InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Silver Dove and the Raven ❯ Chapter 14

Chapter 14 -Awkward Awakening

"Lady Saya, you can't go to Italy now!"

"Saganawa, I must. I can't allow this to go any longer. He is putting us to shame! My own son!" she spat. "If he won't listen to reason then I will make him."

"but you cannot leave now, my lady. You have much to do here. What about the Jade Order?"

She clenched her teeth and peered out the window. The Jade Order was a group of demons she had gathered around the world to follow her ways. To reunite their beliefs and force it back into the people. It wasn't easy. She merely had fifty loyalists. Everyone had either adapted to coincide with the humans or was too afraid to oppose Lord Inutaisho. She didn't believe in equality. Humans were beneath them. Why should they be at their side? No one took her seriously though. They saw her as a pathetic outcast trying to get revenge back on her ex-husband. She needed Sesshomaru. She needed his strength and power. He could lead them. He was the only one who could overthrow Inutaisho.

"You expect me to stand around doing nothing while my son foolishly engages a romance that is defiling our name?"

"No, I do not. But the Jade Order is still unripe, they need you here, at least for a few weeks. You have the public speaking at Mercy Hall and at Youkai College. There is a possibility we can draft a few hundred at these places especially the younger demons."

"What a nuisance this is. He is probably laughing at me now."

"Who is?"

"Who else? Inutaisho." She scoffed and turned to him. Her light eyes blazed angrily. "He's the one who has corrupted Sesshomaru by mating that disgusting human and having that abominable hanyou Inuyasha!" she turned her back with a growl. "Now he's associating himself with these monkeys!"

"It might possibly be just a ruse, Ma'am. Have you considered it being a publicity stunt?"

"Of course I have. I've called him plenty of times to hear him deny the declarations I've made and he hasn't even called to disavow."

"The dark ones from Italy said he denied the allegations."

"It could be lies! Besides, those fools were only supposed to watch them two, not be found and interrogated by him!"

"Perhaps he is angry that you forced a mate upon him. You know how he gets when you tell him what to do, he does the complete opposite."

Saya's face lightened. "Do you think that could be it? He's just rebelling?"

Saganawa bit his tongue. He shouldn't have said anything. Of course he wasn't sure but he had to calm her down. He didn't want her doing anything rash. "I believe so, Ma'am."

She smirked and lifted her chin with hope. Perhaps he was just mad at her. She didn't want him with Shurran, that receding hairline- snobby tramp but she would prefer her than the human. That hope was very thin with doubt. He was Inutaisho's son after all. Loving humans might very well be in his blood. "Alright, I will give it a few weeks. If he doesn't call or if I find out the tryst is true, I will be on the next flight. He will wish he never crossed me."

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He awoke to the sound of his phone buzzing and looked toward the nightstand. He extended his hand to reach it but he couldn't move further. She was laying on his other arm and part of his chest. He retracted his arm back in and rested it on his head. It didn't take long for all the images of last night to come back to him. He gazed up at the ceiling stuck in his thoughts and frowned. What had he done?

She breathed peacefully, her face so serene. He wanted to remove his arm from underneath her but that would result in her waking up. Following after would be a series of questions, he assumed. Questions he did not have the answers to…yet. So he lay there, immobile, thinking about what to say when she asked 'now what?' He hadn't a clue. He was still stunned at the mere fact of acting upon his emotions. He had no control over what happened. He could have stopped. When she kissed him, he could have stopped. But he didn't. He kissed her back and soon after, they were making love. He tried to overlook this matter and find out when these emotions came about. In order to get this information, he had to stop lying to himself.

It wasn't love at first sight. Clearly. He despised her at the very beginning. Her attitude with his father and uncouth manner toward him didn't win him over. So at what point did he start feeling for her? It manifested months after they lived together and became stronger a few weeks before they left for Italy. It became unbearable once they started modeling together. His body would go into convulsions at her very scent. Seeing Armando last night having his hands on her caused him to go mad with jealousy. Jealousy! He's never been jealous in his entire life.

