InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Art of Tea - ON HOLD ❯ The Art of Tea - Chapter 11C - The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul ( Chapter 13 )

DISCLAIMER - The ownership and general brilliance that is the original Feudal Fairy Tale remains the property of its honored and rightfully revered creator Rumiko Takahashi without whose brilliance, we would not have fodder.

 

Reviews are fuel.

 

Namaste

 

By: ElegantPaws

 

Edited by: Meara the Celt

 

Chapter ElevenC is dedicated to Lonelylark, who I congratulate for her Feudal Association nomination for the very worthy and most enjoyable pieceHeat of Reaction.

 

Author's Note: A Digestive is a tea biscuit/cookie.

 

 

" ~ The teacher usually learns more than the pupil. Isn't that true? ~ "

 

--- Douglas Adams - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency "---

 

~~~~TAoT~~~~

 

Chapter 11C - The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

 

 

Much in the way of peace had settled between them beneath the star-filled sky; the gentle clinking of cutlery and the muted constant of gurgling water amplified the companionable silence.

 

Kagome's thumb and index finger played with the crust of her appetizer as she furtively gazed at the male who had given his full attention to his braise arugula and mushrooms, entirely ignoring the peasant bread.

 

The dark-haired woman smiled secretively in knowing, having accurately deduced the elegant male's character.

 

`Stubborn cuss; probably won't pick the offending item up because it will smudge his fingers. What beautiful, strong fingers though.'

 

His seeming distracted air gave Kagome the opportunity to look at him unguarded.

 

She quirked her brow in sudden thought. `He has not aged.'

 

If memory served, he looked exactly the same as when she first saw him as a child.

 

“Miss Higurashi, do you wish to share your thoughts, or are you merely content to rudely gaze at your dinner companion speculatively?”

 

The brocetta miraculously found its way down the right pipe, finally, after a sip or two of cool wine and much coughing with embarrassment.

 

She paused, weighing her words.

 

“You haven't aged,” Kagome said point blank, having recovered her breath.

 

Sesshoumaru lazily looked up at her, then placing his utensils down and carefully patted his lips, before beckoning the wait staff.

 

Palpable silence followed as dishes were removed and the second course was brought.

 

Only half his appetizer had been eaten, Kagome noted. She was paying after all and he had forced her to select more than she had originally intended.

 

“The lady, she is having polenta with spring onions and asparagus?”

 

Kagome did her best to maintain a serious countenance as she stifled a chuckle.

 

“No, that would be his. Mine would be the risotto with green peas and mint, since he has apparently gone right off peas for some inexplicable reason.”

 

She could feel the disapproving golden gaze upon her face. “We don't all age at the same rate, Miss Higurashi,” the western lord answered, inspecting the second course and giving it a delicate sniff.

 

Hard to read that Sesshoumaru, but she gathered, it pleased him and for some equally inexplicable reason, it pleased her too.

 

She dove into the fragrant dish with a sudden thought as she eyed the asparagus on his plate. There was going to be a 50/50 chance she would be right.

 

“Not big on conversation are you, Mister Taishou?”

 

“No, words are most often a futile attempt at communicating the ineffable.”

 

Kagome continued to chew as he carefully inspected the asparagus and then did the unthinkable. He picked up a spear with his finger tips.

 

She had lost that bet with herself.

 

The dark-haired woman found the tip of a green spear hovering close to her lips.

 

Kagome blinked in disbelief.

 

“I'm good,” she offered, licking her lips nervously as the tip brushed her lower lip, their gazes locked. It was tangy, vaguely bitter, yet pleasant.

 

“This Sesshoumaru assumed you wanted one from the amount of time you have spent gazing at his dish.”

 

Pearly white teeth bit the head and chewed methodically.

 

“Delicious; you should try some,” Kagome chided with an attempt at a blank stare, though there was mischief in her eyes as she took him up on his dare.

 

“Not my thing.”

 

There was something unreadable in his gaze as he watched her lips.

 

She blushed, having caught his innuendo as strong white teeth bit into the remaining spear with a quirked brow, eyes never leaving hers.

 

“Acceptable.”

 

Her plate became suddenly inordinately fascinating as they both continued to eat in contemplative silence. There was so much she wanted to ask him, but how to broach the subject of the peculiar long-standing arrangement between her grandfather and this insular Tai-Pan.

 

As if hearing the thought, Sesshoumaru spoke.

 

“I had known your grandfather for many years. He was an honorable being and provided this Sesshoumaru a respite from the modern world.”

 

Kagome's fork clattered to her plate in shock.

 

“Hold that thought, please. I have other questions,” she said, raising a finger to her lips.

 

“Where is Naraku and who is this Inuyasha?”

 

There was tension in his lower jaw now, though no other detectable change in his features were evident, other than the slight dulling of the shimmer that were his eyes.

 

“Naraku was indisposed and I thought to take his place. The other is my half-brother who has chosen to abandon his familial responsibilities in pursuit of…” There was a pregnant pause as his eyes wandered slyly from her face. “…an old enemy.”

 

Kagome felt the shift in his demeanor to something akin to foreboding as she nervously toyed with her pearls and worried about Naraku.

 

“Perhaps I should call him?”

 

Sesshoumaru gazed at her. “As you wish,” he said retrieving his cell phone from his jacket's pocket and handing it to her.

 

“He should have told me he wasn't feeling well. I would never have held him to this dinner, nor you for that matter. Did you help him make this decision?”

 

She bit her lip toying with calling him. `Maybe later, when I get home,' she thought handing the cell back to her host.

 

“It is a minor thing. Nothing worth speaking of,” he eyed her plate. “Are you quite finished with your peas, Miss Higurashi; you being fond of them and all?”

 

She narrowed her eyes at his intended barb, completely forgetting Naraku as eyes the color of pale cognac glided to hers and rested.

 

“Touché, look at the time, he is probably asleep. I won't disturb him.”

 

The main course was served uneventfully as they talked of her family and not so much his, she found. He was definitely hiding something, but she gathered he was circumspect by nature.

 

Sesshoumaru applied himself judiciously to his seared tuna as he watched daintily cut, succulent morsels of chicken rapidly disappear between pouty, well-kissed lips.

 

`Salad indeed. She is starving. Far too proud…this might not be the opportune time to pose the question.'

 

Amber eyes lazily lowered.

 

He had kissed those lips into perdition and had every intentions of continuing post meal. For now he would continue to speak of her Ji-Ji , a safe topic by all accounts and not an entirely displeasing line of conversation.

 

“What is your fondest memory of your grandfather?”

 

Startled honey brown looked up to meet cool citrine that regarded her intently.

 

It was a genuine question. The timbre of his voice was gentle when he had said “grandfather.” Kagome did not know what to think of it at first, but later when she recalled she would realize there was reverence in his tone.

 

