InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Enigma of Power ❯ A Simple Kiss ( Chapter 13 )

The next day dawned gray and overcast. Though it never rained, the threat hung in the stale hot air. Kagome found much to do in this time. Sesshomaru was healed enough in the morning to move around the house. She found an old black pair of her father's pants and a black T-shirt for him to borrow. It was short work to hide his tail. She had to help him dress, but he took it all in stride. The strange garments were well worth it from the look on Kagome's face when she surveyed the finished product. He wore black shoes that pinched a little, but she promised to rectify that and grabbed his hand, dragging him out the door.

Sesshomaru was assaulted by the stench of the place almost immediately. There were humans everywhere. He tried to stay close to Kagome so that even in the stink he could pick up faint hints of her own personal scent. This was enough to calm him as they made their way into the city. She took him to a shoe store first, then a man's clothing store. Once he had enough clothes for the next several days they started back to her house. She slipped her arm though his as they neared her street. He couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips and looked down at her. She seemed happy. A piercing squeal assaulted his delicate ears and he turned with Kagome to face the source of the attack. A small throng of girls Kagome's age were making their way toward.

"Oh shit!" Kagome's whisper reached his ears alone. "Don't say anything, let me do the talking."

He nodded and she plastered a smile on her face and awaited the mob bearing down on them. A shorter and slightly pudgy girl raked her eyes over Sesshomaru. "So Kagome, who is this?"

"This is Sesshomaru."

They waited but she said no more so the pudgy girl plowed on. "How are you feeling? Haven't seen you in school for weeks."

She sighed dramatically and Sesshomaru thought that she was perhaps laying it on a bit thick. "My hemophilia got the better of me and I was bedridden for over a week. There's a nasty stain in the living room carpet that my mom can't seem to get out. Sesshomaru convinced me that some air and a walk would help so I came with him on his shopping trip. He's going to Hong Kong to visit a business associate next week."

The pudgy one turned to him. "What sort of business you in?"

Sesshomaru shrugged. "Antiques."

Kagome nodded. "He's an appraiser for an auction house. He's an expert on Japanese history, especially medieval Japan. He's been all over the world."

The girls looked him over carefully and he smiled at them. "I am also well versed in the history of the Lower Nile and the cultures that sprang up in the Fertile Crescent. I have studied in India as well as Arabia. Kagome was attending a lecture at the University when I met her." His smile now turned to Kagome. "She really is quite brilliant. It is too bad her illness has kept her from school so much."

If Kagome was startled that he'd remembered so much from their conversations of her life here it was nothing compared to the complete and utter shock that he had smiled. She fought not to show her astonishment. Instead she gave her the girls a grin that was little more than a baring of teeth.

"We really have to get going." They took the hint and beat a hasty retreat. Kagome had to fight to keep from laughing as they resumed their trek to her house. "Oh that was good, Sesshomaru. I'm not going to forget that for years. It really put them in their place, didn't it?"

"They seemed…"

"Nosy, the word you want is nosy. It's their lives to get into other people's business. That we're together and you're so much older than me will tear through that school like a brush fire. I guarantee by next week there won't be a single person who doesn't know about us. I'm sure they'll even make up some phony story about how madly in love we acted or how we couldn't keep our hands off each other or something like that."

He slipped his arm around her shoulders and leaned close to her ear. "But I am in love with you and I can't keep my hands off you."

She turned and kissed him swiftly. "Yes, but they don't know that and I'm sure it will anger them to no end when they learn it's true." She smiled at he puzzled look on his face. "I don't pretend to understand how their minds work, I'm just glad they're so predictable."

They resumed their walk to her house. Once safely inside, Sesshomaru dropped his packages and swept Kagome into his arms. His lips descended to claim hers in a passionate kiss that made her knees feel like jelly and her heart flutter against her ribs. Her hands gripped his shirt as he held her against him. His tongue brushed across her lips, seeking entrance and, tentatively, she granted it.

Sesshomaru's first instinct was to pillage the treasure before him, but he slowed when he realized that this, was quite possibly, her first real kiss. Gently he drew her forth, teaching her even as he sampled her. His tongue dragged across her teeth and he was surprised to find her canines were almost as sharp as his. He tasted blood and almost smiled. She gasped, but did not draw away. She swallowed, tasting his blood. Something shot through her. She could feel fire growing in her stomach and spreading through her. What was happening?

Sesshomaru was fighting his instincts. If he drew her lip into his mouth, if he bit and drew blood, there would be no turning back. Carefully he pulled away from her. He looked deep into her eyes. She was disappointed, but he doubted she really understood what he had stopped. He would not take her against her will. She had to want him too. She had to understand the consequences. He didn't want to swallow, he didn't want to lose the taste of her. He drew her over to the sofa and they sat.

"Kagome…" He stopped and she waited. "Kagome…"

"Is it so hard to say?"

"I just don't know how to say it." She reached up to touch his face and he caught her hand in his. "Don't…Kagome, I love you. That means that if you and I…if we were to…to…"

"Make love?"

He nodded. "It would be a bond that could not be broken. We would be mates."

Kagome sat in silence for almost a full minute. "I have to think about this."

"I understand."

A sad smile touched her lips. "Do you?"

He reached up and caressed her cheek. "I do."