InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Syndrome ❯ Butterflies ( Chapter 28 )

Chapter 28 - Butterflies

 

 

@@ One Year and Nine Months Ago @@

 

 

It was time for another holiday, meaning it was once again time for him to suffer in her presence, time for him to be forced to watch her happiness with her friends and to be reminded that she would never be his. It was both better and worse this time though. Their father had decided that after Christmas they would go on a week long ski trip, and of course the hanyou's entourage was invited along. Sesshoumaru didn't know if he could handle it. They were renting a cabin, one with only three bedrooms, and not only would he see her from dawn to dark every day for seven torturous and wonderful days, he would be forced to sleep alone while she slept with his brother, the monk, and the odd human in the next room. It wasn't fair! How could she love them so much and be almost completely oblivious to his existence?

 

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

 

Kagome had figured out the perfect holiday schedule. They'd celebrated Christmas Eve together, just the four of them, and Christmas morning was held at the shrine, with Miroku's father and Bankotsu's mother and brother joining her family. They were leaving for the cabin early the next morning and they would celebrate and exchange gifts with Inuyasha's parents there. Like always she'd made them promise not to spend a lot of money on her, something that irritated them all to no end. They had money. Why couldn't they spend it on her if they wanted to?

 

She was making herself crazy while she packed. She had no idea what to bring. She'd never been skiing before and she'd also never spent a week away from her mother before either. Sure, she knew she would be fine but it was still nerve-wracking.

 

“Hey, babe, calm down,” Inuyasha said from where he lay stretched out on her bed.

 

“I can't, Inuyasha! I've never been on a trip like this! I don't even know how to ski! I don't know why you want me to come so badly. I'm just gonna hold you back.”

 

Inuyasha frowned before rising to his feet. He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, stopping her from nervously rearranging her suitcase for what had to be the twelfth time in ten minutes. He purred softly in her ear and smiled as he felt her relax. She wasn't the only one with a special talent. He'd found that he could calm her just as easily as she could him and he loved that there was finally something he could really do for her.

 

“It's going to be fine. We're all going to have fun and you don't have to ski if you don't want to. There's other stuff to do too. And you know we'll teach you if you want to try.”

 

“I'm just going to fall on my ass and embarrass myself,” she muttered.

 

“I'll catch you if you start to fall. You won't get hurt and who exactly are you worried about embarrassing yourself in front of? It's just us and my parents.”

 

`And Sesshoumaru,' she thought to herself.

 

“Your bag is packed. If you forgot anything we can buy it there. You need to get some sleep. We're leaving early in the morning and you've had a busy day. I don't know why you try so hard. We didn't need fifteen different kinds of cookies.”

 

“You didn't like my cookies?”

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes before turning her around. “I loved your cookies, but we would have had just as nice a time with one or two kinds instead. Now, jammies girlie. It's time to go to bed.” He reluctantly released her and she walked over to her dresser, digging around until she found the pajamas she was looking for. He watched as she disappeared from the room into the bathroom to change and brush her teeth, a smile on his face. Bank had stayed here overnight before. Miroku too. This was the first time he would get the chance. While she was gone he changed quickly into his pajama pants, one's she'd given him for his birthday, and then zipped her overstuff bag and moved it off the bed to the floor.

 

When Kagome returned she looked at him and smiled. “You look altogether too happy. What are you up to?”

 

“Nothin' wench. Just happy to be here.”

 

“I'm glad you're here too. There's no way I could carry that thing down the stairs,” she said teasingly while pointing at the bag that looked ready to burst at the seams.

 

“If you don't go to bed soon I'm going to be carrying you down the stairs in the morning too.”

 

“And I won't complain a bit.” He stood there for a moment, not sure what to do and she laughed before walking over to her bed and turning down the covers. “Wall or outside?”

 

“Outside,” he answered softly.

 

“Alright then,” she said before hopping into the bed and snuggling down under the covers. “You wanna hit the lights, Inu?” He moved like he was fighting his way through quicksand, suddenly nervous. What if he farted in his sleep? What if he got a boner and she noticed? Maybe this sleeping over thing was a bad idea. “Hey, you were the one rushing me into bed! Now come on! I'm tired.”

 

He moved a little faster, snapping off the light before returning to the bed. He could see her smiling face looking up at him in the darkness and he sucked in a breath before sitting on the edge of the bed.

 

“I thought you said you were happy to be here, Inu. What's the matter? Afraid you'll snore?”

