InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Only Time... ❯ Moments of Passion ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7: Moments of Passion

 

Six weeks later...

 

Yuki dipped the bucket in the flowing stream. When it was full, she started for Kaeda's village. The sun was setting in bright, glorious reds and golds, but even a beautiful sunset couldn't lighten her mood. More than half the time they had was already spent. Only a few weeks remained in Michi's and Mika's pregnancies. Both of them were considerably larger now, and they were strictly on bed rest. They weren't in danger of preterm labor, but Yuki didn't want to risk anything. No work for them and plenty of rest.

 

Michi, the usually lazy monk, didn't mind that at all. Mika on the other hand couldn't sit still. What didn't help was how stressed out they were about Nakura and Ori being gone for so long. They hadn't been seen, along with Setsuna, for these past weeks and tension was rising in the miniscule hut. The funny thing was that Kane-Sakura also hadn't been seen to try and recapture the Jewel, which InuYasha thought was odd.

 

Akira met her just outside the village with dinner: a rabbit and five good-sized fish. His pace matched hers as they walked into the village. “You know, I've been thinking.”

 

“That's a first.” Yuki scoffed.

 

“What's with your attitude lately?” He asked angrily.

 

She sighed and spoke with more serenity, “I'm sorry, it's just that it's been six weeks already.”

 

“What a coincidence, I've been thinking the same thing. I was contemplating going to Kane's fortress and seeing how everybody was doing.”

 

“Is that wise?” She asked as she moved back the flap and entered the hut.

 

“What's wise?” Michi asked innocently, sitting against the wall on the hut's floor. Then she started giggling.

 

Mika, who was sitting next to the monk, growled. “What's so funny?! You've been laughing for the past hour!” Then her eyes widened and she put a hand to her stomach.

 

Yuki's reaction was instant. “Are you okay? Is it the baby?”

 

“Yeah, it is.” She flushed slightly and looked up at Akira. “Sorry, but I have to pee again.”

 

Yuki sighed in relief, thankful that she only had to use the restroom and wasn't having contractions. She watched as Akira helped her stand and led her outside to the bushes.

 

As the wolf demon did her business, Akira couldn't help but laugh. “You've been peeing a lot lately, haven't you?”

 

“Stuff it bird-boy. I can't help that this kid's constantly kicking my bladder.” She stood and added, “The one I'm carrying right now must've been the one that was kicking Kane's bladder on the bus.”

 

“You know, there's a fifty-fifty chance that it is.” Akira stated, holding the flap for her as she entered.

 

Michi giggled again, resting a hand over her belly. “He's kicking again. It tickles.” She chuckled harder.

 

Rolling her eyes, Mika ungracefully sat again. “That's it? You're lucky it's not kicking your bladder all the time.” Then she looked at Akira again. “You two were talking about something before you came in here. I could tell it was serious, now spill.”

 

“We haven't seen Ori, Nakura, or Setsuna since they left six weeks ago. I was thinking about going to see them.”

 

Mika shook her head. “If you go, it could mess things up.”

 

He narrowed his eyes. “How?”

 

“Ori and Nakura need to act like they don't know you around Kane since they're her minions. If they hint at betrayal by you being there, she won't be happy with her subordinates.”

 

“I could watch from a distance and talk to them when she leaves.”

 

“And if she comes back? She could kill Ori and Nakura for letting someone she doesn't know into her place.”

 

Akira laughed. “So you're not worried about me, you're scared for your honey Nakura.” He laughed rigorously only to get hit on the head with Mika's supper dish. “Ow!” He rubbed the spot that she'd hit him at.

 

“You bastard, just take my advice; don't see them.”

 

Yuki nodded in agreement. “Akira, I think she's right. We shouldn't jeopardize this, it's too risky.”

 

“But what if something's happened to them? What if Kane's already killed them all?” Akira's voice rose angrily.

 

“And what if they're perfectly fine?” His opponent argued. “Why risk their lives now if everything is going according to plan?”