He became territorial. He wanted no one other than himself touching her that way. Again, how did this come about? He started to get angry at the honesty he allowed himself. Finally, she rolled over and his arm was free. He stared at her naked back and his eyes drifted to her neck, the mark. He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Oh, no. That really happened. This wasn't good. How can he mark her after one time? Is it a common thing to do? He's engaged in sexual activities before but never did he get the feeling to mark. So what was different now? She was the first human he'd mated with. Could that be it? The only person that could probably give him answers was his father and there was no way in hell he was going to ask him. No, there had to be a solution for this. It was just lust, nothing more. Yet, as he looked over to her, he knew that couldn't be true. He truly cared about her and he didn't want last night to be the only night he could touch her, kiss or even lay next to her.

His mother would lose her mind if she found out. She was already deranged as it were. Any news of this getting to her would send her off to a room with padded walls, gibbering. If he even decided to factor in the possibility of courting her, he'd have to watch her always. To make sure the radicals or his mother's minions weren't out to get her. It wasn't that his mother didn't love him; she's just made it very clear that she rather him be dead than court a human as his mate. He sat up and got out of bed. He grabbed his pants from the chair and put them on as he walked to the bathroom. A cold shower would probably help him rationalize.

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Kagome gasped and shot up from bed. She looked around breathing heavily. It was just a dream. She heard the shower running and saw the bed empty next to her. He was in the bathroom. She sighed as she lay back down and rubbed her fingers through her hair. She gulped down the ball forming at her

throat and turned to her side. A tear ran down her cheek and hit the pillow. That was weird. In her dream she was crying. What a terrible dream that was. She was back in New York and she was living at home with her mother. Her past replaying but this time, it was Sesshomaru. She had just run from her mother's house when she yelled at her. "You have humiliated us! Go to your demon boyfriend but never come back!". And she did run to him. She was back in school and she saw him, laughing with a group of his friends. His arm wrapped around a girl's arm. It was Shurran. She looked at Sesshomaru perplexedly. He chuckled and bowed his head.

"You didn't think anything would come of it, did you?" he said.

She shouted but her voice didn't sound like hers. "I knew you would do this." He shrugged and turned his back on her.

"Aw, she thought you actually cared about her..." laughed Shurran as she walked away with him.

She started running again. It was dark outside and there was no one on the streets. She felt cold and rubbed her arms as she turned the block. She saw a few shadows and trotted down the sidewalk. Sounds of her name being whispered echoed into the night. She saw a shadow coming after her and she cried for help but no one could hear her. That was when she woke up.

She looked around the room and winced when she moved her head. Her neck was killing her. She clutched her nape and sat up. She looked down at her naked torso and lifted the blanket to cover herself, her face felt hot with embarrassment as she thought about last night. She stood up from the bed and walked over to the dresser. She stared at her reflection and gasped when she saw the bruises on her shoulders. The blanket fell from her grasp when she saw bruises everywhere else on her body: her torso, her hips and even her thighs. It was no mystery how they got there but she looked like a victim of violence.

Sesshomaru walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and she immediately threw the blanket over herself. They leered at each other in silence and she awkwardly walked back to the bed. His eyes were light and kind but piteous and it scared her. It instantly reminded her of her dream and she knew what that meant; he was regretting it already.

He parted his mouth slowly and she quivered at the suspense of his next words. Part of her wanted to spring onto her feet and run into the bathroom and part of her wanted to just say the words for him. 'Yes, I know. We shouldn't have done that last night'. When she opened her mouth to say it, Isabella's voice came into her mind and she bit her tongue and glued her feet to the floor. Not all dogs bite.

She waited for him to speak and he seemingly bided for the words to come out of his mouth. It wasn't easy waiting when he stood there with a towel around his waist, contemplating. She clutched the blanket tightly and lowered her head.

"Are…you hungry?" he said and she looked up at him through her lashes. Seeing her baffled expression, he pondered his words all over. "What I mean is… would you like to get breakfast?"

She looked back down at her lap and blinked a few times. Well, she hadn't expected that.

