InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ This Sesshoumaru Needs Not A Mate - ON HOLD ❯ PART ELEVEN ( Chapter 11 )

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

Edited by: Meara

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EP

 

 

Part Eleven - This Sesshoumaru Needs Not A Mate

 

“I finally understand what love is not,” said the miko contemplatively, as her arms floated in the steamy warmth of the hot spring. The night had a welcoming coolness and the stars overhead were brilliant with the faintest outline of the coming moon.

“It will be a month of two moons,” said a composed baritone, informatively.

Steam obscured the Taiyoukai's features on the other side of the hot spring, allowing them to share the space while keeping the much-needed emotional privacy she sought.

It had been a very long day filled with emotional tumult, accusations and no resolutions. Still Kagome smiled as she thought about Lord Luxury Puss' reaction to her gift.

FLASHBACK

Earlier Kagome had finally had the opportunity to present Sesshoumaru with her simple gift of shampoo and conditioner. The conditioner fascinated him and he had to be shown how to apply it, or so he said. Kagome suspected he simply wanted to have `scratchies' and she indulged him silently in washing and conditioning his hair.

Despite her somber mood, she was amused that so cold a being craved touch, even loved it. The Priestess had taken pleasure in her task. It was not an onerous charge in the least and it gave her something to do with her hands as she mulled the events of the day.

It was her touch, in particular, the Taiyoukai craved most but she was not to know this minor detail if he could help it. Feeling rather generous of spirit, he had attended to her needs too, enjoying the feel of her body close to his, as he remembered the last time they had shared a similar experience.

END FLASHBACK

“We call it a `Blue Moon'. It occurs every two and a half years,” said the Miko indifferently, now swishing the warm water between her toes idly. `It was amazing what useless knowledge stuck in one's head sometimes.'

“Hn”

“Sesshoumaru?”

“Hn”

Kagome suddenly smiled across at him, feeling secure in the knowledge he could not see her gleeful expression.

She was wrong…but then.

“What is it you find so amusing, Miko?” intoned the Taiyoukai languidly, while easing his leg invisibly below the water into a perfect lotus position. Leaning both lithe, muscular arms across the cool stone floor for further balance.

“Hn,” the Miko said in imitation of her Lord, slinging her wet hair to one side of her shoulder triumphantly.

“I actually get it, Sesshoumaru. `Hn' has meaning by virtue of intonation and circumstance,” she said with a child's glee at this new wondrous discovery.

“Love is of no consequence. They will bond,” he suddenly said flatly. The Priestess' remark was not to his liking. The Miko had been analyzing him. That was his purview not hers.

“Kami, you are such a wet blanket sometimes. Do you know that?” the smile evaporated from her beautiful face. Furrowing her brows in frustration, she splashed the water as she folded her arms across her chest glaring at the ghost-like figure.

He smirked, `She took the bait.'

“We came here to ease your muscles and replenish your energies. You will be in menses within the next two days,” he said quietly gazing at her intently.

Kagome furrowed her brows and began to count on her fingers, `He was right.'

“So? I am not always regular you know,” she said somewhat defensively, suddenly, unaccountably embarrassed by his knowledge of her cycle.

“You are given to mood swings of epic proportions and this Sesshoumaru thinks it best, we remedy the situation quickly between Kouga and the Princess,” he remarked matter-of-factly.

“Why? You think I am likely to kill one or the other in the next day or so?” she retorted flatly.

“An excellent short term solution, no doubt, but it is fraught with political ramifications as yet untold,” the Taiyoukai said with the vaguest amount of disappointment in his tone.

It was quite clear to Kagome that Sesshoumaru had thought this particular solution through to its logical (by his standards) and possibly bloody conclusions. The Miko shuddered.

“Sesshoumaru?”

“Hn”

“How do you know? I mean … how do you know that I am going to have my period soon?” she said in a very small whisper, her cheeks flushing.

The Miko had not given thought to pregnancy and realized suddenly, she had a lucky escape. She could not go back to her world `knocked up' by a Feudal Lord, however scrumptious he was. They would have to be more careful in future or at least until she could go home and take care of things.

“God bless Aunt Flow,” she murmured sighing with relief.

“The bitch is honored by nature with the ability to bring forth life, in this there is no shame. It is a gift,” he said watching her more intently, his eyes now cold slits. Her mercurial change of expression annoyed him.

“Well?” she said at first belligerently, too thankful once more for her lucky break.