 

He glared at her, anger shimmering in his eyes. In truth, all he wanted was to get away from the females and do some male bonding. His God-damned friends had abandoned him, leaving him with three...no four women, counting Kaeda. Two of them were pregnant, one of which was hormonally imbalanced without the help of being with child. He felt like he would die soon without another guy around. “Come on Mika, I'll be discreet!”

 

She only shook her head. Then he snapped. “For Kami's frickin' sake, I'm sick of being the only guy here! I just need some damn male bonding, someone I can burp and fart around and not be embarrassed! I'm sick of these hormones and I need some testosterone surrounding me!”

 

Michi giggled at his outburst. The other women glared at him. “Well, in that case,” Yuki put him in one of her barriers and threw him out of the hut. “Sleep outside tonight! Bond with yourself!”

 

“Oh shit.” He swore, knowing Yuki's temper was very hard to break, just like the barrier she'd encased him in. But when it burst, he blinked in surprise. Was she really that careless? Without a glance back at the hut, he transformed into a giant phoenix and took off.

 

***

 

Setsuna lay under the cherry blossom tree with his arms supporting his head in a cradle. The petals gently drifted down from the tree and landed on him as he relaxed. The sun was warm, but the shade and a breeze kept him cool enough to not crave the damp cell he usually lived in.

 

“Setsuna, there you are.” At the sound of her voice, the Neko opened his emerald eyes. “Interested in some friendly battle training?”

 

He smiled as he sat up. “I thought I was a prisoner, not your companion.”

 

As he predicted, she blushed. `Still the same Kane.' “But if you really want me to…”

 

Over the past six weeks, she'd learned to trust him enough to let him out of his cell. She, of course, still tried to get him into bed for a tumble, but each time he would kindly decline. Then she'd kindly kick him into his cell for another day. But those approaches had become few. In fact, it had been a week since her last attempt. Along with that, she had often come seeking him out for companionship. It was almost as if she was starting to like having him around.

 

Kane smiled. “Don't worry, I won't hurt you.” She turned away as he stood.

 

The training ensued in her court yard, and Setsuna barely managed to dodge one of her diamond attacks. “Is that all you got?” He asked, feeling cocky and overconfident. But his eyes widened as she used the coverage of the dust to advance and try to sharpen her claws on him. “Holy…!” She missed him as he side stepped.

 

She landed on her hand, pushed herself off with it, and landed with ease across from her opponent. “Come on Setsuna, all you've done is defensive moves.” A smile spread on her lips. “Don't be afraid to attack, though I doubt you'll hit me anyway.” She charged at him again.

 

At the last second he jumped away from her talons into the air, but she only followed him. “Attack me! I dare you!” She yelled, challenging him to fight back. He landed and sprinted away. “Coward!” She mocked him as she gave chase.

 

Suddenly, he turned around and charged at her. Before she could react, he grabbed her from behind and had her in a death grip with his claws at her throat. His left hand held one of her arms firmly on her lower back, and his right elbow rested under her breasts.

 

She craned her neck to look up at him so their lips were only centimeters apart. He didn't move; he only gazed into her amber eyes with fierce intensity. Then he gave in to his desire and lowered his lips over hers, plundering her mouth.

 

Kane was taken aback by his sudden move; so shocked beyond belief she could only let his mouth kiss hers as she looked at him in surprise. And as she gave in, she realized that he'd somehow worked his way into her heart. His hand released her arm while his other one cupped her cheek. `He's gentle, yet demanding.' She thought dreamily. `Almost as if he…' She broke her thoughts and the kiss. She moved away from him.

 

“What the hell is this?! You have no right to make a move without my permission!” She yelled, frustrated that her lips still ached and her blush wouldn't disappear.

 

Setsuna shrugged. “I wasn't doing anything bad. I was merely taking advantage of an opponent.”

 

“And I suppose I'm to believe you?”

 

“Yep.”

 

Kane turned from him. “Fat chance. I can see right through you; you're trying to get me to fall in love with you.”