"Um…"she said and glanced at him. "O-okay."

He nodded and turned back to the bathroom. She sat there for a few minutes in a daze. This was going to be awkward.

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Kagome zipped up her sweater and crossed her arms as she followed him out the lobby. Everyone they passed smiled at them. A few tourists lounging around snapped a few candid pictures of them as they entered their limo.

"So…where are we going?" She asked. She placed her leg over the other comfortably. It felt good to wear jeans again. For the past week, she had to wear dresses and uncomfortable lingerie but today she couldn't. The weather was lovely and it called for something lighter but with the bruises all over her body, she had to cover up. With the paparazzi following them around, the last thing they needed were rumors that Sesshomaru beats her. He was pretty rough last night. She thought, and felt flushed with lust all over again. She sat upright, she needed to get a hold of herself.

He opened his window and lit a cigarette. "You choose."

She grinned. She was very hungry. As they drove down the streets of Rome, she scouted for a restaurant they could dine in. She saw a beautiful lake with ducks floating, eating bread crumbs thrown by locals on the boardwalk. She saw a small bridge that led to a small restaurant with a trench around it. The bridge wasn't totally necessary; one could jump over it to get to the restaurant but she supposed it added a romantic effect. A restaurant with a moat, that's where she wanted to go. She tapped his shoulder and pointed to it.

He craned toward her window and looked at her with a side grin and nodded. He told the limo driver to stop and he parked as close as he could to the restaurant. They got out of the car and started to walk the rest of the way, which wasn't bad. They had to walk over the boardwalk, passing the ducks and cross the bridge.

Sesshomaru threw his cigarette on the ground and exhaled the smoke. He looked toward Kagome who seemed enchanted by the scenery and grabbed her hand which only exacerbated her shock. She looked down at their hands and up at him but he didn't acknowledge it. They headed toward the bridge but Kagome stopped to look at the ducks. She started calling the ducks as one would call over a dog and frowned when they didn't come.

"You don't have what they want." He smirked.

She pouted and looked back at him. "like what?"

He walked toward the edge of the platform and glanced over to a hotdog cart. "One second…"he said and strolled toward the vendor. He came back holding two hot dogs.

"I thought we were eating at the restaurant?" she placed a hand on her hips in disappointment.

He didn't answer and handed her the hot dog bun. A man walked by with his dog and Sesshomaru chucked the frankfurter at him. The dog ate it happily but the man didn't seem to happy about it. He pulled his dog away fearing Sesshomaru would feed him again. He broke a piece off and chucked it into the water.

She turned her head and smiled when all of the ducks headed for soggy piece of bread. She crumbled a few pieces of the bread into her hand and threw the scattered pieces into the water. She laughed as the ducks quacked, but frowned as they nipped at each other over the bread. She noticed a small duck out of the paddling that stood out from the rest. His features were odd. She watched as he tried to get a crumb but a seagull swimming among them, bullied him and got it. Kagome scowled at this and broke off another piece and threw it specifically toward the little duck. Again, the seagull bit the small duck on the neck and snatched the piece.

"Ugh, you greedy little bully!" she growled and tried to find something to throw at him. She picked up a soda can and was about to heave it but Sesshomaru grabbed her wrist.

"Relax, you want to go to prison for assaulting a seagull?" he said and pulled her away before things got nasty.

"But…the little duck didn't get anything!" she cried, feeling terrible for him. "I heard if you feed a seagull an alka-seltzer, they explode. Want to test that theory out?" she glared daggers at the bird. She looked back at the small bird. She could spot him from where she stood with his white face and black body with brown spots. Although he was injured, he continued to swim around looking for more crumbs. Suddenly she felt the urge to protect it. The seagull continued to follow it around, pecking at it.

"I can't take this!" she said and released her hand from his grip. She stomped toward the edge of the boardwalk and climbed over the fence. Sesshomaru stared at her with his mouth slightly agape. Was she insane?