 

He sighed. “Among other things.”

 

“Inuyasha, I've seen you sleep. There's nothing you could do that would change anything.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“For the love of god, Inu! You know Bank and Miroku have both slept over before! I know all about morning wood. Now can we please go to sleep?”

 

He couldn't help but laugh at the exasperation in her voice as well as her choice of words and he slipped into the bed beside her. She turned to lie on her side facing the wall and squirmed around a bit until she was closer to him and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest. For all the worries he had, he fell asleep almost instantly. It was just too comfortable and relaxing to resist.

 

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

 

Sesshoumaru was certain that he would go insane. It wasn't until moments ago that he learned that the hanyou was staying the night at her house and he was ready to shred his half-brother into a million tiny pieces. It wasn't fair! She was the only girl he wanted, the only one he could respond to, and his useless lump of a sibling got to sleep in the same bed with her alone? He'd managed to stay calm about the three of them staying in the same room with her at the cabin because there were three of them. He could be sure no one would try anything. Inuyasha however, he didn't trust the fool half the distance he could throw him.

 

While the love of his life and his brother slept peacefully Sesshoumaru stared at the ceiling all night. It was pure torture knowing that at that moment she was more likely than not sleeping in the hanyou's arms. When he finally managed to fall asleep the dream woke him back up, but at least while he was dreaming he wasn't thinking about her with Inuyasha. By the time his alarm went off he was in a sour mood, worse than usual. He showered and dressed mechanically, ready to go. The sooner they left the sooner he would be in her presence.

 

Katsuro had given his older son a confused look when he found him ready to go almost a half hour before they'd planned, having expected to have to drag his stubborn son to the car. Sesshoumaru never wanted to go on family vacations. Usually he had to order and threaten before he would comply. While it was an odd occurrence, he merely shrugged his shoulders. It would be easier this way. Who was he to complain?

 

They'd picked up Miroku and Bankotsu first before heading to the shrine to get Inuyasha and the girl everyone wanted to see. At first they only saw Inuyasha as he made his way down the daunting flight of stairs with an incredibly overstuffed bag, and Bank got out to help him put it in the back before they all watched the hanyou bound back up the steps six at a time, Bank climbing back into his seat. When Inuyasha came into view again a few minutes later everyone laughed… everyone but Sesshoumaru who was fighting back a snarl and digging his claws into his thighs. In Inuyasha's arms was Kagome, her head on his shoulder and arms around his neck while he supported her back and held her under her knees.

 

“I told her to stop rearranging the suitcase and go to sleep or she'd be tired in the morning. Did she listen to me?”

 

“Apparently not,” Sesshoumaru said darkly, causing everyone to turn and look at him in confusion for a moment.

 

Inuyasha took in the seating arrangement in the family SUV and frowned. Miroku and Bankotsu were in the middle row in the two separate seats while Sesshoumaru sat on the far end of the third row bench seat. He'd done it on purpose of course, hoping that he would get his wish, and he did. When Inuyasha nudged Kagome awake she looked around bleary eyed before climbing past her friends and plopping into the closest empty spot that just happened to be in the middle of the back seat, right next to Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha flexed his claws in frustration before climbing in and reluctantly sitting by the window. It wasn't like he wanted to sit in the middle, and he certainly didn't want to sit next to his brother, but he didn't want Kagome next to him either.

 

Sesshoumaru had to fight the smirk that tugged at his lips when she sat beside him, still mostly asleep and slumped against his side. He could feel the warmth from her body, could smell her sweet scent, and loved how her aura wrapped around him. Slowly his anger began to fade, but the calm didn't last because just a few minutes later Inuyasha noticed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to lean on him instead. Again Sesshoumaru had to fight to withhold the snarl that was trying to escape. The hanyou was getting in the way of his time with her and he didn't get a lot of chances to be close to her to begin with.

 

“Mmm, don't,” she moaned and then mumbled in her sleep, causing Inuyasha and Bankotsu to look at her in confusion for a moment, Katsuro even glancing back for a second from the drivers seat. Bank explained to Miroku and then all three guys talked quietly about what they thought she was dreaming about. Sesshoumaru had his own thoughts but of course he didn't share. He couldn't really make himself see it as a possibility anyway but it was a nice thought, that she'd liked touching him, that she didn't want Inuyasha to pull her away.