 

“Is it working?”

 

“Ha! I knew it!” She twirled around to face him again and pointed an angry index finger at his chest. But as she did, he moved forward. “Wh-what are you doing?”

 

“Is it working? Are you falling for me?” Hope glittered in his eyes.

 

Her features softened as anger fled her. “Maybe…maybe it is.” She forced herself to lock her eyes with his. “But as I said before, I can't fall in love. Love involves attachments, commitments; those are things I can't offer to you or to anyone.”

 

“Why do keep your heart guarded? Did someone hurt you?” Setsuna felt her closing her feelings from him. “What drove you to that conclusion?”

 

“And why do you need to know?”

 

“Because I care about you.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “Kane, please tell me what happened to you.”

 

She looked away. “Who says anything happened to me?”

 

He brought her face back up so their eyes met again. “I can see it written all over your face.”

 

“It was something that happened when I was still an infant. You don't need my life story.”

 

“Kane, it'll help me understand why you can't love me.”

 

She took a deep breath and sighed. “When I was very little, maybe only a couple months old, my mother was attacked by an army of samurai and a priestess. They had come to kill me, but my mother asked to spare me and kill her instead. She died by the priestess's arrow and the samurais' swords, and I was left alive. They didn't know what to do with me, and they almost killed me too. Then a demon stepped forward and decided to raise me. The demon was Lord Ren-Tao.”

 

“Ren-Tao?”

 

She nodded. “He raised me.” Kane closed her eyes as memories resurfaced. “He treated me like crap, but he raised me. He taught me how to be a warrior; not to trust anyone but him.” She paused, her voice breaking. “But that bastard…” Tears gathered in her eyes. “But when I went up to him one day asking about my past and my mother, he told me everything. He emphasized every gory detail of my mother's death.”

 

“Kane,” he started to gather her close, but she pushed him away.

 

“Don't. I've started; now I need to finish this. He said I was born to a whore who'd given herself over to demons. And he said I was the same right after he'd raped me.” The tears ran down her cheeks.

 

“After he'd beaten me and taken my innocence, he told me nobody would ever love me because I was a dirty hanyou and now a whore. I can still hear him saying it, still see him as he beat me up,” she wiped away the tears, “and feel him as his slimy hands handled me in a way a young teenager shouldn't know about.”

 

“And you believed him?” Setsuna asked gently.

 

Kane looked at him, at his compassionate eyes and felt more tears make their way down her cheeks. “Of course. He was the only one I trusted. After that, I hated him, but there was no one, no one, for me to turn to. Only after I'd found allies with the Thunder Brothers did I work up the nerve to leave and then kill him. But before I had a chance to do so, I met Kagome and my half-brother, InuYasha.

 

“They were looking for the Shikon Jewel shards so InuYasha could become full demon. That's when I knew I had to get the Jewel from them I could wish to be full demon instead. The day two of the Thunder Brothers died, I had only one ally left; Ori. I waited patiently for Kagome and InuYasha to gather the Jewel shards. Then Naraku was slain and the Jewel completed.”

 

“What about Ren-Tao and your revenge against him?” Setsuna motioned that they walk towards the Sakura trees. “Did you forget about him?”

 

“Hell no. He was the reason I wanted the Jewel.” She sat with him under one of the trees. “At one point, I'd managed to steal the Shikon Jewel. I was just about to make my wish on it when he showed up. We battled over it, him with his transforming arm-sword; me with Teretsu. It was a hard battle, but I came out alive; badly injured, but alive. All I remember after that is waking to find myself lying in a pool of blood and the Jewel gone. My brother's scent was everywhere, so I knew it had been him who had stolen the Jewel from me.”

 

“What about Nakura?” Setsuna asked. “How'd he become your ally?”

 

“He's no more an ally than he's an enemy. Most of the time he's on my side, other times he has no side at all. He's a rogue.” She swiped away some stray tears. “Happy now? That was my sob story for you. You're the only person I've ever told it to.”