~~~~TAoT~~~~

 

Warmth surrounded her, liquid warmth.

 

Sango slowly opened her eyes to her unfamiliar surroundings. She was nude and in a generous bath with copious fragrant bubbles and soft candlelight.

 

There was movement in her peripheral vision and she started.

 

“What!?”

 

“I would not suggest you rise. The oils are slippery and I really don't feel like calling an ambulance should you knock yourself unconscious, my little sakura blossom. I've had enough drama for the night.”

 

To say the coach was the color of a beet root would not be an overstatement. It all came back to her now.

 

She slouched further into the bath looking around her nervously as the figure approached. `Who had removed her clothing?'

 

“Stay away from me, pervert.”

 

Miroku chuckled then sighed. “Do you feel better? Would you like that coffee we spoke of earlier?”

 

It was then she noticed the white bandage around his rib cage, as yet unsecured.

 

`Did I hit him?'

 

Miroku followed her gaze to his exposed chest.

 

“Figured I'd kill two birds with one stone. I couldn't leave you alone. You might have drowned and my ribs needed bandaging.”

 

Her eyes slid off him as she saw him grimace as he continued to wrap his rib cage.

 

“Did you,” she asked sinking further into the bubbles. “Undress me?”

 

She held out the vague hope that it had been a female attendant, but something about his face told her otherwise.

 

“Yes; nothing I haven't seen before. You were covered in dried mud. Had to change my robe as well,” he answered practically, returning to his task with another wince.

 

Sango stiffened and regarded him with renewed suspicion.

 

“Did…did I do that?” A little soapy finger pointed at his ribs then quickly returned to the warm depths of the water. This was so embarrassing and here he was taking it all in his stride.

 

“No, just a run in early with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum,” he snickered, affixing the bandage with a grimace, before turning to look at her.

 

“How about that coffee?”

 

Sango swished the water, discovering to her surprise and joy she was still wearing her panties.

 

`He has some scruples after all.'

 

“Tisane; peppermint if you have it?”

 

The radiant smile she received for her request stilled her heart.

 

“Yes, my little lotus blossom. Be right back.”

 

The bathroom door closed.

 

Her head felt woozy as she thought of the new nick name with some irritation. He would insist on pet names when all she wanted to do was mangle him.