The Taiyoukai was silent and simply glared at the Miko, his face a pallid frozen mask as it read accurately her every thought. His beast, too, was less than pleased. Its Mate was indirectly rejecting its Master and the possibility of being pupped.

Just as suddenly, the anxiety within her aura left, fear had become near hysterical laughter.

Kagome frightened the Taiyoukai with her sudden uncontrollable laughter mixed with tears.

He was not to know, she was busy imagining the excuses her Grandfather would invent for her swollen stomach. Wiping her eyes with wet fingers, she sniffed and eased her legs forward. She twiddled her toes and stretching her lower back, which ached, she assumed from this morning's activities.

“Mmmmmm, this is so nice. Thanks for the company Sesshoumaru,” she said with an angelic smile at the figure she thought across from her. The Miko abruptly acknowledging that she might have been PMSing all along and suddenly felt for Inuyasha - `okay, not that much just a little'. It was rare that his darling little ears, she always loved them, to flatten to his head in chastisement but he deserved it, totally.

“Remind me to get him a lot of ramen to make up for my behavior today,” she said placidly as her feet floated to the surface.

“Miko?” said a deep, somewhat worried baritone. The Miko jumped with the sudden realization the Taiyoukai was now only an arms length away from her looking at her intently as though she was a strange little bug under a microscope.

“STOP DOING THAT!” she bellowed, holding her chest in fright.

“You are going to KILL ME one of these days with all this blasted stealth thing you do. I swear, you enjoy it,” she said more quietly, realizing she might have hurt his sensitive ears unintentionally.

“A female's scent changes prior to menses. You need not worry that I have sired a pup with you, as you are infertile at this time,” he said in a cold dismissive tone.

Kagome did not react as he had expected to his words, with relief in her scent. What he did feel was more than scent, was something else as she turned to look at him furtively under her bangs with a weak apologetic smile.

“I wasn't thinking that, Sesshoumaru,” was all she said without any further clarification. It wasn't a lie exactly, but it spared his feelings.

The Taiyoukai's eyes traveling over the Miko's delicate facial features, looking for deception. The Miko's lips looked succulent in this light and kissing them would promote silence, always a good thing. In fact, her neck was equally as enticing with its pulse point but those gently bobbing breasts needed attention, as did her luscious nipples. `All of her looked edible, if one were to think about it.'

Kagome turned as a sudden smile played across her face. She had `felt' the change in his youki at her words. That was the third time it happened this day. She did not need to look at him to know where his mind was focused but she did anyway. He was incredibly easy to look at and though best kept to herself, she recognized the emotion behind his previous words. Though defensive and abrupt, Sesshoumaru had been hurt.

Being familiar with rejection herself, the Miko did not wish to do the same to anyone, especially not the one individual she trusted most with her body. No, she would never give him her soul but she certainly could give him willingly her body in pleasure. She trusted him enough and knew intrinsically he respected her in his own domineering, entitled, smug, egotistical, and self-satisfied way.

“So what are we going to do about those two?” she said, suddenly needing a distraction from her own thoughts as she felt the usual coiled tension and warmth pooling within her lower body due to his nearness.

He edged closer and nuzzled her neck, fully aware of her current state. The Taiyoukai had never copulated in the spring. `This would be something new,' he thought.

`No, no, no!' she thought, her eyes closing at the touch of his warm lips on the wet skin of her neck.

`Mmmmm… his tongue, I have to stop this. We need to fix things with those two. Focus Kagome.. naaahhh focus later there was a fine smelling god, lavishing soft wet kisses on your neck. No focus now! We have all night to take care of….ooooooooooh god…What the hell?!?' Kagome roughly pushed him off her and glared at him holding her neck. He had nipped her seemingly playfully.

Well, she tried to glare. It being rather hard to glare when your eyes were locked with the one male that would be your eternal undoing (with those damn come hither, rose rimmed citrine orbs and lips that just begged to be kissed ad nauseam).

`He isanarcotic. I am officially addicted,' Kagome thought to herself, as her stomach fluttered in response while she looked into his eyes.

“Okay let's make a deal. We are talking now. We …you know…do…” she waved her hands about as though conducting an orchestra intimating…

“Rut,” said the Taiyoukai in frustration at her inability to voice the obvious.

He leaned his back against the stone of the hot spring with an audible sigh. `The onna could be tiresome at times, with her endless need to prattle but she was worth the wait. If his member did not get waterlogged in the process.'

“Yes, that…” she said, clearing her throat self consciously, then turned towards him with a businesslike expression, crossing her legs tightly under the water. A pathetic attempt to stop the throbbing of RuRu's little friend. This was in no way effective the Miko soon found and uncrossed them hurriedly.

