InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Patchwork Family ❯ Waking the Sleeper and Poking the Bear… er… Dog Demon ( Chapter 41 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

A/N: All Inuyasha characters and references belong to the creator of Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi and published by Shogakukan. Any other characters are more than likely my own creation. If I borrow directly from another story I will do my best to make sure I give credit where credit is due. I will be pulling some material (ideas and inspirations) from Burn Notice, Leverage, Scorpion, Supernatural, and Lockwood & Co.

--- Oh guys, I’m so excited. I’m finally getting to write copy for some of the events in this story I’ve been mapping out for so long!

That being said, smut warning applies to this chapter, so keep that in mind and skip the first section if you’re not into that.

OH! And I almost forgot, thanks so much to Nunichan  for the review and for picking from the list of ideas that keep bugging me. You were the only one to do so and it’s appreciated. Haven’t decided whichof your three choices is my top, depends on the day so far. We’ll see.

I’ll put a note on one of the following chapters to this story when I have something started to post for my next story. Still dithering about whether to post the fru fru drama one I started a while back.

*** Waking the Sleeper and Poking the Bear… er… Dog Demon ***
03222015 (numbers are for my own purposes, don’t mind them)

Inuyasha woke when a pleasing smell roused his sleeping mind. The scent filled his head and chest, and shot straight through him, causing an abrupt diversion in blood flow. He was laying on his side and opened his eyes to see Kagome close by, almost burrowed against his chest, her blankets pulled tightly around her where she lay facing him. Her sharp blue-gray eyes were open and when they met his, her mouth quirked in a smile.

“Morning…,” she said quietly.

He emitted a low note of acknowledgement, enjoying the curling scent of her arousal hanging in the air between them. Gold eyes traveled down the curve of her neck to where her breasts rose against the top of her camisole in a rather appealing way. “Morning…” he answered, a certain part of his anatomy responding with appreciation for the young woman in the bed with him.

Inuyasha leaned over the eight inches or so required to brush his lips against her temple, privately wishing he could be nipping over those soft mounds of flesh situated so nicely between them. Briefly, he wondered how she could she think she had no bust. Sure, they weren’t huge, but for her slight frame they were perfect. And on the trail of that thought he was officially hard. His insistent erection twitched once as she shifted a little against him. Her cheeks flushed red as she felt the heated flesh grow firm in his sweatpants.

She started chewing her lip, which only made her look more tempting to him. Though she was anxious, the arousal in her scent was thick as she looked back up at him to smile uncertainly, and as she had the day before, apologize. “Sorry, I didn’t mean…”

Inuyasha snorted once and asked her, “why do you do that?”

“What?” she asked, releasing her lower lip from her teeth.

He fought the urge to eschew all further conversation and just kiss the woman to death, and instead said, “say you’re sorry… Are you sorry you turn me on? Because I’m not.”

Her flush deepened and she floundered. “After what… I shouldn’t… I don’t want to…”

His brow lowered when she trailed off uncomfortably, and he tried to figure out what she was talking about. “Don’t want to what?” he asked.

Kagome went back to chewing her lip again and the warm arousal in her scent faded substantially, discomfort and shame taking its place like a poisonous fog. He frowned as she searched for words and he prodded her gently. “What… Kagome?”

She turned the thoughts over in her mind, trying to find a way to give him the explanation he was asking for without sounding like a moron or upsetting him. She was a little in awe of how much she wanted this man next to her; this half-demon man. They’d only known each other a short time, but it had been an eventful time. She’d been so sure she could never want anyone again, and now, right on the heels of everything she’d been through, she wanted Inuyasha, perhaps more than she’d wanted anything in her life.

Her body… particularly her heart, knew this, even if she didn’t want to say it out loud. When she’d woken to his warmth around her, watched him sleeping, let her eyes wander down the mostly smooth, tan skin of his chest, places deep within her remembered the touch of his hands. After everything that had happened, what did that say about her? She shuddered internally as she remembered the toxic words Naraku had whispered into her ear as he’d used her body and lashed her mind.

Her eyes felt wet all of a sudden and she blinked a few times, whispering hoarsely, “I don’t want you to think I’m a whore.”

Surprised, Inuyasha’s head rose off the pillow they were sharing, his frown darkening. “What? Why the hell would I think that?” He watched her lips tremble for half a second before she shook herself and swallowed, pulling in a deep breath and shrugging, unwilling for a moment to attempt speech over the lump in her throat. He pulled his hand up to brush her dark hair back from her face as she blinked away tears, refusing to fall apart again. She smiled a little bitterly and muttered, “I shouldn’t want… what I want. I just… you make me feel good… and safe…”

Kagome choked out a small laugh to say quietly, “and it doesn’t hurt that you’re good looking, pretty tempting stuff… actually.” He let out a low, dismissive sound and stroked her cheek with his thumb. His ear flicked back and forth once and she smiled a little, murmuring as she reached up to stroke the soft white fur that covered the small triangle. “And your ears,” she mused, “… are adorable.”

He snorted again and grumbled, “they are not. Guys are not adorable, especially not me.”

Inuyasha mentally congratulated himself when her fragile smile firmed up a bit. He twitched his ear against her fingers and she pulled her hand back, curling her arm to her chest between them. He looked down at her seriously and said, “don’t ever call yourself that. I’ll have you know I’ve met whores- several kinds in fact… and you’re about the furthest thing from one of those. You aren’t a whore just because you want to be with someone, or because you want to feel something good.”

She looked perplexed and dropped her eyes from his, her teeth worrying her lip again. This time he did move down to press his lips to hers. She gasped softly in surprise and stiffened for half a second, before she returned his careful pressure. He let his fingers slide into her hair and deepened the kiss, wanting both to extinguish any doubt she had of her own quality, and make her feel how important she was becoming to him; not just because she might or might not be going to save his sorry hide in the past and future.

He slid his hand down her bare arm, realizing she’d taken off the bulky flannel pajama top, and he tangled his fingers with hers. His hand brought hers to his chest, pressing her palm against his swiftly thumping heart beat as he whispered against her lips. “Feel that?”

She swallowed hard again, her eyes focused on her fingers on his warm skin. His ears flicked again once, back and forth as he said, “yours does the same thing when we’re like this; I hear it, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It means you’re alive, Kagome-- and that you’re a healthy adult.”

