InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Snare ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8

Sesshoumaru was not used to being very patient. A fact that he tended to try to conceal even from himself. He wished to believe he was balanced, well measured in all things. It did not take much longer than an hour, however, before he began to doubt that the committee meeting had any intention of getting past the reading of old notes. Who, in the seven hells, cared if this business or that had been turning a nice profit last quarter?

He glanced down the table and could see the beaky profile of old Jukuryo, glasses glinting, resting both his arms on the stack of printouts in front of him. His attitude was at variance with most of those present who leaned dutifully over their stacks of preprinted notes and flipped over the pages in time to the movements of all the rest. Sesshoumaru placed his hand on top of the stack of senseless printouts in front of him and called up his poison with an internal sigh.

The others at the table were slow to realize what it was that was happening. After all, the amount of youki Sesshoumaru was allowing to flow was very small. It mixed in smoothly with the usual foci of power in the room emanating from the more senior youkai at the meeting. So it was the smell of dissolving paper that got to them first. It was an acidic smell, not unlike that of bleach, wafting across the boardroom. One after the other, the heads of the various youkai elders lifted as they sensed the poisonous stench that was in the air. Jukuryo dug his claws into the thick stack of pages before him and grinned.

The bat youkai opposite Jukuryo stared suspiciously at him and then turned his head toward the foot of the table where Sesshoumaru sat, supposedly waiting for business to turn to new suits and petitions.

Sesshoumaru ignored the turning heads and merely stared fixedly down the length of the table at the trio at the head of it. They still sat easy in their chairs, unaware of the disturbance for the moment. They were listening respectfully as the chairman commenced his delivery. He was reading in a loud, sonorous voice a report on dues delivered and certain sanctions imposed upon the foul and disrespectful Oni of China.

It was slow to impinge upon the chairman’s consciousness that he did not have the attention of the group at large. He became aware that there was a most unpleasant hissing sound coming from the far end of the room where that damned upstart, Sesshoumaru, was. He paused in his dissertation and looked up to see a weird green glow being emitted by that same upstart’s right hand. It was causing the printout of the quarter’s compiled report that had been provided him and the bit of table immediately beneath it to flame briefly and, apparently, melt, spreading scorch marks along the glossy mahogany.

It was the fall of a chair that woke the chairman from his absorption with the green-glowing hand. Around the conference room youkai were backing away from the table, some of them transforming as they piled back from the smoking ruin that was being left. He lifted his eyes from the first edge of caustic green to meet Sesshoumaru’s chill glare.

Sesshoumaru spoke, “Do I have your attention now?”

The chairman gulped and nodded. Sesshoumaru alone of them remained seated; the rest of the youkai lined the walls unsure of anyone being able to make a break for the doors.

Sesshoumaru spoke again, “During the past week, a few of you paid a visit to a social event at the Higurashi Shrine.” The room grew very still and several of the youkai pressed themselves against the wall, “It was a wedding. The invitation was made in unknowing error by the woman who belongs to that shrine.

“Your presence there was unwelcome and you will not re-appear there again as the shrine, its environs and the people belonging to it are now under my protection. That is all I have to say.” Sesshoumaru brushed at his knees in preparation for departure.

“You can’t just come in here and do that!” The chairman was mildly astonished to hear himself speak. That astonishment followed him into the other world as the quick lash of an ice cold green whip neatly separated his head from his shoulders before the chairman even registered Sesshoumaru’s passionless frown.

The head bounced across the floor and rolled to a stop by Jukuryo’s shoe. He gave it a faintly disdainful nudge and looked up, locking glances with the bat youkai across the room from him.

“See ya ‘round,” he said and wandered out of the room to wait for Sesshoumaru in the lobby.

Sesshoumaru drew a sword no one had seen and no one could identify and made a slash at the headless body that no one could perceive any injury from. “Pull yourself together,” he said to the corpse and left.

The results of that odd slash were remarkable and caused several of the more nervous committee members to faint as the chairman pulled himself together and sat up.

……………………&hel lip;……

“They won’t forget this you know.“ Jukuryo remarked as they reached the street. Sesshoumaru flicked a glance over at him and walked on. “Koencho-San has been trying to consolidate his hold over a larger group of the senior youkai clans for some time now and he will not be able to back down on the subject of your brother’s human marriage. He fears that if these things are allowed to go on the blood will begin to thin out and we will fade, even as the fairies have.”

Sesshoumaru did pause at that and faced about, “If their blood is so weak it surely will breed out. That is no concern of mine. Even my disgraceful half-breed brother is the better youkai than the strongest of them.. Just so long as my attitude is clear that is all that need be considered. They will be made to accept the situation as it is.”

Jukuryo sighed, “But his name is a matter of legend among modern day youkai!. They know of him and the legends are not good.” He gave a distressful cluck at Sesshoumaru’s lifted eyebrow. “They know less of you, but the name and association is clear and they will begin to remember soon enough. These old legends have been handed down for generations now.”