 

Then it hit her.

 

She had a lotus flower tattooed on her right hip, close to her…

 

Sango was up and out of the bath with blood in her eyes in a matter of seconds.

 

`Sneaky bastard, he peaked.'

~~~~TAoT~~~~

 

“In some ways I was closer to Jii-Jii than father. Never really knew why. He always seemed pre-occupied. Sure, he always made sure I and Souta wanted for nothing, but he always seemed distant.”

 

Sesshoumaru listened attentively, taking the odd cursory sip of his wine. Kagome suspected he did it to make her feel comfortable. She had finally found his best quality. He was a good listener, only interrupting her as catalyst while she spoke of her family dynamics. Though he contributed little verbally, she had found he spoke with his eyes most often. His eyes fascinated her, their color fluctuating by degree as he absorbed backhanded comments and processed them.

 

“You continue the ritual morning and night?” responded the silky baritone as the dessert menu was brought and the dishes were cleared silently.

 

Kagome did not need to look. She intended to have the tiramisu, but politeness dictated she peruse the menu while he chose and she thought how best to coach her answer.

 

The menu provided sufficient shelter for the Taiyoukai who found, to his utter surprise, he had not enjoyed an encounter more than this night. She was enthralling, articulate, and at times brilliant with gentility to spare. In her presence he felt surprisingly at ease as he listened to her delicate lilt. It mattered not what she said. The Higurashi instilled calm in his soul. That in and of itself proved disconcerting; she was honorable and had a will of steel. Family came first for her, something admirable, even for a ningen, and yet she was as delicate as a lotus blossom.

 

For centuries he had chosen emotional isolation. It was best. All that he had cherished perished. There was no point in dwelling and yet, looking across at this being, who had no idea who she truly was, he felt a new emotion, sadness. And if he gave it a name: loneliness.

 

“Sesshoumaru?” He heard the whisper of concern in her tone.

 

He blinked. “Sorry, you said something?”

 

A shy smile graced her lips. “You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?”

 

“Sorry, Miss Higurashi, the night has been long.”

 

“Don't apologize. What are you having for dessert?” she asked brightly, her face a glow in the silver-white darkness.

 

Gentle was the caress of the wind that fluttered the leave of the trees above them and gentle was the laughter that came to his ears. The quiet, familiar laughter of an elderly male with lines that had marked the course of time across his face. Some were harshly etched, some forming gentle folds, but all accepted the passage of time with grace.

 

Her eyes were the same and she, too, might walk the same path. His chest felt constricted, like the moment of his father's passage so many eons before.

 

“Fine,” Kagome shrugged up at the waiter. “We will share the tiramisu and what do you have in the way of tea?”

 

In the end, he felt no need to speak, simply handing the menu back to the small hand that took it, their fingers touching briefly as in their first encounter.

 

An electric shock went up his spine. The laugher echoed in his memory of that night and the final words the elderly ningen had spoken.

 

“Despite yourself, you will be loved, my Taiyoukai. Cherish it; only then will you finally live.”

 

 

~~~~TAoT~~~~

 

Miroku's violet eyes blurred as the skillet connected with the back of his head and his body headed for the floor.

 

She towered over him, towel affixed with righteous indignation.

 

“You looked! How dare you?! I should call the police. There are laws you know,” Sango said somewhat breathlessly as his hand rose to the back of his head.

 

“What the hell is wrong with you!?” he muttered between clenched teeth.

 

Sango blanched. “What is wrong with me?! What is wrong with you, taking a woman's clothing off without her permission? You looked! You saw my ink! That is what's wrong! You deviant! I'm not some floozy!”

 

Miroku's pupils became pin pricks of anger. He had had enough.

 

“Fuck you! I was trying to be kind. You looked all in and were in sore need of a bath. Get your clothing and get the fuck out of this house before you wake up the entire household. I don't know why I even thought to be kind to you. You are nothing but a raving bitch!” he said between clenched teeth.

 

This was the second time he had insulted her in one day. Equally, this was the second time the coach had become speechless, unable to defend herself.

 

Carefully and quietly she placed the skillet on the counter and continued to glare down at him as he crouched in preparation for the next blow.

 

Sango made a choice in that moment, as his words rang in her ears.

 

She extended her hand after adjusting the bath towel.

 

Opening his eyes, infuriated mauve looked up into quietly cold brown and took the hand offered. She was stronger than her appearance would indicate.

 

“Where is the tea?” Sango asked coolly, turning away from him.