Yes, she was. Without thinking, she leaned at the edge, still holding the fence, and extending her other hand with a piece of bread. She tried to get the small duck's attention and waved the bait around. She managed to get the attention of the little duck and he swam closer to her; a few of his fellow ducks following behind him. She stretched her arm out trying to reach him but he didn't come closer. "come on, " she said and felt her grip loosen from the fence. The duck swam a little closer and now she was able to reach him but the other ducks started quacking away. It startled her when they came closer to her and she lost grip with the fence. She fell into the water and poked her head out of the surface shortly after, with her hair in her face. The water was shallow and salty and she cursed as she grabbed the duck and stood up.

Everyone around crowded toward the platform and gawked at her. Sesshomaru buried his head in his hand and walked toward the edge. Kagome forced herself through the water back to the boardwalk holding the small duck, smiling. People around whispered and laughed as a few of them helped her out of the water.

An authority stormed over, pushing his way through the crowd toward Kagome.

"Crazy woman, what do you think you are doing? You cannot steal the ducks from the water!"

"I was not stealing; I was saving him!" she said. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes hearing this and walked over to them. Hopefully, he could pay the security guard to let her off. He opened his mouth to protest but someone screamed in the crowd.

"Oh my god, it is the lovers!" a woman howled and everyone took a double take. After they noticed Kagome through her wet, seaweed infested hair and Sesshomaru, they all started jumping and screaming.

Even the security guard's face softened with an intense gleam and started laughing. "It is true, you are the lovers. Forgive me!" he rested his palm on his heart.

Kagome and Sesshomaru exchanged glances and looked out to the crowd with a forced smile. A lanky man pushed through everyone and cursed in Italian.

"What is the meaning of this? I am the manager, are you stealing my ducks?"

Kagome looked into everyone's eyes and his and pouted. "No?"

"Then why is my duck in your hands? I will call the cops and I will have you-" he stopped, noticing they looked familiar. "Oh my…you are-"

"The lovers!" someone finished for him.

"Oh, please, I am sorry. I-"

"Well we were just going to eat at your restaurant…but" Kagome said and looked at Sesshomaru. He scowled at her and looked at everyone with a nod.

"Oh my…really? Please, come! Right this way, forgive me, I did not recognize you." He wrapped his arms around the both of them.

"Uh…maybe I should change first?" Kagome said as she looked down at her pants. Seaweed and water dripped down her body. The duck shook the water off of him and puffed his feathers up. He sat comfortably in her arms and didn't move.

The manager jumped up and pleaded. "No, come, come. One of the staff members might have something. Please, it is a pleasure to have you eat here. The chef will be flattered and we could cook something special for you both. We have a private terrace in the back that looks out into the ocean, you will love it, come!" he said.

After being introduced to the kitchen and wait staff, a generous server brought her some clothes that she kept in her locker to change. Kagome protested at first but she assured that she had no problem going home in her uniform, that it was 'an honor.'

Kagome returned to the table where Sesshomaru sat smoking his cigarette looking out toward the water in a daze. The duck waddled on the table pecking at their breadsticks.

"Are you mad?" she pouted, afraid that he'd turn to her with red eyes and bearing teeth.

"That was very stupid." He said, calmly and glanced at the duck passing his arm.

"I didn't think I was going to fall. That seagull really pissed me off. I hate bullies." She sat down and grabbed a breadstick.

Sesshomaru sighed. "Let's hope no one caught that on camera, although I am betting, in a crowd of tourists, that someone did."

"I said sorry." She groaned. "You saw he was being pecked to death. I had to do something."

He leered at her and noticed the clothes she had changed into. They were nice and fit her well. A light navy sweater perfect for this weather and white Capri pants, the girl was even nice to give her sandals. The waiter brought over their food and they ate in silence, minus the quacking.

Kagome snuck glances at him. He was so handsome, it hurt to not look at him. Her gaze fell on his hands and thought how strong they felt holding her and caressing her body. She felt her cheeks get hot.

"Did you know a duck's quack doesn't echo?" she said and he looked at her disbelievingly. Ignoring his expression, she continued with a grin. "It's true. Also, a cockroach can live up to nine days without its head and "

He was about to argue about what she was going to do with the bird but she seemed happy. However, there was no way in hell they were keeping the thing.