Kagome licked her dry lips and murmured doubtfully, “Inuyasha…” but she stopped, then smiled a little, sliding her hand across his chest. She sighed softly and admitted, “I’m glad you’re the one that found me, at the river.”

He studied her face, awash in half a dozen different emotions and demanded in a low, slightly husky voice, “then let me help.”

Her eyes found his again and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her body close against his, letting her feel his throbbing erection against her belly as he kissed her. She sighed a small sound of submission into his mouth as he flicked his tongue against her lip. Her hips lifted against his on instinct. Arousal spun abruptly through her scent again, wrapping his mind with her want and need. He breathed her in deeply, bucking his hips into hers a few times and releasing a low rumbling sound of his own. He pressed her to her back, propping himself on his elbows over her.

A spike of unease shot through her, searing the edge of his thoughts with a cold sharpness, and he slowed his movements. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her neck, whispering against her ear, “you’re alright, just relax.”

She wasn’t entirely convinced, gaze darting from his mouth to his eyes as his knee nudged her thighs apart so he could settle against the cradle of her hips, making sure to shift his weight into his arms on either side of her. She licked her lips again and a mixture of anxiety and lust arced through her as she felt his hard, thick length pressed against the increasingly familiar ache forming between her legs. She murmured his name with some consideration and he kissed her again, his movements slow and easy. He brushed her lips with his, letting his fingers stroke along her jawline. She calmed a little and he leaned down to press his mouth against her neck, just beneath her ear.

Kagome sighed and he felt a little more of her tension beneath him relax. She seemed to be alright with his mouth at her neck, as long as his hands stayed clear of it. He pressed a hot kiss against her pulse, swirling his tongue against the skin before he continued down to brush his lips against the slight hollow of her throat and then her shoulder. When he came back to her mouth she returned his kiss and he pressed his hips into hers, grinding himself a little against her as he murmured, “see? You’re okay.”

She smiled a little, slightly flushed, and nodded once, letting her hands rest on his arms near the shoulder. She was still nervous, but was beginning to find a place where she could accept his presence on top of her, reminding herself that he wasn’t holding her down, that he would move if she asked him to. And besides, this way she could feel him against her in a manner that almost made her toes curl and left warmth pooling low in her belly. He inhaled deeply through his nose, feeling her arousal brush against his mind again. It was enough to drive him half wild, but he did his best to reign himself in. This time they would do things right, or as right as was currently possible.

He kissed her deeply, making sure she knew how much she appealed to him. She pressed her hips back up against him, but broke the kiss, whispering anxiously, “Inuyasha… I can’t- ”

He kissed her softly, sensing the direction of her thoughts and said with light humor, “we won’t… not today, not even if you beg for it… But you get to go first this time.”

She frowned a little in confusion for a moment and he flashed her a grin before he slid down along her body to flip the cotton of her shirt away from her stomach, pushing it up out of his way, careful only to brush the under sides of her breasts with his hands, though he wanted to do so much more. He considered the matter briefly and decided it was best to leave that particular issue for another day.

Inuyasha pressed a kiss to her stomach, tracing the slight scar at her side with his lips. He was pleased to see by the dim glow from the night lights that almost all the bruising had faded now, leaving mostly smooth fair-toned skin. She watched, a little taken aback and still trying to process what he’d said. The sight of him, bent over her hips as he was struck something in her, making her nervous and excited all at once. She smiled and laughed a little as he brushed his fingers against her sides, tickling her as he kissed around her concave belly button.

Her scent was even stronger now that his nose was closer to her core, and he was determined that this time, if he could manage it, he would taste her with more than just his fingers. He leaned back up and kissed her lips lightly, murmuring, “don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

Despite his order, she sat up, pulling her legs to her chest under the blankets as he slid out of bed and stretched. After he took a quick minute to trim the ends from his claws, he lowered himself back onto the bed next to her. She chewed her lip, thoughts dashing back and forth between what she wanted and what she thought she should want. The line between the two was getting fuzzier by the day and it started to disappear altogether again when he pulled her to him.

Kagome was a little surprised when he pulled her body atop his, as they’d been the last time she’d gotten herself into this sort of trouble. He spent a long minute just kissing her again, nosing her throat and letting his hands wander down her sides and up her back, allowing her the time to relax again into being touched. It seemed like the moment he moved away from her, she always tightened back up.

This time, he had the benefit of the fact that she wore only her black camisole and pajama pants; which meant no sleeves, a low neckline, and more importantly no bra. He let his hands slide down to squeeze the curve of her butt appreciatively and when she smiled a little, he let his hands slide below the elastic waistband, fingers sliding across the surface of her underwear.

Inuyasha studied her carefully, holding her that way for a moment. He could tell a part of her was tense, but she was keeping a handle on it and still wanted him, despite her uneasiness. He told himself he would have definitely stopped if she hadn’t wanted him, if her nerves were enough to overtake her arousal, but he thanked the gods all the same that she was doing well and that wasn’t the case. She leaned down and pressed her lips to his in a tentative manner, her hands cautiously burying themselves in his hair.

He smiled against her lips and returned the kiss, gripping her rear and pressing his hips against hers. She rolled her hips into his immediately. With the welcome pressure his mental acumen dropped a notch. He decided he better move forward with his plans before he wound up putting her satisfaction second to his again. He let his fingers slide against the backs of her thighs, just under her butt, stroking the sensitive skin along the hem as he asked, “can these come off?”

She paused, face flushed. It took her a moment to focus enough to think about the question. “Just the pants, if that’s all you’re okay with,” he clarified.

After a moment she nodded, and before she could move he brought his hands back up to her hips, pushing the cloth away. Her determination wavered for a second, but she pushed herself up on her arms, allowing him room to press the fabric down her legs where she carefully kicked the pants free. The fact that they were still under the blanket and her bare legs were covered helped a little and he didn’t pursue anything more right away.

Kagome realized then how often he was giving her time to either get comfortable with things or protest, and this consideration more than anything else eased her mind. Inuyasha watched her calm, her body settling against his as she reached her fingers up to stroke his ears again thoughtfully. He slid his hands back along her lower back and asked quietly, “what’s goin’ on in there?”