 

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

 

 

The car ride continued in silence for two hours while everyone either dozed or stared out the windows at the winter wonderland they were driving through. The further they got from the city the more beautiful the scenery. Finally they stopped at a gas station for a break, everyone more than up for some coffee. Inuyasha nudged Kagome awake and she looked around in confusion for a moment until she remembered why she was in the car and where she was going. When Bank mentioned the word coffee she was wide awake and ready to race anyone and everyone into the store.

 

Sesshoumaru watched her from the next aisle as she made herself a giant cup of coffee, though in truth there was very little actual coffee in it. He stood as close as possible without being too obvious while they were in line and he walked out with her, heading to the car. It was a good thing he did too, because a few steps from the door she slipped on the icy parking lot. He could hear as Inuyasha cursed, knowing he wouldn't make it in time to catch her. He heard Izayoi's gasp and didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or be insulted. Did everyone think so little of him that they expected him to let her fall?

 

It was like everything was moving in slow motion as his arm reached out and wrapped around her waist, pulling her body close to his. He could feel her shaking and looked down at her just as she lifted her eyes to look at him. Neither could speak at that moment as their bodies were too busy humming with the electricity that shot through them both when they touched and their eyes met. Unfortunately, the moment ended too fast when in seconds her friends were around her and he was forced to look away and let go, not noticing how her eyes followed him as he walked away.

 

“Kagome? Kagome?!” Inuyasha called loudly, trying to snap her out of her apparent daze. When her eyes finally focused on his face he continued. “Are you alright?”

 

“Uh huh,” she mumbled. “He caught me.”

 

Inuyasha ignored the irritating fact that his brother saved her from a nasty fall instead of him. She was his to protect, his to keep safe, and he'd failed her. The fact that Sesshoumaru stepped into his place just made it worse. “I'm sorry, Kagome. I should have walked with you,” he started. “Are you sure you're alright? Nothing hurts?”

 

Kagome shook her head, regaining the use of her brain, and gave Inuyasha an irritated look. “It's not your fault I didn't pay enough attention to see the ice! I'm fine! Nothing hurts.” She looked from her hand to her friends and back. “I didn't even spill my coffee! All is right with the world.” Bank and Miroku, who'd been observing in silence, just looked at each other. Both had noticed that her level of cheeriness was a tad over the top but neither knew why. In those few seconds that they were looking at each other instead of her Kagome had resumed her walk to the car, getting rather annoyed with Inuyasha who insisted on holding her arm so she wouldn't slip again.

 

When Kagome finally made it to the car and shrugged her way out of Inuyasha's overbearing but sweet grasp the car was still empty, except for Sesshoumaru. He was sitting where he'd been before, looking out the window and slowly sipping his own coffee, black of course. The taiyoukai was having a hard time not looking at her. He was very curious to see where she would sit now that she was not only awake but had more options as well. He'd overheard the guys offering her their seats in the store, and while he didn't appreciate it, it did give him the chance for a mini experiment. Why he was putting himself through this, he had no idea. He already knew what she would do and he already knew it would hurt, but he couldn't stop the small part of him from hoping he was wrong.

 

She looked around for a minute and he could tell she was thinking about something. When she glanced back at Inuyasha he figured she'd decided. When she climbed into the car and sat down beside him, so close that their knees were touching, his heart just about exploded. He fought to keep the impassive look on his face as he saw Inuyasha's confusion. “Kagome? Don't you want to sit up here?” the hanyou asked.

 

“Hmm?” Kagome looked around before answering. “No, I'm fine here.” She ignored Inuyasha's grumbling and turned to look at Sesshoumaru. “I just wanted to thank you. You left so fast I didn't get the chance.”

 

He was silent for a moment, thinking of some kind of response. “Your gratitude is unnecessary but noted.” When he saw her frown his mind scrambled for a fix. “This Sesshoumaru could not simply watch as you fell and since the half-breed was obviously not fast enough I did what was necessary.” Her frown deepened and he wanted to sigh. He had no idea how to talk to her. It didn't matter though, because while Inuyasha was outside bitching and moaning to Miroku, Bank slipped into the car and plopped down beside her, causing her attention to shift away from Sesshoumaru.