The Western Lord gave her a sidelong glance as his lips twitched in amusement.

She glowered at him with an attempt at feigned menace as she chuckled softly behind her hand pushing his shoulder playfully in rebuke.

`This is nice. I have never played with Inuyasha in this way. Why?' she mused seriously once more, not realizing she was still staring at him.

“You have an agile mind. Now, if that could be transferred to your limbs...” said the youkai sardonically, ducking as a little fist came towards him rapidly.

“What? I have you know, I could take you. Well….I mean, you are worse than Miroku,” she said in frustration, reading his suddenly extremely expressive eyes.

`The Miko is predictable and easily riled,' he thought as he watched her face set again in serious thought. `She is also brave, though a weak, human female. She is intelligent, beautiful, fecund and she has honor,' he observed practically.

A chill went through the demon Lord at these sudden realizations of her value beyond the obvious. If truth be told, he had always known this. What he could not yet deal with was why his beast saw this before his logical, tactically, sound mind did. His diffidence with Inuyasha perhaps had more to do with this, than the possession of his father's fang. The Miko was the reason for his subconscious hatred of the half-breed.

“Really?” the Taiyoukai had suddenly registered her actual words and its inherent double entendre.

“Stop it,” she said, waving a long slender finger just beyond his lips. She was mindful not to get too close as he was, to her utter satisfaction, rather given to being oral.

“What do you suggest, Miko?”

“I think they need to give each other a little break and get to know one another. None of this forced marriage crap. That is from the dark ages. Oh sorry, these are the dark ages aren't they?” she said apologetically with her little chin now resting on raised knees.

“What I mean is, well, see Kouga had a crush on me right?” said Kagome quickly, touching Sesshoumaru's cheek as she explained, easing the tension in his jaw noticeably. “Do you know why? I don't think he honestly ever had a female friend. You only get together with the opposite sex to procreate. It has very little to do with love or friendship,” the Miko tried to explain.

“His mating is political, Kagome. It is not meant for anything more than strengthening the alliance of wolves. They will come to understand one another's strengths over time. This need not be complicated,” the Taiyoukai said flatly, he did not wish to discuss any feelings the wolf had for the Miko. It only served to irritate his beast.

Feeling the sudden need to leave the hot spring, the Taiyoukai turned and leapt out of the spring quickly. He tied his yukata, leaving behind a thoroughly mystified Miko. For the second time that day, he had used her name. Unsure of its significance she decided to follow him to probe further.

sks

Tapping on the shoji repeatedly had no effect. She placed her ear against the screen, listening for any tell tale sign he was within. Nothing. Deciding that discretion truly was the better part of valor in this instance, she headed towards her chambers. The sound of softly rustling leaves beyond the moon bridge caught her attention.

Looking towards the sound, she steeled herself and walked as quietly as possible on damp feet towards the sound with her hands clenched ready for battle.

A tall figure stood in shadow plucking at dead leaves delicately.

Kagome stood transfixed. It was Sesshoumaru.

For whatever reason, this was a private moment and she felt she needed to leave as quietly as she came. Turning on her heels, the Miko made to head back to her chambers, only stopped by a resonant baritone.

“This Sesshoumaru will advise the Ookami Prince to post-pone his mating until such time that he and Ayame have spent sufficient time together to reinforce their bond. Is this agreeable, Miko?”

“Hai, Lord Sesshoumaru,” Kagome said in quiet shock before continuing to her chambers. Having heard the rumors earlier about the red maples that miraculously remained healthy through no natural means, she had found the very demonic means by which they maintained their beauty.

`You are many beings at once Lord Sesshoumaru,' the priestess thought as she turned once more to watch him examining the bark of the other tree intently. These had been his father's pride and joy in the garden. Sesshoumaru was keeping faith with his ChiChi's memory. A new thought occurred to the miko as she watched him lovingly attend to the other tree's similar needs. It must be hard being the Western Lord, with no confidantes and no friends, regardless of whether he admitted this or not.

`He is alone,' the Miko's eyes brimmed once more in this sudden realization.

sks

The night was rather cool and she needed to find those pj bottoms she had in her backpack. Now that she thought about it, her back was killing her and her breasts felt tender to the touch.

Kagome sat quietly for a time, looking through at the sakura blossoms that carpeted the cobbled way, most petals now gone from the cherry trees of themselves.