 

He looked over at her as she hugged her knees into her chest. `She's acting almost like she's herself again.' He put his arm on her shoulders. “You know, I've got a sob story myself. As a child, my tribe never accepted me because I wasn't full demon like my mother. They eventually kicked me out, and when the village was burned to the ground, they refused my help.”

 

“That sucks.” She said plainly.

 

“Yeah, it did; until I fell in love. I met this girl in the village InuYasha frequents, and at first I thought of her as just a pretty face. After a while I got to know her better, and I fell in love. Even though she was engaged to be married to another man, I couldn't get my mind off of her.”

 

Kane laughed. “What nonsense! If she doesn't return the feelings, what's the point?”

 

“I didn't care. One day, her fiancée cheated on her and then raped her. She closed up to all of her friends and to me. It took a while for her to trust me again. She never saw him again.”

 

Somehow she felt saddened by his story. It almost sounded familiar, too. She leaned into him, pressing her lips to his. He gently returned the kiss, and then lay back as she pushed him down so she could lie beside him. She tugged at his haori and felt his rippling muscle under her hands.

 

She felt complete with this man, like a missing part of her had been found in him and put into its proper place. She'd proven Ren-Tao wrong; he loved her and she…she loved him. `When had that happened?' She wondered as her kimono slid off one of her shoulders then the other. She didn't think about any consequences of attachments she'd have if she slept with him. Right now he was her world, and her past had been forgotten.

 

His hands moved over silken skin and she trembled. He remembered how she had felt that first time they had become one in the hot springs. And each time after that only seemed to get better. Her body was his ultimate pleasure, a place he always wanted to come back to; a paradise.

 

The sky took a darker tone, but neither of them noticed; even as thunder rumbled in the distance they still remained in their private heaven. And when Setsuna rolled over onto Kane, the rain began to fall and lightning slashed the sky.

 

He moved his mouth down her throat to her chest where her heart hammered against her ribcage. The throaty purr she resonated vibrated against his lips as she scraped her nails on his back.

 

Her hands wandered and somehow knew every muscle and how it would feel when she ran her hands over it. She knew what it would feel like to have him inside her, but she needed him now. She cried out for him to take her.

 

He braced himself over her and drove into her. He watched as her golden eyes shimmered in ecstasy. They matched beat after sweet beat until they were both drenched in rain and sweat.

 

Kane felt as if she were on the edge of a cliff. She embraced Setsuna and fell, taking him for the ride.

 

***

 

She woke in a strong and warm embrace. Her silky skin moved against his rougher hide and she sighed.

 

He also moved. “Awake already?” He tightened his hold on her. “You slept the entire time I carried you in from outside and when I dried you off.”

 

“Hmm,” she leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Is there something wrong love? You sound distressed.”

 

Setsuna's theory had been wrong. He had prayed that during the time they'd spent together making love they'd somehow end up in their own bed in the future. He'd drifted to sleep as the rain had continued to moisten the ground and their bodies and had woken when lightning had flashed and thunder roared. “There's nothing wrong. I'm just tired yet.” He reassured her. “Go back to sleep.”

 

Her hand reached down beneath the covers and squeezed his member which sprang to life at her touch. He inhaled sharply. “But the night is so young. I don't think sleeping is something I want to do with a handsome, sexy cat demon lying naked beside me.”

 

He smirked, lowering his head to her breast to suckle on a hard nipple. She moaned in pleasure when he bit her. He laughed and told her, “Don't you know it's unwise to start a fight with a cat demon?”

 

“No, why's that?”

 

He rolled onto her. “Because you'll lose.” He kissed her hard on the lips, dipping his tongue between her lips. He drank in her irreplaceable taste, craving, wanting more. His hands kneaded her breast, and she let a little cry out in his mouth. The scent of her arousal hit him like InuYasha once had when he'd been a boy. She didn't want slow paced love-making this time; now she wanted it hard and fast as a leopard in the midst of a hunt.