 

She didn't move away from him though, leaving him to stare at the place where their knees touched. How he wanted to touch those legs. Her jeans were snug and defined her perfect shape beautifully, and it was killing him not to be able to reach out and rest his hand on her thigh before allowing it to slide slowly over her leg. In his mind he could hear her moan as his hand moved to her inner thigh and then began rising slowly. The slam of a car door ripped him from his mini fantasy and immediately his eyes darted around to see if he'd been caught. When no one seemed to be looking at him he shifted in his seat in an attempt to hide the massive erection that just the simple touch of her knee inspired, with a little help from his incredibly horny imagination.

 

Izayoi smiled from her place in the passenger seat. She'd noticed the moment Sesshoumaru and Kagome shared after his chivalrous rescue. She'd watched him sneak peeks at her while he waited for Kagome to get in the car. She'd seen how his eyes were locked on where their bodies touched. She also hadn't missed rather obvious physical response to their contact either. No one else had seemed to noticed any of it though, and it was obvious that he was uncomfortable with it so she decided to keep it to herself, at least until she could figure out a way to talk to him without him ignoring her like he usually did. It was well past the time for Sesshoumaru to have had at least some relationship experience.

 

The remainder of the ride was peaceful and quiet. Bankotsu made no effort to pull Kagome away from Sesshoumaru and she ended up leaning on Bank with her head on his shoulder while her left leg still touched Sesshoumaru's. Finally they pulled up to the manager's office and Katsuro went in and got the keys before parking in front of their cabin.

 

Kagome laughed when Inuyasha hopped out of the car, snatched the keys from his father's hand, and made a mad dash for the house, determined to pick the best room for himself and his friends. When she turned to her left, she noticed Sesshoumaru looking at her, causing her to blush and turn quickly away. Once Miroku got out Kagome followed him, Bank too, leaving Sesshoumaru alone in the car. His father and step-mother, though he loathed calling her that, were already opening the back hatch and retrieving their bags. Sesshoumaru simply sat there for a few minutes, not sure he was ready to see just how much fun she would be having with her friends and without him.

 

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

Their first day was spent with Inuyasha giving them the grand tour. He showed them the various slopes, the ice skating rink, and the main lodge that had pool tables, an arcade, and other forms of indoor entertainment. Kagome was thrilled to see that there was a place to ice skate. That was something she could do. Dinner was filled with excitement as Inuyasha and the guys talked about what they wanted to do first. Kagome ended up sharing a story about how she learned to ice skate since Bank was the only one who'd been around then.

 

Katsuro and Izayoi both smiled as they listened to the teens. They still hadn't fully gotten over the change in Inuyasha and it had been a year and a half since the miko Kagome came into his life. Every time they did something that they'd done before, but not since he met her, they once again got a clear picture of just how much happier he was. They'd rented a cabin here several times in the previous years and never before did Inuyasha seem so excited. He usually spent most of the time in his room hiding rather than out on the slopes having fun.

 

Sesshoumaru watched it all in silence, doing his best not to stare but constantly sneaking glances at, literally, the girl of his dreams. He found himself very much looking forward to seeing her ice skate. He'd seen her dance and she was graceful, he'd danced with her and it was magical. He could only begin to imagine how she would look out on the ice, cheeks a rosy red from the cold. He was sure that she would float like the angel she was, just like when she danced or even walked. She always had this grace about her. Even when she was clumsy it was beautiful, though he admitted to himself that he would most likely find anything and everything she did beautiful just because it was her.

 

Once dinner was finished it was time for their gift exchange and everyone piled into the family room of the cabin while Katsuro lit a fire in the large stone fireplace. They'd already deposited their gifts under the tree that was set up for the holidays and Kagome was selected to be the sorter. She sat under the tree and handed out the gifts one by one until they were gone and then they took turns opening them. Katsuro went first, then Izayoi, followed by Inuyasha. Kagome smiled as he opened hers last, loving how his eyes widened.

 

“Wench, when did you…?” he trailed off. Sesshoumaru bristled at the name. How dare the hanyou call her such a thing? And why did she not put a stop to it?

 

Kagome got up on her knees and shuffled the few feet to where Inuyasha sat and picked up the necklace that she'd worked for weeks on. He'd mentioned it a few months ago after boredom caused him to flip through her miko textbook. It was supposed to connect the giver and the receiver, something that immediately sparked his interest. If he had one he would always be able to feel her near him, even when she wasn't. It also would protect him from any other miko or monk as well.