Donning the rather unattractive, faded sleeping attire, she toweled her long rich locks still musing on Sesshoumaru. As if hearing her call, a vision in midnight blue yukata stood in the open screen door. He, casually observing her outfit and the state of her hair, which at that moment looked very much as though she had been dragged kicking and screaming by it.

She looked at him sheepishly and smiled. He continued to stare as she reached for her brush, unsure of what to say, choosing instead to bend forward, allowing the tousled locks to flow to the tatami as she prepared to brush it into some semblance of order.

The Miko felt the futon give behind her gently in support of the added weight and the sudden warmth of a body leaning over her as it took the brush from her hand and began the arduous job of untangling the mess gently.

“Do you think they will go for it?” she asked casually, as her hair was skillfully separated in two and the brush gently traveled through each section systematically.

“They have no choice. Prince Kouga will travel back with the White Wolves to their stronghold in the North. He will remain for three cycles of the moon and at the end of those three cycles, if it suits Princess Ayame, they will mate.”

What Lord Sesshoumaru neglecting to add was Prince Kouga was coerced into acquiescence by means better left unsaid. Let it suffice to say the possible loss of vital organs played a part in his final decision to go. Sesshoumaru meditatively brushed her damp silken locks, seeing the fatigue in her slumped shoulders, as he thought of her day.

FLASHBACK

The Taiyoukai knew the Miko was tired. She had spent the better part of the day alone with the two wolves, trying her best to listen patiently as they screamed recriminations at one another. Her only time alone with her kitsune had been a short while before as she told him a tale of a very clever fox before his green eyes closed in sleep.

She was not to know he had listened at the chamber's fusuma as she tickled her kitsune, promised him a picnic if the weather held for the following afternoon and listened to the excitement of his day.

Sesshoumaru had smirked as Shippou recounted the fun he and Rin had playing a modified game of something called “Pin the Tail on the Toad.” Apparently, it had not gone over well with Jaken, forced to be the full time baby sitter with somewhat cruelly disposed young.

The Miko had softly reprimanded her kit for his behavior, insisting he apologize to the smelly little toad at first light.

END FLASHBACK

“So, when did you do all this, before or after your gardening duties, Lord Sesshoumaru?” the miko queried tiredly, nearly falling asleep with the rhythmic motion of the brush through her hair and his pleasurable scent. It would be good not seeing Ayame, who she had tried desperately to befriend that day, only receiving resentment for her efforts.

“Before. They will leave at first light,” the Taiyoukai said softly as he handed the brush to the miko who suddenly could not raise herself.

“Oooh man, give me a second. That might not have been the best position I could have chosen to sit in…ooowwww,” she moaned softly as she eased herself to a sitting position.

“Thank you. You are a youkai of many hidden talents.”

“How long have you tended the maples?” she asked, brushing both sections of her hair back. It was almost dry now and it would be easy to braid.

“Why?”

“Just curious. I might have a job for you in my time, if I can figure out how to get you there. This Kagome wishes the Taiyoukai to meet her family. This Kagome likes this Sesshoumaru very much and would be honored, if Kaede can help me get you through the well.”

A warm, strong, callused palm reached around to her abdomen and placed the other on her mid back pressing firmly against her spine as she stretched into the movement of his touch which radiated intense heat.

“Mmmmm….nice.”

“Lie on your stomach,” said the Taiyoukai in a commanding tone.

Kagome merely shook her head and smiled. `Why was Sesshoumaru incapable of asking, why must he always command?'

“Why exactly?…Ahh Sesshoumaru, I don't really feel like…” she said softly craning her head to look up at the male now straddling her hips while pulling up her tee-shirt to reveal smooth, soft skin.

“Ooooh, mmmm…to the left…yes, perfect. Keep doing that,” said Kagome in a muffled tone as she closed her eyes in bliss at his warm, strong manipulation of her lower back.

It would be hours later in the early morning's light before the Miko awakened from a dreamless, peaceful sleep to the soft sound of breathing behind her. An arm was slung over her middle with a hand cradling her stomach with residual warmth.

A dull, cramping sensation in her midsection reminded her of coming events casting their shadows. Fortunately, always practical, she could take care of this. It wasn't time yet but soon. That pack contained the world.

For now, she would simply be content to remain cosseted in the Western Lord's protective arms for a little while longer, feeling pampered, warm and secure. `Tomorrow will be another day' and then she slept.

Author's Note

A rather quiet segment…but revelatory, and necessary. Lesson three, learned for both Miko and Taiyoukai. The beginning of understanding, companionship, and caring essential for relating to another being who holds your life literally, and figuratively in the palm of their hand.

Ja Ne

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