She smiled faintly and without saying anything she leaned down to kiss him, curling one of her feet along his calf. This small movement opened her legs a little, allowing her core to settle against his throbbing sex. Said body part took immediate notice and he closed his eyes a moment to gather his self-control as her heat pressed against him. This girl was going to kill him.

He let loose a low appreciative sound and she smiled against his lips as his fingers dipped briefly beneath the hem of her panties, stroking the curve of her butt. One dark eyebrow rose a little in amusement as she asked, “you like playing with that, don’t you?”

Inuyasha answered with a low rumbling growl that may or may not have included a gruff version of the word ‘yes’, and shifted her beneath him, rolling carefully so that he was braced over her again. She caught her lip in her teeth nervously, but released it with a sigh as he kissed his way down her neck. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his lips along her skin. She was distracted enough that it was a moment before she remembered to be apprehensive as his lips brushed the tops of her breasts. He let his thumbs stroke cotton that covered the soft swells at the sides, nosing them a little as her nipples hardened and pressed against the fabric.

But he sensed her unease, and reluctantly, he moved on, trailing kisses down her ribs and belly before he shrugged the blanket back to kneel between her knees. She opened her eyes and watched him a little nervously, so he smoothed warm hands down from her knees, across her thighs. He paid close attention to her reactions as he ran his fingers over the black cotton at her hips, trailing his fingers down between her legs.

She tensed a little, sucking in a breath as he pressed his thumb along her cleft through the fabric. After a few passes of his fingers, she seemed to settle into it. Her chest rose and fell a little faster and she worried her lip, eyes focused on his hand. He smirked a little in satisfaction, sensing her rising excitement. Men weren’t the only visual creatures after all.

Carefully, he traced his thumb along the inside seam before slipping it beneath her panties to stroke her more directly. Her breath caught as he worked his thumb between the soft folds of flesh there, nearly closing his eyes and groaning himself when he felt the thick wet heat gathered at her center.

Inuyasha took his time, running the pad of his thumb in circles from the base of her opening all the way up to the sensitive bundle of throbbing nerves above it. When he dipped his thumb into her just slightly, she closed her eyes, leaning her head back into the pillow with a soft, almost frustrated sound. Her knees bent a little more on either side of him. He smiled in satisfied amusement and continued to stroke her, placing his other hand against her hip while he bent to trace kisses along the waistband of her panties.

He dipped his thumb into her up to the knuckle and she tried to lift her hips, her heart thumping in her chest, face and neck flushed, wanting more. He waited until he was sure she was good and distracted before he slid her underwear aside between her legs and used his left hand to open her a little for him.

As he laid eyes on the source of the scent that had woken him, his dick throbbed almost painfully and he spent a half-a-moment fantasizing about being able to just lean forward and slide home into her welcoming body. He swallowed hard before he pulled his mind back to the task at hand. He leaned down and carefully stroked her swollen clit with his hot tongue, laving the musky, sweetness that coated her opening.

Kagome jumped at the unexpected feeling, opening her eyes with a gasp, but he held her hips still and slid one finger deeply into her, curling it to apply pressure, searching for the sweet spot. It was only a moment before he found it, his ears twitching once as she moaned, her fingers clenching tighter on the blankets at her sides.

Inuyasha continued to stroke her with his tongue, sliding his finger deep, then withdrawing it, before he added a second finger, carefully pressing both digits into her. She whimpered again, panting softly as he worked her body, increasing both pace and pressure until she thought her head would explode with the electric feeling building from one end of her to the other.

As her inner muscles began to flex and contract tightly around his fingers, he wondered for a second if-- when the time came, he would even be able to fit himself to her. Kagome’s back arched as she cried out, trying to contain the sounds that wanted to come out, her muscles taught, her body squeezing his fingers again as she released. He pushed deep again, holding the pressure for a long moment, his other thumb circling her clit as she shuddered and trembled.

Her chest heaved a little as she panted, her eyes unfocused as she came down from her climax. Inuyasha grinned, smugly pleased with her reactions as he stroked her wet core a few times before he tugged the damp cotton of her underwear back into place. Kagome’s breath was still a little irregular as he rose over her again, his own arousal hard as stone against her.

Her hands slid up his arms as he braced himself in the cradle of her hips again, rolling against her hot center until her found just the right angle. His lips found hers and she kissed him hard, bringing her hands around to his well-muscled back and bucking obligingly against him. Her whole body still felt like it was humming with feeling, and she required no encouragement.

Inuyasha groaned and thrust down to meet her as they quickly found their rhythm, the pace he imposed fast and hard as a result of his waiting so long. He closed his eyes as he moved against her, filling his nose again with her hot, damp scent. Kagome did her part enthusiastically, arching against him, enjoying the limited sort of friction against her sensitized nerves.

When he dropped his head against her shoulder, she ran one of her hands into his hair. A low growl of pleasure slipped from his chest as she found his ear with her fingers, carefully rubbing the base as she pressed against him. After a moment or two he surged against her harder, pressing her into the mattress as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Kagome locked her ankles around him, rolling her hips into his as he loosed another deep rumbling growl of pleasure. His body tightened, muscles contracting as he climaxed hard, groaning under his breath as he finally spilled himself out against her.

She felt his steely muscles shiver a few times beneath his skin as they released, his breath coming a little faster against her neck. She turned her head and brushed a kiss against his temple, as he’d done with her when he’d first woken, smiling a little against his skin. He lifted his head and kissed her deeply, whispering against her mouth, “I’m glad it was me that found you, too.”

Kagome stroked his ear a few times before he pulled back, muttering something about needing to clean up. He grabbed some clothing and disappeared into the dark sitting room. She watched him go, closing her eyes and releasing a deep sigh. She heard the shower turn on in the bathroom and spent a quiet moment enjoying the idea of the hot water running down his strong body. Her own muscles felt like boiled noodles, hot and languid. She’d told herself she wasn’t going to come here again. Now here she was, and despite the fact that it was against her better judgment she couldn’t find it in herself to be upset.

Her family would have been outraged if they knew what she was doing now. Her grandmother certainly wouldn’t be happy if she found out. Kagome took a moment to think back to the few times her father had offered any kind of opinion about demons, and she liked to think he would have at least given Inuyasha a chance. She shook her head and dismissed the idea. It didn’t matter. They weren’t here now, and Inuyasha was, and being with him made the strained and ragged pieces of her smooth again. Nothing that felt this good could be bad. ‘Sure…’ she told herself a little reprovingly. ‘That’s what drug addicts tell themselves… that and: hey… I can stop whenever I want to.’ She smiled then, a little bemused. Was it possible to be addicted to a person?

