InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Ripples ❯ The Longest Time ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7: The Longest Time

Sesshoumaru was surrounded by a distinctly feminine scent that left him light headed. Breathing in deeply, he tried to determine what flower was blooming that gave off the wonderful aroma. Something soft was pressed against him and he thought vaguely that he had a new favorite pillow as he cuddled it. To his complete astonishment, he heard the pillow sigh and cuddle back into him. Golden eyes shot open and he looked around. It wasn't a pillow pressed against him, but-dear Kami-Kagome! Not only that, but he appeared to be in her room.

She was spooned against him and he had his arms and tail wrapped around her; holding her close. Somehow, in the night, he'd thrown one of his legs over both of hers-effectively pinning her entire body against the length of his. He felt himself go scarlet. She mumbled something and rolled to face him, tucking her head under his chin. Slowly, the embarrassed youkai lay on his back in an attempt to untangle himself from the sleeping beauty. The plan was thwarted when she simply threw her arm over his waist and half sprawled on his chest. He sputtered in helplessness and humiliation as his tail rose up and sent him an admonishing glare. He glared back at it and watched in horror as the fluffy appendage reached over and stroked Kagome's cheek. The gesture blatantly implied, `this is pretty and nice and I want to keep it.' Sesshoumaru shook his head in a manner that said, `not yours to keep.'

Unfortunately, his tail was a brazen hussy. It stroked the Guardian's hip saying, `but it could be.' The demon lord snorted and resigned himself to the fact that he would just have to stay in bed until she awoke. Her anticipated screams were enough to make him grimace and look Heavenward for help. Perhaps the best thing to do is pretend to still be asleep.

**Kagome was laying on something very comfortable. Rubbing her face in it, she took in a very masculine smell. Her eyes jolted open as she prayed to every deity she knew that she wasn't sleeping on what she thought she was. Looking down, she found that her prayers had gone unanswered for she was snuggled on top of a peacefully sleeping Sesshoumaru. His bangs had fallen onto his face and he had the look of innocence about him. Hesitantly, she brushed back his hair and looked at his blue moon. She traced it with her finger before doing the same with his magenta stripes.

"Cool," she whispered.

Next, she checked out his pointy ears. When she rubbed behind them, a broken purr rumbled from his chest. She stopped for a moment but began again when he pouted in his sleep. Giggling, she rubbed his ears again and the rumbling started up full throttle. The tail that had previously detached itself from her, snaked around waist and crushed her to him. He nuzzled her neck and then her jaw.

"Um, Sesshoumaru?"

He licked her ear and gave a slight whimper when she tried to pull away. Rolling her eyes, she settled back down in his arms and let him continue his apparent tongue bath. She knew dogs washed each other with their tongues, but never suspected dog demons did as well. The only problem was that she was not a dog demon and therefore was not used to being bathed by someone's tongue. Especially not when that someone was male-an extremely attractive male-who currently was occupying her bed and petting her like she would leave. When her face was thoroughly bathed to suite his taste, he nuzzled her face and lay back on the bed, obviously expecting something.

Kagome's brows knit in confusion. "What?"

He nuzzled her face again and it hit her. He wanted her to bathe his face. With her tongue. Kagome gulped and looked at the expectant puppy who was pawing at her impatiently. Letting out an impatient sigh, she pulled up all her courage and leaned down to shut the dumb dog up. Tentatively, she licked his ear and was encouraged when his purring increased and he leaned into her. Smiling, she licked his face in the same manner he'd licked her. Each time, he acted like it was the greatest thing on earth.

<I'm just giving him a bath. There's nothing ulterior to it.>

<Sure, sure. You've got a powerful, drop dead gorgeous man purring in happiness up under you. Don't tell me you aren't enjoying it. >

<Shut up.>

Kagome finished his bath by licking his neglected ear and waited to see if he would wake up. Just then, Rin came barging into the room. She skidded to a stop when she heard her fearsome guardian actually purring. She was only six, but she knew something was going on, so she quietly made a hasty exit. Kagome turned back to face an undoubtably awake demon lord. His eyes were only half open and his stare was suspiciously fuzzy. Kagome crawled off of him as far as his still attached tail would allow.