 

He smiled at her before cupping her cheeks and planting a kiss on her forehead. “Thank you,” he whispered before lowering his head so she could put it on him. Immediately he felt it, like she had her arms wrapped around him. It meant a lot to him, and would to anyone, because it was more than a gift. It was a show of faith and trust. Only she would ever be able to stop him if it became necessary since she'd basically rendered him immune to any measures used by monks and miko to capture rogue demons. Doing so showed an enormous amount of trust. Kagome rubbed an ear gently for a minute before squealing when she was dragged into the hanyou's lap.

 

Again Sesshoumaru found himself fighting back a vicious snarl. Not only did her gift to his brother mean a lot, all things he wished she felt about him, but it gave them an even stronger connection then they'd already had. He didn't want to admit it, but he was jealous; jealous of his pathetic idiot of a half-brother. His jealousy only grew when she allowed him to hold her in his lap. She should be in his arms, not the hanyou's.

 

Miroku went next and Kagome ended up shooting dirty looks at both Inuyasha and Bankotsu when she saw what they got him. Like he needed any more help being a perv! Inuyasha got him a t-shirt that said F.B.I. in big letters and underneath said Federal Booty Inspector. She couldn't stop laughing when he put it on right then. To go along with Inuyasha's gift, Bank gave him a fairly realistic looking badge with the same very mature phrase on it.

 

“You guys are responsible for carrying him back here when he gets his ass knocked out tomorrow,” she said in a mock angry tone. Her gift made him smile for a different reason. She gave him a frame that held multiple photos that had a picture of just Kagome and Miroku together back in middle school, one with Bank too, and then a more recent one with all four of them together.

 

“Thank you, Kagome,” Miroku said softly before opening his arms and she moved from one lap to another.

 

Bank followed Miroku and smiled when he found that she'd made him a necklace as well. Once again she changed laps and carefully slipped it over his head before pulling his long braid out of it. No one noticed the odd look Sesshoumaru was giving them. Why would she give a human a necklace meant to connect a demon to a miko? After a moment's thought he decided it didn't matter. Maybe it was different, one he hadn't read about. Maybe it wasn't actually charged with her power. Either way, he didn't care. It was just one more thing to be jealous about.

 

Once they'd finished opening their presents she tossed one more at each of them. “I couldn't resist,” she said while giggling. They all tore into their last gifts together and soon laughter filled the room as one by one they held up her gag gifts. Inuyasha held up white boxers with bright red fire hydrants on them. Bank's were blue and had bold lettering saying `My sword is bigger than yours'. Miroku's were by far her favorite. They were covered in trees along with the words `Let's go camping. I'll pitch the tent,' and of course, right on the crotch was a tent, the opening being tent's flaps.

 

“And you said we were bad,” Bankotsu laughed. “You aren't allowed to go in that store alone anymore.” Kagome just rolled her eyes and laughed harder.

 

The guys tried to get Kagome to go next but she insisted that Sesshoumaru open his first and to everyone's surprise he complied without a fight. He did his best to be polite, thanking Izayoi for the sweater that he would never wear and his father for the books on demon history. He didn't get anything from Inuyasha or his friends, but then he wasn't expecting anything.

 

“There's one more,” Kagome said quietly. When he looked at her in question she pointed to the one that was nearly buried under the discarded wrapping paper from the others' gifts. He slowly bent down and picked it up in shock, seeing her name on the tag.

 

She got him something? He wasn't the only one surprised. Inuyasha was of course rather rude about it, demanding to know why she'd wasted her money on something for `the bastard'. Both Kagome and Katsuro scolded him at the same time, making his ears flatten to the top of his head. He hated it when she scolded him. It was scary. No matter how sure he was that she loved him he was always afraid one day she would change her mind.

 

Sesshoumaru very carefully unwrapped the gift from his angel and when he saw what it was he smiled a real smile. It was ridiculous, really, but it was perfect nonetheless. It was a dark blue t-shirt that said `People who think they know everything annoy those of us that do.' Sesshoumaru was dazed. He was so sure that she never noticed him, but then how??? He was so distracted by the fact that she'd picked something that fit him so well that he almost didn't catch the package that came sailing at him. His right hand snapped up just in time and he quirked a brow at the girl who'd actually thrown a present at him, the girl who got him not one but two gifts. He smirked when he opened it, revealing dark red boxers with cute little white puppy dogs all over them.

 

“Thank you,” he said politely, ignoring the look of outrage on his younger sibling's face and smirking as her cheeks flushed a beautiful shade of pink. Apparently Inuyasha didn't approve of her giving him underwear, but he didn't mind it a bit. He had a feeling they would be well used.