As she finally caught her breath, her body cooling, she let her fingers run down her front, brushing her sensitized nipples for a moment through her shirt before she touched the damp fabric between her legs. She shivered a little at the contact, closed her eyes, and let her fingers drift back and forth over herself a few times, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth and letting loose a small contented sound.

She hadn’t registered that the water had turned off in the bathroom, and her eyes opened in slightly mortified surprise when Inuyasha’s husky voice came from the doorway. He stood leaning against the frame, hands in the pockets of a fresh pair of sweat pants, his long silver hair hanging damp around his shoulders. His eyes glinted a little in the dim light, heated gaze focused on her fingers between her legs as he said, “none of that, or I’ll have to keep you here all day, and I don’t know about you but I’m starving.”

She flushed with embarrassment, pulling her hand away and starting to protest. “I wasn’t…”

He smirked and she scowled a little, growling under her breath in frustration as she pulled a blanket up to cover herself. He strode in and sat down on the side of the bed, leaning in to kiss her. She resisted for a moment, trying to be annoyed, but lost the battle quickly. He smiled against her lips and nuzzled her neck a little, inhaling deeply as he murmured, “you might be the best thing I’ve ever smelled… so… you should go take a quick shower… and we can eat.”

She bit her lip for a moment, flushing all over again, and nodded once. She was self-conscious as she slid out of bed, wearing only her camisole and underwear, but she wrapped the sheet around herself and her bruised dignity, retrieved some clean clothes, and made her way to the bathroom.

When Kagome was showered she dressed in the cargo pants and one of Sango’s t-shirts, a black one that read across the front in white script ‘Though she be but little, she is fierce.’ She braided her wet hair back again and they finally left the bedroom. When they entered the kitchen Kagome was surprised to see the clock on the stove displayed that it was nearly 10 a.m.

She hated the way there was no sense of time in a room with no windows. It made her feel a bit off kilter, like she was completely removed from the real world. Still, that removal had its perks, or so she was starting to think. She bit down on her lip, remembering the feeling of Inuyasha’s fingers inside her less than a half hour earlier.

Too late, she remembered she was standing right next to said demon and looked up to find him glancing down at her with a knowing smirk. She elbowed him in the side gently and he grinned. Between the slight spike in her scent and the brush of her thoughts against his, it wasn’t hard for him to guess what was on her mind.

Sango was in the kitchen, pulling together some ingredients in a big bowl on the counter. Inuyasha raised his eyebrows when he saw a big bag of chocolate chips and she smacked his fingers as he stole a few out of the open top. “Stop that! I’m making cookies, since I’m off today. I might do some other cooking too. I don’t get the time normally and this is such a nice kitchen… and it might give Rosie a break.”

Sango caught sight of Kagome behind Inuyasha and smiled when she saw the shirt she was wearing. “You should definitely keep that one. It suits you. I have three that say that. It’s a good thing for the man-creatures in our lives to keep in mind.”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and scowled when Sango offered Kagome a spoon with a lump of cookie dough on it. “So she gets some and I get the boot? I see how it is.”

Kagome’s lips pursed into a smile as Sango gave him an exasperated look. “Well I don’t know Inuyasha. She has the manners not to go sticking her fingers into things the minute she walks in the door.”

Despite her words, Sango handed him a big spoonful of dough also. Kagome nibbled at her treat, while Inuyasha was done with his in two seconds. She leaned against the counter, licking her spoon while he got out bowls for oatmeal. She gave Sango a grateful look and said, “thanks again for the clothes… and the sugar hit.”

Sango shrugged and said, “no problem, what are you guys up to today?”

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha for the answer and he just said, “not much. Gabriel probably took off for L.A. already with Hiroki for the cannonball. I figured we’d just hang out here.” He pointed to the bulge in his pocket where the walkie talkie and the extra cell phone were. “We’ll keep an ear on the apartment and just chill out. I need to clean my bike up anyway.”

Sango eyed the bulging pocket of his pants, smirked and said, “and here I thought you were just happy to see me Inuyasha.”

Kagome choked on a laugh and Inuyasha went still for a second, his own thoughts briefly tangled with the memories of the raging hard on he had, in fact, sported just a short time earlier. Then he snorted and turned the burner on under a pan of water. “Not on your life woman.”

Miroku walked through the door at that moment and asked, “what’s not on her life?”

Sango pulled a mock expression of sadness and said, “Inuyasha doesn’t want me, apparently I’m not his type.”

Miroku paused a second and then took the spoon of dough she handed him. “Good, I’d have to kill him for stealing my lady.”

Sango rolled her eyes, flashed a slightly impish smile, and kissed her husband’s cheek. Kagome flushed a little and smiled at their banter. Inuyasha on the other hand looked thoroughly exasperated and grumbled, “as if you could. Ya mind if we eat breakfast in peace and stop discussing my sexual preferences?”

Miroku eyed Kagome knowingly and grinned. Her flush deepened as he the man asked, “sure, what have you and the lovely Kagome been up to?”

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha and decided to make herself busy cutting up an apple from the bowl on the counter. Inuyasha snorted and tossed a second apple at Miroku, which the man took as a hit on the shoulder before he caught it, rubbing the point of contact with a wince as the half-demon said, “none of your damn business. How much is left to do on the van?”

“You’re awfully grouchy for a man who’s had a good lay in on a Sunday morning… with a beautiful woman,” Miroku observed in a dry tone.

When Inuyasha’s irritated expression darkened a little the man hurried on to change the subject, raising his hands in surrender. “Alright! Alright! I’m almost done putting the panels back on. The doors are all loaded and we had a bunch of phone books left over. I stacked them in the back of the workroom.”

Sango cut in just then as she was rolling bits of cookie dough and placing them on a few greased pans. “You guys should keep your voices down. Rose is asleep on the couch.” The young woman nodded her head at a large platter of fresh cinnamon rolls at the end of the counter and said, “I was up early this-morning and she was just finishing those. She looked like she’d been up all night.”