"It does echo." He said instead. "Its octave is just too low and it is seven days, not nine."

She bit on the fork's tines and squinted at him. "You read trivia?"

"Sometimes…"he said, stabbing the mushrooms on his plate with his fork. A slice of toasted bread dangled at the edge of his plate. He went to drag it back into his plate but the duck waddled passed the plate and snatched it. He sighed ignoring it and looked back up at her. She was staring at him and his brows twitched. "What?"

"Nothing…"she said and looked away.

He clenched his jaw and looked back down. Just last night, his hands were all over her body. He felt aroused again thinking back to their love making, her moans, the way she dug her nails into his back. It was hard to forget about it. He could see the bruises on her shoulder, her lips were swollen from kissing so much. Her hair was almost dry and flapped in the wind like midnight waves. They both were being very meticulous not to mention anything about last night. Should they even talk about it? Would it happen again? Sesshomaru looked toward the ocean. He shouldn't have come to Italy with her. Thinking about it now, he realized he must have known how he felt for her before he got here and it was the main reason he followed her. The manager walked over to them and smiled.

"How is everything?" he said with his hands behind his back.

"It's great…" Kagome smiled. "I'm sorry about earlier, with the duck."

"Oh, no worries, Madam. Keep the duck as a gift from us, but I do have a favor to ask of the both of you." He said and glanced at Sesshomaru. "May I take your picture?" He brought a Polaroid camera into view.

Kagome looked at Sesshomaru and smiled. "Yeah, of course. It's the least I could do for causing trouble." She leaned across the table so that he could get both of them in the shot.

"No, no…you two should sit closer." He said and patted Sesshomaru on his shoulder for him to get up.

Sesshomaru glared at him as he stood up. The man pushed his chair next to Kagome's and winked at him. He sat back down next to her and placed his arm over her chair and he took a few pictures. After the Polaroid dried and the image came into focus, the man thanked them and gave them two of the pictures.

Kagome assumed Sesshomaru would move his chair back to where it was but he stayed there. The terrace suddenly became breezy and she could smell the subtle scent of his cologne. The manager handed them a pen and bowed. "Can you please sign them?"

"Sure…"she said and signed the picture. She pushed the polaroid toward Sesshomaru and he signed it as well.

"It was a pleasure having you both." He said and walked away.

Sesshomaru stared at the water, in a deep thought. She didn't want to disturb his thoughts so she fed the duck a piece of bread. This duck didn't seem to get full. Maybe he was the greedy one. The breeze sent chills down her spine and she instantly remembered her dream; the cold feeling, Sesshomaru turning his back to her and the shadows. Was she trying to ignore the obvious outcome? That he would eventually tell her that they weren't going to be together because she wasn't a demon? She stopped shivering when something warm wrapped around her. She looked as Sesshomaru tugged his leather jacket around her back.

"Thanks…"she hesitated, not grasping what just happened. She placed her arms through the sleeves of his jacket and closed it.

"Let's go."he said and stood up. She stood up too and grabbed the duck. He paused and gave her a look.

"I know, I'm not going to keep him but maybe we can find Donald a better paddling." She pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

"Donald?"

"Yeah, as in Donald Duck?" she said, bobbing her head. "Get it?"

He shook his head and walked off.

"Well, I thought it was clever…."she mumbled and followed behind.

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They drove around and found another lake; this one didn't have any seagulls in it. Kagome said her goodbyes and parted ways with Donald and they continued to peruse around. She felt a little sad to have left the duck but she knew the hotel wouldn't let her keep him. She assured herself that he would be ok and that made her feel better.

"So, are we going back to the hotel?" she said in a bummed tone.

He noticed it and shot her a side long glance. "Is there something else you want to do?"

"Well, I don't want to go back and sit in a boring room. I mean, what's there to do?" She whined, resting her head on the window.

"I can think of one thing." He muttered under his breath, his lips curving into a smirk.