 

Releasing her mouth, he made a slow, agonizing journey down her belly to her sheathe. He pleasured her by simply flicking his tongue in and out, and she screamed in ecstasy as she started to climax. He climbed back up and took her mouth again, riding with her on the deadly yet sensual roller coaster. His hands gripped her hips, and he plunged into her. She was hot and tight, the perfect fit for his sword and he drove in and out in the same frenzy of a horny beast. He could feel himself coming at the same time she was. And when they did, he emptied himself and collapsed upon her. Panting, he rolled to the side and looked at her. She looked sated and like she was glowing with an invisible light. His Kane, his mate…his wife. Just the sight of her made him aroused almost instantly.

 

She smiled and sighed again, “Setsuna, you were right.”

 

He blinked. “About what?”

 

“I shouldn't fight with a cat demon. I think I just lost it.” She laughed and moved into him to kiss his lips again. “But don't think I have nothing to bring you down and beg for more.”

 

***

 

“I hate the rainy season.” Akira muttered as he wrung out his clothing. “Stupid rain made me have to walk instead of fly the rest of the way.” The weather had put him a day behind on traveling and he was pissed. With the fortress at least now in sight, the only thing that kept him from cursing at the top of his lungs was the thought of some male bonding.

 

He approached the gates just as Ori opened them. The thunder demon's eyes widened in happiness. “Akira! You son of a bitch, it's good to see you!” He ran out and greeted his friend with a bear hug.

 

“Damn it Ori, I can't breathe.” Akira said gladly, yet in exasperation as his ribs closed in from Ori's embrace.

 

Ori let him go. “What the hell are you doing here? I thought you'd stayed with Michi and Mika.” A sudden seriousness crossed his features and his well-shaped eyebrows creased. “Has something happened?”

 

“Everything's fine, I just needed some male bonding. Those girls are constantly getting on my nerves, especially the pregnant ones.” He snorted. “Mika's the moodiest woman I've ever encountered.”

 

Ori erupted with laughter. “That's normal for her. Don't you know that by now? And what of Michi?”

 

“Healthy and giggly. Her high pitched giggles are a constant now that the baby moves all the time.” He sighed. “Those weren't so bad, but they still got to me.”

 

Nakura approached calmly from behind Ori. “Akira, how're things at the village?”

 

Knowing his question meant, `How's Mika?' Akira replied, “Mika's healthy and moody. Eats like a horse and can't sit still for more than five seconds.”

 

He shrugged, seeming not to care, but the bird demon had caught mild relief wash over his features. “Why are you here anyway? It seems to me we left you to take care of the other girls while we played servant to Kane-Sakura.”

 

“Why don't you try being the only guy around with those girls? It'll drive you to madness in a matter of days, and I was there for six weeks!”

 

Nakura's left eyebrow shot up in suspicion. “You got kicked out, huh?”

 

Akira nodded solemnly. “Yeah, I got into an argument, told them I wanted to burp and fart around regular guys, and there I went. But I really wanted to see how you guys were doing.”

 

The Thunder Brother closed his eyes and shook his head. “Yuki's theory was wrong. Setsuna and Kane `exchanged vows' yesterday.”

 

“They did and nothing happened?” Akira put his head in his hand. “Now what?”

 

Nakura looked back at the fortress. “We find another way. Kane-Sakura and Setsuna never confessed their feelings to each other before mating, thus I think that screwed everything up.”

 

“We don't know that.” Ori said suddenly. “I said I saw the act of mating, but I saw nothing before that and heard nothing of what they said.”

 

Akira blinked. “You saw them?”

 

“Yeah; right under the cherry blossom groves in the garden, just before it started raining.” He cringed as he confessed, “It may be a natural thing for adults to do, but seeing live between two other people is something I do not want to see.”

 

Dark clouds gathered. “Akira, come inside. There's more we need to discuss and I imagine you'd rather be dry than soaking again.” Nakura stated.

 

They walked into the fortress, unknown to them that a pair of golden eyes watched every move they made.

 

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