawn was soon approaching. He rose quietly, careful not to awaken the sleeping beauty as he moved her to the head of her bed and pulled the various blankets and sheets over her naked form. She sighed and snuggled against a pillow, a contented smile painting her features while he looked on. He picked up Kagome’s clothes and tossed them into a nearby chair for the maid the next morning then set about preparing himself to leave.
Sesshoumaru turned away and gathered his clothes, then searched the nightstand for Kagome’s signet ring. He threaded the golden chain through tiny silver hoop and placed it in his pocket for safekeeping. He grimaced at the yellow bag, wondered why she would choose such an awful color, and strapped it to his back before opening a window. He turned back when Kagome shivered, moaned and frowned as the cool spring wind brushed against her skin. Sesshoumaru closed the window and stopped by her bedside.
‘This Sesshoumaru cannot be concerned with the likes of you,’ he told her as he caressed her shoulder. Kagome turned toward the touch and nuzzled her cheek against his hand. ‘I have a kingdom to reclaim, allies to find and traitors to destroy. I cannot worry for you.’ She turned over on her back, her hand curled on the pillow and the onyx tresses that first endeared her to him spread over the surface of the pillow.
“Thoughts of you cannot deter me,” he whispered as he kneeled at her side. “So cease whatever spell you are trying to cast.” Kagome mumbled something faint and batted at her nose, something that Sesshoumaru found to be infuriatingly cute and endearing. Her innocence still shone from her, their night together having no effect on her purity as evidence of it sparkled brightly in her aura. ‘You are too innocent for your own good.’
Sesshoumaru stood and made to leave when he looked back at her again. He sighed and, before he could second guess himself, pressed his lips to hers in a petal soft kiss. “My gift to you,” he whispered against her. “May you use it well.”
He nodded then and opened a window farther from her bed. He stepped onto the ledge and jumped without another word, his tail trailing along to close the shutters behind him.
(End chapter)
SF: OK folks, that’s it. Tell me for real, does it suck? I think it sucks.
Inu-chan: Hey, I didn’t get any.
SF: And do you honestly think I care? Anyway, be honest folks. I get the feeling that I need to give up this lemon thing and see if my cousin will just do mine from abroad and send them to me.
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