 

Miroku sighed and opened a cupboard, retrieving tea cups and handing her the loose tea and pot, both working in silence as the kettle was filled and placed on the stove.

 

“I'm not a bitch, Mister Houshi. I've just seen a lot,” Sango said, as she carefully measured the amount of tea for the pot.

 

Miroku let the moment pass unanswered, retrieving the half-eaten cheesecake from the fridge. Sango declined graciously. “Do you have cookies?”

 

“No, you're not. My apologies; you're just inordinately defensive. Sometimes people are kind, Sango. It need not merit a hiding,” he said handing her the digestives.

 

“Yeah, well you've never lived my life. Everyone wants something. No one does anything without reason.”

 

He looked at her then with pity.

 

“You might be surprised.”

 

She looked up at him beneath her lashes, seeing the weariness in his face. He needed sleep.

 

“Sorry about the head.”

 

“I can now hazard a guess as to why you chose the symbol of the lotus,” he said tiredly, removing the kettle from the stove and pouring the boiling water into the teapot silently.

 

Sango's first instinct was to connect her fist with his stomach, he having confirmed her original suspicions, but curiosity got the better of her.

 

“Well?” she murmured, her cheeks crimsoning as she tried to look indifferent.

 

`He really looks tired and worried about something…'

 

What disturbed the coach was that she cared.

 

“Sit. I'll serve and you can bore me to tears with your views on my tat. Kami knows just how long you were probably staring at it.”

 

Miroku chuckled and did as he was told.

 

`When she wants to be, she can be kind.'

 

And it was with surprise, she felt it. For the first time in weeks, she had actually smiled.

 

~~~~TAoT~~~~

 

 

Kagome closed her eyes in bliss; she had looked forward to this all evening.

 

Sesshoumaru quirked his brow as he sipped his peppermint tea, declining the second spoonful she offered of the delicious dessert.

 

One taste was sufficient for the Taiyoukai. He need not tell her chocolate and he disagreed horribly, ancestry will out.

 

His real, unexpected joy was the myriad facial expressions while she ate, eyelids closing in ecstasy as the confection melted on her tongue and she wiggled with joy.

 

“Your loss,” she hummed happily around each delectable mouthful as her taste buds savored the delicate mixture of mascarpone cheese, zabaglione cream, espresso coffee, and feather light Savoiardi.

 

The white prince smirked lasciviously, watching her absorb a ladyfinger and licking the chocolate off her upper lip innocently.

 

He crossed his legs instinctively and coughed.

 

“Did you know, Miss Higurashi, the dessert you are inhaling carries with it much innuendo?

 

Large brown eyes looked across at the handsome male questioningly as she spooned more of the dessert to her lips and tried to remember the little she remembered of the Italian language.

 

“Hnnnn…” she said, more enraptured with the burst of flavor in her mouth than the vaguely lewd expression being leveled at her across the candle-lit table.

 

“Don't care, this is better than…” Kagome stopped, choked and reached for her water hurriedly, avoiding his eyes.

 

Tiramisu meant “Pick Me Up.”

 

“And how would you know exactly?” was the casual, lazy retort as he sipped.

 

“Pardon?”

 

“You were going to say sex, weren't you?”

 

“No and how dare you assume?” she said her little chin stubbornly held aloft as she blushed. Third base didn't really count, she supposed. “You, dear sir, misjudge. It simple means `Pick-Me-Up', in reference to its caffeine content. Not what you are implying.”

 

Sesshoumaru gave an undignified snort and returned his attention to his lukewarm tea. He could hear her heart racing from across the table and scent the slight spike in arousal.

 

`Excellent. Whether tonight or not, she is mine,' he thought with satisfaction. If his suspicions were right, he would definitively have to take another approach, should she be chaste. A simple rut might not be in order if he intended to keep her for an unspecified time.

 

“When you are done, perhaps a stroll on the grounds?” he asked in a surprisingly chivalrous tone, devoid of intimation other than a stroll.

 

Kagome glared at the handsome creature with suspicion.

 

`Something has changed. He has suddenly gotten coy. No witty double-edged retort?'

 

The sudden lack of sexual intent disturbed Kagome as she continued to stare into those unfathomable pools of honey.

 

`What have I done to cool his ardor? Did I knee him harder than I think?' she wondered quietly, the dessert losing its flavor and appeal.

 

Placing her spoon down, Kagome smiled, her face almost cracking under the strain of worry. She could tell the evening was over and felt crestfallen.

 

“Sure, it's late.”

 

Turning to avoid his eyes, she beckoned the waiter to bring the bill, missing his quirked brow of question and the firm set of his lips.

 

`She misunderstands.'

 