Kagome's eyes widened and her face turned a deep crimson. She didn't respond. She could see in the window's reflection him chuckling into his sleeve. After driving around some more, Sesshomaru told the limo driver to stop. He opened his door and reached for her hand. She slid across her seat out his door. "Where are we going?"

"Not back to a boring room..." He said as he rested his hand on the small of her back and led her. They walked down the street and she clutched his arm. They turned down a cobblestoned road and she heard the sound of a fountain nearby. When it came into view, she saw a path that led to steel gates wrapped in lights. Even in daylight, they were luminous. On top, it said 'Giardini del palazzo' which meant 'Palace Gardens'. A man sat around the fountain playing guitar. She released Sesshomaru's arm and moved through the crowd of people to see the man play. The melody was happy and spiritual, and the beat was quite catchy.

Sesshomaru waited for Kagome to snap out of the trance. When she didn't, he noticed a coffee stand nearby and walked over to it. She started swaying with the music, her hair fell down in messy waves as people around her started dancing. An older man pulled her and twirled her around and she laughed. Then everyone started twirling around, jumping and singing along. The man playing the guitar noticed her and smiled as he exchanged glances with his band mate playing the congas. They focused on her and smiled, singing.

'Take my hand to the promise land
And on You I want to stand
'Cause I cannot do it on my own
You're what I need and I need to be
Right by Your side 'cause I cannot hide

Lord, I know that I need You
Na na na na na na na na na, I need You
Na na na na na na na na na, I need You
Without You I'm so alone..'

Sesshomaru walked back holding two iced coffees and searched the crowd for her. When the crowd dispersed slightly, he saw her dancing in the middle by herself. Oh no, he thought. Don't do anything crazy, he thought. Why did she call so much attention to herself?

He came into her view and he thought she'd stop dancing but she started dancing around him, looking at him with a teasing grin. He looked around the crowd, everyone smiling at them, expecting him to start dancing. Don't hold your breath, he thought. He bowed his head with a half grin as she sashayed around him. A few people joined her and all of a sudden, he was trapped in a circle of dancing people. People continued to urge him to dance and he ignored it with a frown. He handed Kagome her coffee and she grabbed it, singing along to the song.

"Na na na na na na…"she said, shaking her head at him, grabbing his arm. He stubbornly stood his ground and shook his head. She wrapped his arm across her chest and continued to dance. He took in the scent of her hair and step to the side with her once, burying his face into her neck. This caused her to stop and she looked back at him and pulled away.

Now he was the one grinning. If that was what it took to stop her, he would have done it a while ago. She finally left the dancing crowd and he followed her, sipping his coffee in content. Yet, he wondered why she pulled away from him.

He walked beside her, studying her through his cup of coffee. They walked through the gates and there were a lot of markets inside, each having their own colored tents over their business.

A gypsy lady sat in front of her tent and smiled at them. "Leggere la vostra fortuna"

Sesshomaru shook his head and Kagome smiled back at her. She didn't need him to translate. She could tell the lady said something about reading their fortune. She walked ahead feeling a bit awkward walking by his side. She didn't know why she pulled away when he was close. Maybe he caught her by surprise or maybe she wasn't sure. After her dream, she couldn't help feel cautious. Although they were having fun, she was anticipating the end when he'd tell her they couldn't do that again.

Sesshomaru followed her in contemplation as he continued to sip his coffee. Was she regretting last night? He knew what they were doing was wrong but he couldn't stop. He thought about just saying 'It was a mistake.' But he couldn't let those words come out of his mouth. Because a mistake couldn't feel this good. For once in his life, he wished he wasn't who he was, next in line for the Shiro-Inu clan throne, Leader of the Jade Order who had to take a pure blood as his mate, someone like Shurran. But he didn't want her. It was no question he wanted Kagome but, it just couldn't happen.

They entered a clothing store and Kagome searched for something to change into. She felt bad that she was wearing the server's clothes and thought that she could go back at night when her shift was over and return it. She found a nice white swing dress that seemed comfortable to walk around in. It wasn't so cold anymore since they were away from the water. It was long enough to cover her thighs and had three-fourth length sleeves to cover the bruises on her arms as well. She purchased the dress and changed while Sesshomaru sat on a bench outside, looking through his phone.