“Again, what concern of that is mine? As long as that lot,” here Sesshoumaru made a disdainful flick with a hand that sent a faint rain of poison drops hissing to the pavement, “stay clear of me and mine they may do as they please.”

“They will not stay clear. The legends are not pleasant. They mention Inuyasha most strongly as a monster that killed thousands of peaceful youkai and then went on to teach men to catch and eat them in an attempt to wipe out our kind.”

Sesshoumaru stared, showing his surprise for once, “I highly doubt it.”

“That is how the legends go. Ask that servant of yours, Jaken. He frequents many of the evening spots, he must be aware of the talk that’s been going about among the modern youkai. There are old scrolls that have been handed down about this. I have even been able to obtain a few myself. The name Inuyasha is an old bugbear from the past. To have an inu hanyou appear, with a powerful older brother and actually marry a shrine maiden in our time is a bit much for them. Once they put one fact together with another and realize who you all really are, that you are not merely a descendant of the clan Nishigawa but, instead, truly the folk of legend…well, things could get very confrontational, very confrontational indeed.”

Sesshoumaru resumed walking to the car park, “You will show me these scrolls and I will question Jaken. You will also oblige me by answering a question.”

Jukuryo mentally tossed aside his plans for the evening and trotted to keep up with the other’s longer strides, “What question, Sesshoumaru-Sama?”

“I saw some papers at the Higurashi Shrine the other evening which the woman there was attempting to conceal. They mentioned Nishigawa Kagome, the name of my brother’s wife and were from the board of education.”

“Yes?”

“What is a ‘notice of expulsion for moral turpitude‘?”

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Inuyasha hissed to himself irritably as he returned to the campsite. He found Kagome sitting up and waiting for him.

“They are at the inn?” She asked softly as he picked his way around the small fire she had lit. The others were piled into her sleeping bag and showed no sign of movement.

“They’re shacked up there all right. They intend to stay until morning.”

She glanced over at him, her face partially hidden by her bangs, “You seem upset by that. They do deserve some time alone, you know.”

He clawed up a twig and tossed it into the fire, “Sure, fine. Why does it have to be on my time? I shouldn’t have to listen to them doing it.”

Kagome blushed and giggled a bit. “And were you sitting in a tree outside the inn?” He was silent. She cleared her throat, “You don’t think they would deliberately ‘do it’ where we could hear, do you?”

He looked at her then, following his own train of thought, “They might. They’re humans.” He wrapped a hand around her wrist in response to her expression, “I didn’t really mean it that way. Come here.” He drew at her arm, pulling her over beside him. She came easily enough and settled against his side, breathing his familiar scent.

“I can hear and smell a lot,” he said. “At least the letch makes the gesture of protecting Sango‘s modesty. I just want to get on with this business. Get it over with and done.”

“Those men are really bothering you, aren’t they?”

“Yeah. It’s the first time I’ve ever come across humans killing and eating youkai. It’s making knots in my stomach.”

Kagome nodded soberly and brushed his hair off of his shoulder before resting her cheek against it, “Yeah, it is strange. What a strange thing for them to do.” She snuggled more closely against him and traced a hand down his torso, letting her fingers lightly play with the ties at his waist, “You’re not letting yourself dislike humans now are you?”

He grunted faintly and swung an arm over her shoulders, “I shouldn’t.”

Her hands became rather busy.

“What are you doing?”

“I don’t know, what does it look like I’m doing?”

He gave a faint growl that turned into a carefully suppressed yelp and grabbed for her hand, “Not here. You’re getting bad. Come-on.” He stood up, bringing her with him.

Kagome was a bit bug-eyed. “I wasn’t really trying to do anything. We can’t just leave,” she whispered half frantically.

The pupils of his eyes grew round and the rims of his irises glowed gold in the fire-lit dark. He pressed the back of her hand to the impressive erection that was straining at his pants, “You were just teasing me?” He sounded almost hurt.

She felt an instant internal reaction and clenched her knees together as she bit her lip, “Ahh, no-o-o, but.” Unbidden to her, her hand flexed about him and stroked. He gasped and grabbed at a nearby sapling for support. She couldn’t repress a faint giggle at his reaction and kept it up as she moved herself against him, swiveling her hips a bit. He dropped his head and inhaled on a hiss with his face pressed into her hair.

“Kirara’s been awake the whole damn time,” he muttered.

She raised her head up at that, startled and looked out of the shadows were they were towards the small group at the fire. Kirara blinked sleepy crimson eyes and yawned widely before dropping her muzzle down again onto her paws.

Kagome swung back to Inuyasha and the corner of his mouth drew into a quick smirk before he kissed her. A moment later, his forearm slid firmly against the small of her back and she found her hand trapped firmly between them where it had been the entire time.