~~~~TAoT~~~~

 

A single digit passed over the delicate outline of the lotus flower that graced her hip.

 

“It rises out of the mirky depths of its watery home,” he whispered huskily. Warm breath ghosted over a hip bone as he traced soft kisses along the path his finger had been moments before.

 

Sango's lids fluttered closed, her hands gripping soft silky strands as she was pressed into the sheets.

 

“…moving toward the light of the sun, blossoming into a pure white flower, the essence of feeling, want,” he murmured against her sweat-dampened skin.

 

She arched, nails biting into his skull, dark eyes half closed as she looked into piercing violet that burned, demanding permission.

 

“And desire,” Sango panted breathlessly.

 

Miroku nipped the soft flesh beneath his lips, as strong thighs hooked him closer in answer. His head lowered in response.

 

 

~~~~TAoT~~~~

 

“Watch your step, the stones are uneven here,” he pointed out, offering his hand.

 

Kagome pulled the shawl around her more tightly as they both stood at the top of the terrace's stairs that descended into the main garden.

 

Shyly, she reached for the outstretched hand and grasped it tentatively.

 

“Beautiful.”

 

It was the only word Kagome could think to say as she watched the undulating silver strand of light that shimmered across the dark satin of the eternity pool's surface.

 

She closed her eyes, hearing the soft whispers of the trees as the wind passed over her face bringing with it his scent.

 

Kagome sighed contentedly, unaware she was being observed.

 

“What?”

 

“You, the night, dinner…stuff.”

 

“Me?” he tried to sound disinterested, more fascinated with how her lashes touched her cheeks in the moonlight and the delicate lines of her upturned lips. Her aura danced.

 

“A woman is entitled to her own thoughts and we are not done talking, but for tonight, this will do,” she said with a secretive smile.

 

“Hnnn. If those thoughts are about the male in question, it behooves her to share.”

 

Kagome opened one eye and sighed with exasperation before closing it again. Her smile returned as she moved closer to stand beside him companionably.

 

He did not speak, preferring to look about him silently, glad of the cover of darkness where he could look up undisturbed at the only constant in his many years: the moon.

 

“I see why Grandfather put up with you all those years. You're difficult, but not impossible, and you have many secrets. A mystery wrapped up in an enigma. I can only hope you will find peace one day.”

 

Sesshoumaru's jaw tightened as he continued to stare off into the middle distance. He had known her exactly two days and already…

 

Kagome squeezed his hand. “I want to see that statue there,” she pointed and carefully led him down the stairs.

 

“Watch your step, Mister Taishou, one could learn to like you, despite your demeanor,” the dark-haired woman said as she began humming.

 

It felt right under the moon's light.

 

Sesshoumaru stilled, recognizing the refrain.

 

He shivered involuntarily, remembering that fateful night beneath the new moon as the Guji slept fitfully.

 

Kagome turned and looked up at the Taiyoukai expectantly.

 

His fingers had tensed around hers. She squeezed his hand and gave him a soft, teasing smile in hopes of bringing him back from the far off place she saw in his eyes.

 

“I'll protect you from the boogie man at the bottom of the garden, no worries.”

 

Sesshoumaru blinked and gave her a blank stare before ever so slightly yanking her forward toward the alabaster monstrosity she was so curious about. From there he could already see it was a pathetic neo-classical imitation devoid of merit.

 

The quip had the desired effect.

 

“Indeed.”

 

Kagome snickered and followed dutifully. It was clearly a neo-classical imitation molded to enhance the garden's water features. The statue had never been her real objective; she had felt the heaviness of his heart in that moment.

 

 

~~~~TAoT~~~~

 

 

Large mauve eyes watched the couple beneath perplexed dark brows.

 

`What the fuck?'

 

Inuyasha carefully stood downwind of the duo as they meandered about the garden and the small woman touched and talked incessantly in an attempt to engage the tall, reluctant figure in conversation.

 

`A human woman?'

 

It might be time to return home. Perhaps even beat him there tonight. There was no point hanging around here with no Naraku to pummel.

 

Dishes gathered, Inuyasha returned to the kitchen, still pensive.

 

Miroku could fill him in. Something about his brother's stance and the careful way their fingers intertwined said ownership.

 

Sesshoumaru had claimed this female. She remained oblivious.

 

 

~~~~TAoT~~~~

 

Author's Note

 

I wish to take this time to thank PirateQueen0405 for her delightful Spring Menu….delicious. See you very soon…

 

EP