She came back out and he took a quick glance at her and stood up.

"Well?" she said and modeled it for him.

"It's-"he started to say but stopped when he heard a familiar obnoxious laughter. Kagome heard it too and they both shot their gaze toward the laugh.

"What a small world!" Marcela said, walking over with Armando at her side. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Shopping…"they both muttered in unison.

"Oh, so are we." She gleamed at Sesshomaru. "You look great in that sweater, Sesshomaru. The suits make you look ravishing but this casual look is…just as sexy."

Sesshomaru's lips twitched into a grin and looked at Kagome. She was scowling and rolled her eyes.

"We were about to have dessert, you want to join?" she said, the invitation clearly directed toward Sesshomaru. What a liar, Kagome thought. Like this woman eats!

"Another time, we had plans already." He said.

"Really?" Marcela groaned.

"Are you sure?" Armando asked, meeting eyes with Kagome. He hoped Sesshomaru didn't hold a grudge on him from last night's party. "There is a carnival up ahead, a few fun things to do. Rumor has it there is an anti-gravity chamber there. You pay a good penny but they suck all the gravity out and you're floating right away. The experience is nice."

"That does sound cool," Kagome simpered "It would have to be another time when I'm wearing underwear."

They all stared at her wide eyes wondering if she was kidding or serious. Sesshomaru tilted his head skeptically.

"Um…"she shrugged. "It was kind of uncomfortable to be in wet underwear after I fell into the lake."

Armando flashed a mischievous smirk at her and it quickly faded when he felt glared daggers coming from Sesshomaru.

"You fell into a lake?" Marcela raised a perfect brow. "Pazzesco! Only you, Kagome. Sesshomaru, I see you like them crazy."

Sesshomaru blinked his eyes back and flashed a disappointed look at Kagome. Pulling out a cigarette, he rolled up his sleeves, careful to not stain his white sweater with smoke. He ignored the fact that Armando couldn't stop looking at Kagome since she's mentioned she was naked underneath.

"Come with us, you'll have fun. I am sure there are other activities that they have for those not wearing underwear. "Marcela batted her lashes. She pulled Sesshomaru to follow her and wrapped her arm around his waist.

Kagome eyed her back angrily as she followed.

Armando walked beside her and waited for there to be some distance between them and Sesshomaru. "So…no underwear?" he chuckled playfully and Sesshomaru shot a snarl at him.

Kagome lowered her head. Her mouth had absolutely no filter and she never thought before she spoke. Regretting that she said it, she tried to play it off like it was nothing. "Yeah, you know, sometimes going commando is good for the soul."

"I'm sure…"he teased. "I won't lie, I am hoping from some strong winds."

Kagome looked the other way, grimacing and faked a laugh. "You're funny…"

Sesshomaru tensed hearing Armando and took all his patience and strength to not lunge at him, snapping his neck in two. Marcela felt his muscles tighten and smiled.

"Do I make you feel uncomfortable?" she said.

"No." he said.

"Don't worry, Kagome doesn't mind. Armando's keeping her great company.

Sesshomaru took another pull of his cigarette and opened his eyes wide with anger. His hands shook each time bringing the cigarette to his mouth and he looked back occasionally. They arrived to the carnival and walked around. Sesshomaru tried to edge away from her grasp but it wasn't easy. If he could use physical strength to pry her away, he would. But Marla had insisted that he and Kagome befriended them and stayed on good terms. It wasn't good for publicity if they had rivals.

"Wow, those tattoos are so sexy." She said and rubbed his forearms.

"They aren't tattoos." He said, pulling his sleeves down.

"Oh, right…"she said. "I forget you are a demon. They are birthmarks, right? Most demons are born with a certain mark and it determines what clan they're in?"

"You've been doing your homework." He said.

"Only if you're the subject." She smiled seductively.