This time his kiss was thorough and he gave a light bite to her lower lip as he let her go. She sagged against him dazedly and barely resisted when he spun himself and grabbed her high on her thighs to boost her swiftly onto his back. It took him less than a minute to set off at speed taking them through the forest. They traveled with ever-increasing leaps until he landed on the thatched roofs of the inn which stood a good quarter of a mile away from their campsite.

Kagome was strongly aware of his powerful movements and his clawed hands on her thighs until, having achieved an accommodating valley between two peaks in the roof, Inuyasha slowly let her slide down his back, drawing his hands along her body all the while.

She just kept sinking and dropped with a soft thump to the agreeably warm thatch below her. The thatch had been softened by time and weather and was likely due to be soon replaced. Inuyasha’s suikan dropped, open, beside her, followed by himself. She followed the urging of his hands to wriggle over onto the large jacket and let him draw it over her in a big fold with his back and legs between her and the chill of the night.

They lay there for a space, breathing the faint smells of the inn and trading their own air. Kagome was soon quite comfortable and was studying the effect of star shine in Inuyasha’s silver hair. His eyes never left her face as she reached to run a finger tip along the dark line of his brows, fanned her hand through his tousled bangs, massaged at the base of his ears. His own hand came up and lifted a lock of her hair, claws scratching at her scalp slightly before raising the tress up so that he could admire the gloss of it and study the blue-black glow he could see even by starlight.

“This is a lot nicer than the campsite,“ she said very softly. “I wonder if the others are warm enough.”

“They have Kirara and the sleeping bag if the fire’s not enough, they’re fine,” his voice was a deep rumble, almost a purr. “Now, where were we? Oh, yeah, I think I was about here.” His hand slid firmly down between them and started to ease clothing aside.

She wriggled, trapped by the cloth wrapped about her as his insistent fingers found the openings in her clothing that would let him touch her skin. After a moment she gave a silent laugh and leaned up over him, “I thought I was the one who was starting things.”

He smiled a little at that, ”OK.”

“Fine, give me a kiss.” She tilted her head a little for him and his hands rose to cup her face and hold it still as he gave her kisses, each one deeper than the last as they slowly began to taste each other, letting their mouths soften. They paused for a breath and smiled before resuming, deeper than before.

Inuyasha shifted up on one elbow to pull Kagome back down beside him and rolled partly over her. He never really could give up the dominant position but she had no complaints as his hand found her waist and slid up under her shirt. He found she had no bra on and it was with a rumble of pleased interest that he left her mouth to suckle hungrily at a breast.

Kagome gasped a little and slid her hands over his shoulders and under the collar of his kosode. His hair fell in a silken ripple to mix and pool with hers. She let one hand resume the task he had interrupted her from, letting it slide between them to the ties of his hakama.

This time he made no move to stop her, merely pausing to growl faintly and ease back, giving her room to work the knots. She didn’t take long and next went to work on herself, shifting her hips to pull the elastic waist of her skirt and panties down with Inuyasha’s enthusiastic help. He stopped for a moment, a little puzzled what to do with them once he had them off but shoved the garments down one leg of his trousers before returning to the always enjoyable task of stripping Kagome.

Her shirt followed next and he moved over to cover her completely even while slanting his mouth across hers in a heady kiss. Her hand wriggled like a clever fish between the edges of his kosode to grasp him again and give a smooth pull.

“Gods, Kagome, he muttered as he pushed her knees aside and over his forearms, parting her and bracing her at the same time. His world narrowed down to her body, the shadowy dips and valleys of it; its secrets. She reacted to the cool of the air with a faint moan and clapped her hands onto his shoulders as he pressed into her. A quick bit assistance and he was enveloped in her warmth, her softness, her pull.

Inuyasha shifted to spread her legs over her knees as he thrust into her, using his claws to dig deeply into the old, shattery, thatch. He grunted as she started to whimper and caught her cries in his mouth, thrusting his tongue in to catch hers with hungry kisses. At the peak they forgot even that and cried out with sounds that might have been mistaken in the area as the far off cry of a bird or the primordial howl of the wolf if they hadn’t been so close.

Inside the inn, Miroku lifted his head and swore softly before sinking back to sleep beside a smiling Sango.

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In the morning, it was the turn of the innkeeper to swear as he regarded the pile of ruined thatch that had landed from that tucked-in valley of the roof down in the courtyard. He had hoped it would hold up for another year, but it looked as though that was not to be. The entire part of that roof had to be ruined. Angry at the expense, he turned to shout for the stable boy only to remember that the lad had already left, taking the abbot’s old mare back to the temple.

What a very odd night, he mused as he started to sweep up the mess. His wife was in an excellent mood. The young lady who had accompanied old Mushin’s apprentice had been grinning and all of the guests had left before the sun was fairly up. What was the future to bring?