Kagome stood against the counter next to the oven, soaking in the warmth as it pre-heated. She glanced through the broad doorway into the living room but couldn’t see Rosalind, noting that the television was on but turned down low, playing through what looked like a Lord of the Rings movie. Inuyasha frowned as he dumped a cup or two of oatmeal and some honey in the simmering water. “Any idea why?”

Miroku stood with his arms crossed next to Sango as she answered. “She didn’t say much. She looked exhausted so I shooed her out to either go to bed or relax.”

Miroku added, “I talked to Gabe this morning before he left for the race. He said she wasn’t well last night. He told me he seriously considered running her to a doctor before Sesshomaru sent him back to bed.”

Inuyasha’s frown deepened and he gave the contents of the pan a stir before handing Kagome the spoon. She took it and stepped up to the stove to keep an eye on their late breakfast while he padded quietly into the big front room across the hall. He stopped at the back of the sectional sofa, leaning over it a little bit. Kagome assumed Rosalind must be stretched out on that side of the couch where she couldn’t be seen from the kitchen.

Inuyasha’s frown eased slightly as he turned and came back, taking a seat on a stool next to the plate with the apple Kagome had diced. She pulled the plate towards her and carefully dumped the fruit into the pan while Inuyasha observed, “she doesn’t smell sick.”

Miroku shrugged and said, “that’s all I have. You know her, even if she was sick, she wouldn’t say anything.”

Kagome considered the matter and offered, “maybe she just got too much sun yesterday? I know that causes problems for some people, especially if they have that light complexion that comes with the red hair.”

Inuyasha shook his head, still frowning slightly in concern. “Nah, she’s never had a problem with sun or water. She’s like a fish. When she was a kid if we ever couldn’t find her, we knew to go look down at the beach first.” After a moment’s thought he asked, “where’s Sesshomaru?”

Sango shrugged and said, “not sure, I haven’t seen him yet today.”

Kagome reached carefully out with her magic, checking the house over for Sesshomaru’s very obvious brand of energy. Inuyasha glanced at her, sensing the surge in her power on that strange mental plane that had developed between them since the blood exchange. The magic she worked with seemed to fizzle against his own like static, a slightly uncomfortable experience, but not more unpleasant than that.

Sango remained oblivious but Miroku straightened abruptly, eying her with some curiosity. As a decedent of a Japanese Houshi, a monk of sorts, he was sensitive to the ebb and flow of magic and energy around him. He didn’t have a lot of power over it himself, but he could feel it and read it to some degree. She chewed her lip for a moment before she seemed to refocus on the people in front of her.

When she realized the guys were both looking at her she seemed to shrink into herself a little. Automatically, Inuyasha pressed his thoughts in her direction across that mental plane and she glanced at him in surprise, feeling him in her head like the fortifying brush of a warm fur coat against her soul.

Kagome smiled a little uncertainly and said in a small voice, “Sesshomaru’s in what I think must be his bedroom. It’s that room where the door was closed when we were in his office the other night, next to Rin’s bedroom?”

Inuyasha raised a brow in surprise and nodded once, “yeah, that’s his room.” He studied her for a second, remembering what Rosalind had told him about leaving her alone and glancing at Miroku and Sango as he asked her, “you okay here while I go talk to him for a minute?”

She flushed a little in embarrassment that he felt he had to ask and nodded, flashing him a reassuring smile and resolving to at least be a little less obvious from this point on about her high strung nerves. He stood up and moved behind her to run a hand down her arm and brush his lips against her temple for a moment before he left the kitchen.

Sango’s smile was good natured and a little playful as she asked, “still just friends?”

Kagome’s eyes flicked to Miroku for a moment and she blushed deeply red. She chewed her lip and sighed as she said, “yes… well….” She set the spoon down, looking into the bubbling oatmeal and swallowing the uncomfortable lump in her throat as she considered the question.

Sango seemed to sense her struggle said, “that looks like a face that could use some more chocolate.” She scooped another spoonful of cookie dough and said, “but it comes with some advice… if you can take it.”

Kagome eyed the woman warily and nodded once. Sango held out the spoon to her and said, “Inuyasha’s a good guy, don’t worry so much, and don’t complicate things before they need to be complicated. Lord knows we have enough legitimate complications in our life without hanging extras around our necks.”

Kagome smiled a little and accepted the spoon. “Thanks, you’re probably right. I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

Miroku said, “do that. If she thinks you forgot she’ll keep telling you. Ow! I mean I love you Sango, and I know you only tell us these things because we need to hear them… many times.”

Sango swatted his fingers away from the bowl of cookie dough and scowled, though the expression lacked any real irritation and she bumped him playfully with her hip.

Kagome licked some of the cookie dough from her spoon and smiled, laughing a little at the couple’s antics. Watching the way Miroku looked at Sango, it was hard to imagine him going after anyone else in any way. They seemed to have been made for each other.

Her eyes dropped to the dark violet colored cloth wrapped around his hand, one end affixed to an unobtrusive metal band around his middle finger, the jade rosary beads still strung around the wrist and palm. She cocked her head a little in curiosity and said, “can I ask what happened to your hand? I know it’s some kind of magic, but- I’ve never seen anything that felt quite like it before.”

Miroku raised his brows in surprise and looked down at his hand. He picked it up off the counter and rubbed the side of the palm absently. Kagome felt a little guilty for asking as Sango’s smile settled to a small grim line.

Quietly, Miroku explained, “it’s a curse Naraku put on my one of my ancestors. I believe it was my great or my great great grandfather. He was one of a long line of warrior monks in Japan, and he had the misfortune to run across Naraku in his travels. When he attempted to help destroy the demon he was nearly killed, along with everyone else involved, and given this curse for his trouble. Each male born into our line will carry a black void in their hand. It starts out very small, first opening when we reach ten years of age, and then grows a small amount each year… until it consumes us, and anyone or anything unfortunate enough to be around when it happens.”

The man sighed heavily, closing his fingers into a fist as he added, “you can imagine how worried we were when Sango found out she was pregnant, and the relief when Shiori turned out to be a girl. Only the male children are affected, thank the gods.”

Sango gave him a small, reassuring smile and told Kagome, “like I said, between this curse and the fact that Naraku arranged for half my family to be killed…” She paused and gave Miroku’s hand a squeeze before she went back to placing cookie dough on the baking sheets. “We have plenty of motivation to want that evil creature gone. From everything we know, if he’s killed the curse should be reversed.”