Kagome and Armando were a few feet behind them and in hearing distance. She frowned listening to Marcela speak. Once again, it pissed her off that she knew a lot about Sesshomaru.

"So, isn't your mother upset that you're dating a human? I read that-"

Sesshomaru pulled away from her grasp this time. Kagome watched how the question brought anger out of him. Even Marcela seemed shocked by his reaction.

"I am afraid you are getting too personal, Ms. Potencci."

"Forgive me…"she said and walked back to Armando.

They accompanied Marcela and Armando to the carnival, joining them at the arcade games, shooting contests, and the funhouse. After the carnival, they struggled to get away from Marcela and Armando. Kagome faked sick and needed Sesshomaru to take her home. On their way back to the hotel, Kagome held a railing when she tried to fix her sandals and got something gooey on her hands. Repulsed and needing to wash it right away, they stopped at a Billiard. It was a hole in the wall so only a few locals occupied it. All of them were in their sixties. They walked down a narrow staircase to the bathroom downstairs. There was only one bathroom that men and women shared but they were the only ones downstairs waiting. It wasn't so bad for a hole in the wall, it was at least clean. When she finished washing her hands, anxiety filled her chest. This was it. They were going to go back to the hotel and talk about what happened last night. She didn't want to be stuck in the room having that conversation. If the conversation went bad, at least she could leave and walk around. She decided to bring it up as she exited the bathroom and looked at him. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, waiting for her.

"Ok…we should stop this."

He turned to her and squinted. "Stop what?"

"This…"she waved her arms. "Pretending."

He looked to the side with a frown and gazed back at her. "Could you be clear about what you're talking about?"

"I am not stupid." She paced. He waited for her to elaborate. "What are we doing here?" she turned to him.

"I would assume we are perusing about because a certain someone didn't want to go back to a 'boring' room."

"Don't be sarcastic," she crossed her arms. "Just say it."

"Say what?" he said, never feeling this state of confusion in his life. "Is there something you expect me to say?"

"Nothing more than what I know you want to say."

He looked around the dark hallway in disbelief and pushed her into the bathroom. He closed the door and locked it and placed his hands on the wall, trapping her in between. "Go on…what am I to say?"

She felt her hands clammy and her breath shaky, afraid to look him in the eyes. Maybe it wasn't the best time to bring it up. "Look…last night…"

His eyes glowed at those words as he waited for her to finish. When she didn't, he scowled. "What about last night?"

"Let's just get it over with. It was a mistake, right? I mean, I'm not a demon."

"I realized."

"I don't want to be that human you have a fling with."

"That is what you expected me to say?" his gaze pierced hers; it darted between her eyes and lips. He backed away from her feeling an urge to kiss her and turned away.

"Well, you looked repulsed about what happened and seemed unsure. I am just helping you out to say what's on your mind!" She shouted.

"Not even close!" He raised his voice and it was crisp and threatening. He was surprised to have used that tone. He never had a reason to raise his voice.

"Then what? What's happening here, can you tell me?" she cried.

He growled and threw his hands over her and slammed them on the wall. "Don't you think this is new for me too?"

She flinched and bowed her head, threatened by his voice. He calmed down and exhaled resting his hand on her neck, rubbing his thumb against her collarbone. She looked up at him, her eyes swelling up with hot tears.

He shook his head "I have no idea what is happening here…"he whispered and lifted her chin. He rubbed his thumb across her lips and brought it to his mouth. They shared a deep kiss, it was slow at first and then it became harder. His hands went up her dress and caressed her bare bottom, confirming in fact, she was without underwear.

A violent knock sounded at the door, they panted breathlessly as they broke from their kiss. He pulled her dress down and stepped back from her.

"We should leave." He said and unlocked the door.

"No! Wait, they're going to see us both in here together."

He rolled his eyes and waved around the bathroom. "You see another way out?"

"Ugh, this is so embarrassing…"she muttered covering her face as he opened the door.

A toothless drunk man hunched over watching them with a scrunched face as they walked passed him. "Kids!" he scoffed and entered the bathroom.

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