"Um, Sesshoumaru?"

He looked at the ceiling for a moment before focusing on her and sitting up. Slowly, his tail took up its appropriate place on his shoulder and he walked slowly out of the room. Kagome was left bewildered and smelling vaguely like a certain demon lord.

**Sesshoumaru, meanwhile was in a somewhat euphoric state of happiness. He didn't quite know what to do with the feeling. Kagome had surprised him to no end when she had petted his face instead of screaming at him. He was so relieved, that when she had rubbed his ears, he couldn't stop the purr that escaped him. He'd cut it off immediately when she paused, but couldn't help the small twinge of disappointment that she'd stopped. His storm of rumbling happened again when she continued to pet him. His blasted tail betrayed him again when it crushed her to his chest. After that, he was in a kinda fuzzy haze of instinct. Nuzzling her face and neck, he barely restrained himself from marking her. Instead, he opted to wash her face. As anticipated, she tensed up, but he discovered that with a little petting, she soon relaxed. He couldn't seem to help himself washing her. His demon side demanded it.

When he was through, he desperately wanted her to return the favor, but knew she didn't have the instinct to do it. He had just accepted the fact that at least she hadn't ran out of the room, when he felt her lick his face. Delirium exploded in his fragile mind at the moment and he purred even louder. He was disappointed when she was through and racked his brain for something to say when Rin saved him from humiliation. Thankfully, the little girl didn't ask question before she retreated. He felt Kagome shuffle off of him and opened his eyes to look at her. She looked tousled, embarrassed, and beautiful. However, most appealing of all was the way her eyes were completely dilated and she smelled like him. Overall, she was the most desirable thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

He calmly reclaimed his tail and made an exit before he did something that he might not regret. It wasn't until he was safely in his own room that he realized he'd left his shoes in her room. Shaking his head, he decided to retrieve them when she was not in the room. Yes, and he'd stay away until he could figure out what in the seven Hells he was going to do about that woman. Rin came into his room to escort him to breakfast. When he bent down to help her braid her hair, the little youkai scrunched up her nose and stared at him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Hai, Rin?"

"You smell like Kagome-neechan a lot. Is she going to be my new okaa-san? Because Rin likes her very much and would not mind if she lived here forever."

Sesshoumaru sputtered for a moment and then shook his head. "I don't know what the future will bring, Rin. I am not a Seer."

She nodded and hugged him as she dragged him off to eat. He groaned when he saw Kagome already seated at the table. Kami, he needed a vacation.

**It wasn't being sneaky-it wasn't! Well, maybe it was a little bit-but it was his house, blast it all, and he'd go wherever he damn well felt like going. Squaring his shoulders, Sesshoumaru strode into the miko's room, which he happened to know was vacant of the woman. Sighing, he walked around the bed, trying to find his abandoned boots. They were nowhere in sight.

<Argh, confounded woman probably threw them out or something as brainless as she sometimes seems to be.>

His agitation leaked out when he found the missing shoes neatly standing beside her desk, polished. Seeing the neat way she cleaned his shoes, his irritation came back full force at the meddling girl. How dare she disturb his shoes! Grumbling, he sat down at her desk and pulled the strangely shiny boots on. He had just turned to leave when a purple notebook caught his eye. It was shimmering and looked important to her since her scent was all over it. Glancing at the door, he eased back into the chair and opened the book. Imagine his surprise when he found a book of Kagome's original poetry.

<The wench writes poetry? Well, well well. Let's see if she's any good.>

To Sir

To speak? Alas, I know not what to speak of

My tongue is ignorant of my heart's doings and thus

Rambles on in a way I cringe to think about

Shall my eyes say the words I feel so ardently in my soul?

Perhaps you will not see the message they hold

The promise that carries and binds my heart to your own

Will you then reject my love with a disdainful indifference?