Kagome nodded her understanding, turning off the stove and pouring the oatmeal into two bowls. “I see, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to bring up something so painful.”

Miroku shrugged and said, “you should know I guess, if you’re going to be helping us and vice versa. Sesshomaru wasn’t kidding when he said we all have a bone to pick with that filth. He’s hurt a lot of people. You said you’ve met Hiten?”

Kagome swallowed, her hand coming up to her throat involuntarily, remembering the demon who’d held her by the neck, slamming her head into the wall until she saw stars, and the hot fire of his electrical power burning through her throat. She nodded once.

Sango looked a little murderous as she turned back to them, closing the oven door on two full sheets of cookies and setting the timer. “Hiten and his brother Manten killed Shippo’s parents. Then they were using him as a bait distraction for marks, and to collect information for them in places they weren’t sneaky enough to go themselves.”

Miroku added, “I managed to get him away from them one evening when I found them beating on the kit behind a truck in a downtown parking lot. They didn’t chase us far. I don’t think they cared all that much about keeping him.”

Kagome felt a surge of anger on behalf of the sweet little boy she’d come to know. She couldn’t imagine how anyone could be so cruel to a child and think there was nothing wrong with it. “Poor Shippo,” she said softly. “He seems like such a happy kid.”

Sango smiled faintly and said, “he is most of the time. He loves it here, and he took to being a big brother to Shiori immediately. I think he’d probably defend her to the death. Both the girls really, Rin too, and they adore him.”

Kagome smiled as well, putting the oatmeal bowls on two plates with a cinnamon roll each. “Where are the kids anyway? It’s awfully quiet.”

Sango pointed a wooden spoon toward the big picture window in the front room across the hall. “They’re playing outside with the dog. Kohaku’s out there with them. Koga and Ayame are in town doing some work for the day.” She wrinkled her nose and added, “I think Ayame said something about having to take delivery on a shipment of bear gallbladders.”

She shuddered and said, “at least… I think that’s what they were telling me. It sounds disgusting but I hear it’s lucrative.”

Kagome wrinkled her nose and said, “yeah, they can be worth a lot of money on the black market, especially if you have whole ones. They’re supposed to be the ancient Chinese cure-all for any number of health problems. I agree though… it sounds gross.”

***

Inuyasha walked into Sesshomaru’s sitting room and was surprised to see the bedroom door closed and the office empty. He knocked twice on the door and heard movement inside. Inuyasha slept in now and then, but was highly unusual for Sesshomaru to be in bed during the middle of the morning. The door opened on the dark bedroom and Sesshomaru stood in a pair of loose, dark gray lounge pants that were a little wrinkled. Between his gold eyes squinting in the small light from the sitting room and his slightly mussed hair, there was little doubt that he had, in fact, been asleep.

When he saw Inuyasha he became more alert and asked, “what’s wrong?”

Inuyasha shook his head, looking his brother up and down curiously as he said, “nothing’s wrong-- as far as I know. Sango said Rosie wasn’t well last night but she doesn’t smell sick. And Miroku told me you gave Gabriel the boot when he thought she might need a doctor.”

Sesshomaru’s eyes flicked over the door to the hallway behind Inuyasha and he said, “I thought she went back to bed. Is she up?”

Inuyasha shook his head again and said, “Sango found her baking this-morning but she’s passed out on the couch right now. You wanna tell me what’s going on? Is she okay?”

Sesshomaru looked tired for a moment and nodded once, sighing faintly as he pushed past Inuyasha and sat down in the leather arm chair. Inuyasha sank down on the couch, propping his bare feet on the coffee table. He knew Sesshomaru was a little out of it when the man didn’t even glare at him for resting his heels on the stack of paperwork that still sat there. Again, this was not the norm for the Dai-Yokai lord.

“From what I gather,” Sesshomaru started. “Rosalind suffered an anxiety attack of some kind after a nightmare, which in turn triggered what I believe to be something like an asthmatic episode. I knew she hadn’t been sleeping well, but she says this doesn’t happen often and insists she doesn’t have asthma. Whether that’s the truth, I’m not certain. I was able to employ some acupressure that helped a great deal.”

Inuyasha frowned and asked, “you think she’d lie to you?”

Sesshomaru pondered the question for a long moment before he answered. “I think she would withhold parts of the truth if she felt it was necessary. It’s not unprecedented.”

Inuyasha remembered the way she’d clammed up after they’d managed to get her back from Naraku’s people years before, and nodded once. “What’s bothering her? Is it just the Anansi?”

Sesshomaru shook his head, looking irritated. “She wouldn’t discuss it… but it makes her feel pain, and shame. I don’t understand.”

They sat in silence for a minute, both demons brooding. It was Inuyasha that broke the silence first. His tone was cautious and quiet as he said, “we know it’s entirely possible she’s been raped; if by some miracle it didn’t happen when Naraku’s crew snagged her of the street, then before you brought her out here from Chicago. You told me when you walked in to pick up a payment from her old man, he was in the middle of selling some degenerate a block of time with her in a bedroom, right? That might not have been the first time it happened.”

Sesshomaru’s hand tightened on the arm of the chair, his claws gouging the leather on the outside edge in his agitation at the memory. He loosened his grip and controlled himself, nodding once in acknowledgement. Carefully Inuyasha offered, “I haven’t spent a lot of time with this yet, but…”

He crossed his arms over his chest, unused to sharing personal information with Sesshomaru, but if it helped Rosalind in the end, he felt it was worth an attempt. “Kagome’s been apologizing every time she realizes I’m jonesing for her.”

Sesshomaru raised a brow and said, “if you’re bedding the Miko already, I’m not certain I want the details.”

Inuyasha scowled and muttered, “shut up and listen for a minute. Not that it’s your business but no, I’m not screwing her. She needs time before we even think about taking things that far.” ‘Well, not technically,’ he thought.

When Sesshomaru simply looked skeptical Inuyasha had to bite down on his tongue to keep from spilling the story about all Naraku had done to her; the HCG shots, and his attempt at planting a child in her, keeping her suspended in deep water for who knew how long, and he was sure there was more that she hadn’t shared. Inuyasha remembered his promised silence on the matter just in time. The thought of what had been inflicted upon her made him feel a little sick when it didn’t piss him off entirely.