 

It was finally Kagome's turn and she excitedly thanked Izayoi for her beautifully handmade sweater and Katsuro for the books on Miko Spells. Bankotsu gave her a beautiful photo album with the first few pages filled with photos of them all and Miroku gave her a soothing stone fountain to put in her room. When Kagome opened Inuyasha's, the look on her face made the hanyou cringe.

 

“Inuyasha! You promised me!”

 

“What wench?”

 

“You know what! You know how I feel about…”

 

“I don't give a fuck how you feel about it. I bought it. You're gonna wear it.”

 

“But it had to be expen…”

 

“Don't care,” he cut her off before standing up. He walked over to where she sat in Bankotsu's lap and picked the item up out of the box she was still staring at. Before she knew what happened, he'd clipped the charm bracelet around her ankle.

 

“You're taking it back.”

 

“Like hell I am! Damn it, wench! Why can't I buy you anything nice? Why does it matter how much it cost?” She opened her mouth to protest but he stopped her. “Please, Kagome, take it. Keep it. Wear it. Please?” Kagome frowned but finally nodded. “Promise me you won't try to take it back.” When she nodded again he shook his head. “Gotta hear it.”

 

“Okay, fine! I promise I won't take it back, but you need to stop…”

 

He leaned down to look directly into her eyes and smirked. “Make me,” he teased. When he went to return to his seat his foot hit something and he picked it up, looking at it like it was the strangest thing he'd ever seen. “This one's for you too but it doesn't say who it's from.”

 

Kagome accepted the gift he handed her and she opened it, gasping when she saw the contents. “Who?” she demanded. When no one stepped up she searched their eyes one by one, still coming up empty. Whoever did it apparently wasn't going to own up to it. Of course she hadn't even thought to look at the demon who was fighting back a smirk. Again the benefits of her blog showed themselves. He'd bought her a pair of hair clips that she'd been saving up for… well, not exactly. The one's she'd mentioned were fake, just cheap silver jewelry with fake stones. He'd taken the image to a jeweler and had them custom made. They were white gold and were in the shape of butterflies, their wings decorated with tiny precious stones: rubies, amethysts, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds, all real and of the highest quality. Of course she didn't need to know that.

 

He wanted to backhand Inuyasha when he nearly ripped the small velvet box from her shaking hands. When the hanyou got a closer look he turned and gave his father a questioning gaze. Katsuro didn't have any idea and when Inuyasha handed them to him he knew instantly that they were real. Finally, Kagome got her gift back, immediately clipping them in her hair and when no one would admit to being the one to purchase them she just thanked the room in general, a tear slipping down her cheek. There was something about the gift; the way it felt when she held them… she had butterflies in her stomach to match the pair in her hair.

 

Finally all the gifts were exchanged and they all pitched in to clean up the mountain of wrapping paper, balling it up and throwing it into the fireplace. Katsuro and Izayoi retired to their room and the guys headed back to theirs, taking Kagome with them. Sesshoumaru sat staring at the flames for a while before heading to his room as well.

 

Sesshoumaru walked slowly past the open door, turning his head slightly so he could see into the room, noticing the king sized bed. He frowned as he took in the sight of all three guys sitting on it before she moved into his line of sight. Not wanting to draw attention to his presence, Sesshoumaru went into his room and closed the door. When he looked around he noticed that he had a king sized bed as well and it was placed against the common wall between the rooms, just like theirs was. When he sat near the head of the bed he realized that he could hear them talking perfectly clearly and he smirked. At least he would get to hear her sweet voice, even if it was directed at them instead of him.

 

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

 

Once again Sesshoumaru was ripped from his more than pleasurable dream far too soon and he groaned in frustration. Would he never have just one night of peace so that he could sleep straight through until morning? As he lay there staring at the ceiling he couldn't help but think of her, right in the next room, just on the other side of the wall, and in bed with at least one if not all three of her male friends. What started as a happy thought that could have matured into a full out fantasy ended on a sour note. He didn't like the idea of her being in there with them. How he wanted her to be in his bed, in his arms at that very moment. For once he found it unnecessary to masturbate after one of those arousing, teasing dreams. The thought of what should be `his' Kagome surrounded by three males was more than enough to kill his erection.