I must confess, I would hold to you no fault for that action

The days pass so quickly

Yet I can find no way to show you my partiality

You, yourself, show non towards me, either

And therefore I am hesitant

To expose myself to such criticism you may have for me.

I dare say, I am fearful of

Even as I yearn for

Your attentions to me

To elevate you to so high a place in my life

As to open myself so wholly to you,

I fear that as I fear nothing else.

You are not to blame

And should give non to yourself

The blame lies solely with me

And I accept it with a heavy heart

I feel as though I am in a tower

With a window to the world

Always watching, but never allowed to participate

I had thought you showed me the way out,

But upon reaching the door,

I discovered it was locked

Again I say alas, because the key

I'm afraid is lost forever

Please do not forget me.

The taiyoukai sat there for a moment thinking. The poem had been stuck haphazardly in the back of the notebook, and apparently she didn't consider it her best. The book was filled with her poems in her writing that was somehow both messy and neat at the same time. Perhaps he could borrow the book for a day.

<Hai, I can have it back in her room by tomorrow. She'll never know. At the very least, it'll put me to sleep to night.>

Nodding to himself, he stood and hastily exited the room smelling distinctly of Kagome.

**Kagome and Rin came inside shortly before it began raining. Rin looked so sleepy, that Kagome had to put her down for a nap. Deciding today was the perfect day to write poetry, she made her way to her own room and seated herself at her desk. Looking around, she couldn't seem to find her poetry notebook.

<Now where on Earth could I have put it?> She thought as she rummaged through drawers, up under papers, and finally her entire room. Shortly, the neat and tidy room was awhirl with flying objects as she flung everything around looking for her precious poetry. The frantic search's noise drifted through the house and reached a certain white haired man. Curious, he stalked over to the wench's room and walked in. She was desperately tearing her room apart looking for something. Standing, amused, in the doorway for a moment, he watched her until she turned hysteric eyes on him.

"Oh, Sesshoumaru! You have to help me find it. I don't know where it is and it's so important. I can't believe I lost it!" She wailed.

Arching an eyebrow, he stepped to her side and drew her up. "What have you misplaced?"

She gripped the front of his haori tightly and tossed her eyes around the disheveled room. "My poetry notebook. All of my poems, every last one of them, is in it and it's gone! What am I going to do?"

He snorted and forced her to sit on the bed as he began righting her mess. Soon, her room was almost back to normal and she was breathing easier. Kagome was glad someone else was in charge. It made her feel like she didn't have to hold up the world by herself. Even if it was Sesshoumaru and the matter was only a missing purple notebook. He would know what to do-he always did.

"Perhaps you left it in the garden or around the castle. I've seen you with it before. I'll have the servants keep an eye out for it."

Kagome smiled in relief and threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru! I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, and even if the poems aren't very good, they're mine and are valuable to me."

The golden eyed man felt something that strangely resembled guilt in the far recesses of his icy heart. His metaphoric bed was made and now he must sleep in it. Just then, as he was pushing the foreign feelings aside, he noticed what the woman now withdrawing from him was wearing. It was, what looked like a small shirt held up by two tiny strips of cloth, and a pair of comfortable looking shorts. She never wore clothes this revealing and he felt his brow hike in question. The Guardian noticed it and blushed before throwing on a robe.

"I was going to take a nap while Rin-chan did. I like to sleep in comfortable things."

Just then, he glanced down at her feet and he discovered something peculiar about this girl. Her toenails were bright red. Kagome followed his gaze and wiggled the said toes, giggling.

"You're toenails are very queer, woman."

She laughed. "This coming from a man with magenta stripes and a moon on his forehead? My toenails are the same color as my fingernails. I just paint them red sometimes."

"Why?"

"I like them painted. I have other colors as well and sometimes I paint my fingernails, too."

He studied the strange paint for a moment and then looked at her. "Show me this paint you use."

She smiled and rummaged in her pack until she found her makeup kit. Sesshoumaru watched as she placed four different colored vials in his hands. Picking up the pink one, he unscrewed the cap and promptly passed out from the odor. Kagome stood there a moment, stunned, before she erupted into laughter.