“She’s been through hell,” he said. “Kagome just needs someone she can trust right now. Anyway… this-morning I asked her why she apologizes. I mean… it’s weird. Have you ever had a chick apologize for giving you a hard on? Or for having needs of her own?”

Sesshomaru’s thoughts drifted very briefly to the efforts required to control his own body at the sound of Rosalind’s moan under his hands the night before, but he quickly straightened his face and said dryly, “I can’t say I’ve had such an experience… no. Is this awkward recitation going somewhere… to a point, perhaps?”

Inuyasha explained very quietly, in case anyone might be near enough to hear them. Though he hadn’t promised not to tell anyone this, he was sure Kagome would be mortified at the idea of the moment being shared, even so. “She didn’t want me to think she was a whore. Those were her exact words.”

Sesshomaru frowned. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but it hadn’t been that.

Inuyasha continued to say, “I don’t know what’s exactly happened to Rose over the years, but it’s entirely possible her situation has some similarities, except hers isn’t raw and bleeding like Kagome’s. Anything that’s been done to her is old and she buries things she doesn’t want to think about. You know she does. I can tell you… that don’t work. You ignore crap and it just comes back down the road, all angry and pissed off to bite you in the ass.”

Sesshomaru considered this and said, “yes, I suppose you would have ample experience on that count.”

Inuyasha glared at him for a minute and Sesshomaru said grudgingly, “I take your point, and I’ll bear it in mind.”

The older demon frowned again and hesitated for a long minute before he asked in a low tone, “were you aware that her father beat her to bloody ribbons with a belt and buckle?”

Inuyasha thought for a second and shrugged, his mouth set in a grim line. “Well… we never talked about it, but I assumed that’s what the scars are all about. I figured it was something like that. It definitely wasn’t from too many hugs as a kid. Why?”

Sesshomaru’s demeanor was a bit chilly and he was squeezing the arm rest again as he contained his fury. Finally he admitted, “I knew she’d been mistreated, but I didn’t know about the scars until recently.”

When Inuyasha looked a little incredulous Sesshomaru said, “I’ve been busy. I’ve never had occasion to see her back or shoulders when she wasn’t covered in a shirt.”

Inuyasha considered this for a moment and couldn’t resist the temptation to poke at his brother. “And you’ve recently had occasion to be in Rose’s shirt?”

Sesshomaru glared at him so hard Inuyasha thought the man’s face might crack from the force of it. His voice was frigid as he said, “she wore a minimal shirt to sleep in last night. I saw the scars across her shoulders when I was accessing the pressure points inside the scapula.”

Inuyasha nodded once, still slightly amused at the intense response his brother seemed to have when he’d suggested he’d been fooling around with Rosalind, even in jest. And there’d been a very slight chink in the man’s expression that made Inuyasha think maybe the phrase ‘perhaps he doth protest too much’ might be appropriate. Interesting… He considered his brother for several more seconds before he mused thoughtfully, “you could do worse than Rosalind. And besides that, she’s stuck around this long; I guess she likes your ugly mug.”

“Get out,” Sesshomaru snapped, his back stiff with anger and indignation, his tone hard as diamond.

Inuyasha just smirked and got to his feet, unruffled. He’d been well aware he’d been winding his brother up. After all, he had years of practice, and it was still as satisfying as ever. Just then he felt a faint buzzing and rustling of anxiety that he knew was Kagome at the edge of his mind. He started for the door, pausing briefly to add a more serious comment. “I might think she’d be good for you’re sorry ass, but if you hurt that girl I’ll take your damn arm off again and you can go another two centuries growing it back. Remember that.”

“Out!” Sesshomaru snarled again, pulling hard on his power for the first time in a long while, spinning the air around the room in such a way that it threw several things from the shelves, scattered paperwork, and slammed the door shut hard behind Inuyasha with a satisfying bang. Inuyasha just snorted and strolled back down the hall to the kitchen where he found Sango sliding the first batch of warm cookies onto a towel to cool. Miroku was sitting at the far end of the table, looking concerned. When Inuyasha walked in, Sango glanced up and asked, “what happened? It sounded like someone broke a door, and before that Kagome here turned just about the color of sour milk.”

Inuyasha frowned, the rustling in his head growing a little louder as he turned to see Kagome sitting on the last chair at the side of the table nearest the door. Her hands were clenched together in her lap. Their breakfast waited in front of her but she hadn’t touched her food yet, waiting for him. She was indeed pale, looking a little ill in fact, and he found her scent tinged with fear and panic. It wasn’t as bad as it had been in the first few days, but she was definitely rattled.

“He’s so angry…” she whispered a little hoarsely. “What did you say to him?”

Sango scowled at Inuyasha, the woman taking Kagome’s nerves in stride as she asked, “Inuyasha did you go picking a fight? It must have been a good one. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that man slam a door.”

Inuyasha snorted in amusement, but when Kagome was still looking at him for an answer to her question, he just sat down in the chair next to hers at the end of the table. “Nothin’ important. He’ll get over it.”

Kagome still looked alarmed as she shook her head slowly. “He’s really really angry Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha considered her, simultaneously reaching out across that desert space between their thoughts to brush his warm, fur coated presence against her, trying to calm her, and going over what he’d said to his brother again in his head. He picked up his spoon and stirred his cooling oatmeal, concluding that either Sesshomaru was just really tired and in a bad mood, or there was more going on there.

Maybe his brother was starting to have feelings for the red head, or maybe he was just that concerned about her, as a pack member in potential danger. And then there was the fact that his brother had already lost a mate, which added another possible conflict of interest.

Grudgingly, Inuyasha admitted, “the issue may have been a little more… uh… inflammatory… than I gave it credit for when I started out.”

Kagome’s eyes closed for a second and she rubbed her head as if it hurt her. Her tone held a subtle trace of sarcasm as she said, “you think so? What on earth was that about?”

Miroku looked a little unsteady too, but nothing like Kagome. Inuyasha frowned at the man and dodged Kagome’s question to ask, “what’s with you?”

Miroku gave him a dirty look and said, “the same thing that just about gave Kagome a migraine, that’s what. Her powers must be a lot more sensitive than mine… stronger. I have a headache, but I thought she was going to be sick right when that door slammed.”