 

Since he wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep he decided to go out to the living room. He liked watching the flickering flames of the fireplace dancing on the walls in the dark. It was soothing and he could use some soothing right now. The taiyoukai rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of pajama pants before he left his room, walking silently down the hall. His sensitive nose caught a familiar sweet scent and his eyes scanned the room, finally spotting her sitting on the floor leaned comfortably against the front of the couch. Trying not to draw her attention he turned and began the walk back to his room, ready to give her the privacy it looked like she wanted.

 

“You don't have to leave,” she whispered. “I'll go if you want.”

 

He turned around again and sat down in one of the large arm chairs in the room. “That will not be necessary.”

 

“Hmm,” she murmured. “The fire's beautiful, don't you think? The way the flicker of the flames dance over everything, it's hypnotizing.” When he didn't reply Kagome turned to sneak a peek at him, but her peek turned into a stare as she saw his bare chest and abdomen. It looked like his body was carved out of white marble and she ached to touch those perfectly defined muscles.

 

His pajama pants hung low on his hips, revealing that his cheeks and wrists weren't the only places marked with signs of his heritage, and the urge to trace the newly discovered set of stripes with her tongue was almost overwhelming. Sure, every time she saw him she had to fight the desire but this time was harder than usual. Why his markings affected her so much she had no idea, but it took everything she had to not crawl across the room and kneel at his feet.

 

When she realized that she was obviously staring a blush stained her cheeks and she locked her eyes on the fire, absolutely mortified at what he might be thinking about her now. `Stupid Kagome!' she mentally scolded herself. Her blush darkened as she realized that there was no way his powerful nose hadn't detected her arousal. `Damn body betraying me again. I'm surprised he's not laughing at me right now, if he actually laughed at all that is.' She snuck another peek at him and found his eyes locked on her.

 

The scent of her arousal was delicious and he wanted her so badly it hurt. The usually silent Sesshoumaru just couldn't resist. “Are you not feeling well? You are rather flushed. Perhaps you are sitting too close to the fire.” There was a tiny hint of playfulness in his voice and she openly stared in surprise. Was he teasing her?

 

A small smile pulled at her lips as she decided to tease right back. She stood up slowly, her oversized t-shirt just barely covering her panties, and she leaned over to put a fresh log on the fire before sitting on the couch at the end closest to him.

 

Sesshoumaru was frozen. He had no idea what she was doing. Did she purposefully give him a peek at what she was hiding under that shirt or did she not realize it? When she sat down and looked at him again he watched her expression, studying how the fire flickered in her eyes. It looked like she was trying to memorize every inch of his body and he had to fight a smirk. He should have thought of it years ago, not wearing a shirt in her presence. She somehow managed to ignore his charms when no other female could, but apparently even she couldn't keep herself from studying his body. Another wave of her arousal hit him hard and in seconds he was out of the chair and down the hall, slamming his bedroom door behind him.

 

“Wonder what got into him,” she whispered to herself before returning her attention to the fire, slightly hurt by the way he'd left so quickly. Was he that bothered by her presence? Was he disgusted by her obvious approval of his body? `You know better than this, Kagome. Sesshoumaru would never be anything but disgusted by me.' After a few more minutes of silent self scolding, Kagome closed the screen over the fireplace and returned to the room she was sharing with her friends, climbing from the bottom of the bed to her spot in the middle. She let out a sigh and smiled when Bank's arms wrapped around her. Closing her eyes, Kagome wished that they were someone else's arms, even though she knew it would never happen.

 

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

He would have sat in the living room with her all night long, drowning in her sweet scent mixed with the oh so tempting scent of her arousal that he knew was caused by her view of his body, but said body decided to betray him and he refused to allow her to see how turned on she made him. That and if he didn't take care of it right then he probably would have popped off in his pants, which was a hundred times worse than her catching him with a boner. He didn't need her thinking he was a pervert. He just hoped she didn't take his rapid departure the wrong way.

 

He sat on the bed, his hand wrapped tightly around his throbbing cock and his eyes closed as he pictured the lovely view of her panty clad ass as she'd bent to add fuel to the fire, doing so in more than one way. How he wanted to bury his face between her legs, to know how wonderful she tasted and make her moan for him until she cried out his name in ecstasy. It was almost impossible to stay silent as his body finally released, leaving him shaking at the intensity of the feeling.

 

God, he needed her. He needed her more than he needed food or water. He needed her more than he needed air and he would suffocate without her. Sesshoumaru flopped back on the bed with a sigh. And suffocate he would, because he knew that she would never be his.