Inuyasha frowned at Kagome, who had pushed her oatmeal away and was cradling her head in her arms, her eyes closed. He sighed and sat back in his chair, laying a hand on her shoulder. She flinched away, but the action was different this time than it had ever been before. Her grimace came after he’d touched her, not in anticipation of his touch. She ducked away, letting loose a small pained sound, “don’t, please… no extra magic right now.”

Inuyasha was confused. “What magic?”

“Power,” she told him. “Anyone with power is soooo not allowed to touch me.” She turned her head to look at him, her skin a little clammy, then set her head on the table between her arms and muttered, “I can feel it. All of it… all the time, but I just got hit by surprise with a bigger dose than I’ve felt in a while. You have some magic, but you’re brother has a lot more, and he’s clearly not been using it. It feels like he’s been tying it down into a box that was too small for it to begin with-- and he just snapped a cord holding the lid shut.”

She grimaced, looking a little pitiful and closed her eyes again, murmuring mostly to herself, “oww….”

Inuyasha felt helpless. Touching her would only make it worse. Rosalind came in through the door just then, a blanket from the couch wrapped around her shoulders, her hair mussed on one side from sleep, dark circles under her eyes. “What’s going on?”

She caught sight of Kagome and her brow furrowed with worry. “Kagome, are you okay? What’s wrong?

Kagome waved a hand dismissively, not picking her head up off the table as she answered, “I’ll be fine, just not feeling so hot. It’ll pass.”

Rosalind looked at Inuyasha for an explanation but before he could open his mouth the front door opened and closed. There was a light patter of pawed feet on the tile floor and Shippo peeked into the kitchen around Rosalind’s legs, looking anxious. “What’s going on? Who’s mad? Whatever it is I didn’t do it; I swear I didn’t.”

Sango waved the boy over and brought a small stack of cookies and some milk to the table. She pulled the little kitsune onto her lap and said, “of course you didn’t Shippo. Inuyasha did. He’s the one in trouble.”

Inuyasha scowled at her, but nobody came to the rescue. It seemed that, for the time being at least, he was going to have to be more careful about pissing off his brother just for the hell of it, especially if it was going to have this kind of ramification for Kagome. He didn’t care if Sesshomaru tried to clock him one, but Kagome didn’t deserve to get sucker punched this way for his big mouth. He sighed in defeat and muttered, “sorry.”

He stopped himself from reaching out to touch Kagome’s knee next to him and asked, “anything I can do to help?”

She shook her head against the table top and muttered, “not unless you can go apologize to Sesshomaru and make it all better. Even that might not do it.”

Inuyasha considered that for all of one second and shook his head, “yeah… I don’t think that would work… and I don’t think I could do it sincerely… which would just piss him off more.”

She let out a resigned groan and Shippo stopped nibbling his cookie, looking across the table at her in concern. “Are you alright Kagome? Do you want one of my cookies? It might help…”

Kagome sat up a little and pulled on a faint smile for the kit. “I’ll be fine Shippo, just a bad headache… and stomach ache. But thank you for the offer. You enjoy that cookie for me, okay?”

Shippo looked at his cookie and nodded seriously. Taking a big bite and munching quietly. Rosalind stood next to Inuyasha and reached out to touch Kagome’s back. He moved to stop her but she raised her hand and said quickly, “don’t worry, I heard what she said. I’m safe…remember? No magic, unless you count the ability to pinch a penny till it screams.”

She lay a hand on Kagome’s shoulder and rubbed the girl’s back gently for a moment before she asked, “how about tea? Would that help? Green tea, or chamomile mint?”

Kagome considered this and said weakly, “the last one sounds good, thank you so much.”

Rosalind nodded, gave Inuyasha a dirty look and said, “please stop fighting with your brother. He has enough to worry about without you poking at him for your own amusement.”

He twitched an ear but had the grace to look at least mildly ashamed of himself. She was one of the few people with the power to do that to him, though he’d never admit it in public. She was right. If only torqueing his brother off wasn’t so much fun. Sadly, considering the fallout that little jab had caused among the people he cared about, he was going to have to keep his trap shut next time. On top of everything else, now Rosalind was up fixing tea for Kagome, and putting her kitchen to rights, instead of getting the much-needed sleep she’d been denied the night before.

Privately he hoped Sesshomaru stayed in his room, because if he saw that in the mood he was in now, and realized it was Inuyasha’s fault, he might actually come out and try to take him apart. Now wasn’t the time for that kind of fighting.

After Kagome finished her tea Miroku asked her, “do you meditate? To help with your energy mechanics I mean?”

Kagome looked at the man blankly and he took that to mean no. He rubbed his own aching head and told her, “it helps with problems like this. It’s an advisable practice for anyone with magic in their blood; keeps things in control. I’m going to go outside for a while and work on it, maybe get rid of this headache. You’re welcome to join me.”

She looked at Inuyasha uneasily and he nodded once, encouraging her to do anything that might help. He did, however, give Miroku a sharp warning look, clearly communicating that he was to behave and keep his hands to himself. To his surprise, Miroku just gave him a slight nod as he got to his feet, and didn’t protest or complain. Inuyasha offered, “he does it all the time, says it’s good for his magic. I think he might be full of it though, and I’m not so sure of his so-called powers either. He makes sutras up sometimes but I’ve never seen them do anything.”

Miroku raised a brow and made a slightly indignant ‘hmp’ sound. Kagome hesitated for a moment and asked Inuyasha, “are you coming too?”

He nodded, reaching a coil of his own consciousness out again to brush against hers reassuringly. He felt her smooth, cool presence brush against him in return and he stood, moving back so that she could go into the hall without coming into physical contact with him. Miroku followed them out the front door and led Kagome to a spot on the sand several yards from the driveway.

She looked back over her shoulder once, watching Inuyasha wheel his motorcycle out of the garage onto the open pavement. He was setting down a stack of clean rags to wipe the bike down after the rain it had been abandoned to a few days before. Miroku noticed her constant tracking of the half-demon and let out a small noise of amusement. “I don’t think he’s going anywhere. And I’m hardly a threat. Mostly I do my evil with numbers and paperwork.”

Kagome smiled a little and answered softly, “hm… me too.”