InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ To Bear Witness ❯ The Whims of Men ( Chapter 11 )

{Disclaimer: See another chapter b/c it ain't here.}

Chapter Eleven: The Whims of Men

Possession is nine-tenths of the law

-SF's Moms, after one nasty fight between SF and her brother. -

*2:15 AM*

Kagome snuggled closer to a foreign warmth as she rubbed the tip of her nose against something smooth and cool. She sighed and rubbed her nose against it again, then pressed her hands against it. 'Hmmm…how strange,' she thought to herself as she ran her hands down it to what felt like a piece of leather. 'I wonder what that is?'

Kagome opened her eyes, and nearly gasped as her sleep-fogged mind registered what could only be someone's well-built chest at the end of her nose. She glanced down at the black leather belt, then at the white shirt that seemed to nearly disappear behind what could only be Sesshoumaru. Kagome looked up and sure enough, there he was.

'How do I always end up in this man's bed?' Kagome asked as she attempted to get up. Something firm around her waist held her down. Kagome looked down at his arm just as Sesshoumaru drew her closer to him. 'Trapped like a rat,' she thought sardonically as she looked up at him again. He slept on his side facing her, with his other arm above her head. Kagome tapped his shoulder and cringed, waiting for him to respond.

He didn't.

Kagome released a shaky breath, then allowed herself to look at him. 'God, he's gorgeous in his sleep,' Kagome mused as she traced his features with her eyes.

'He kinda looks like the guy in my dream,' she concluded as she glanced at his hair, which was spread loosely around them like a moonlight veil. 'As a matter of fact,' Kagome thought as she reached up. 'If you add a blue crescent right here-' she traced a 'c' in the middle of his forehead 'and two purple stripes here' she ran two fingers along his cheek 'and fangs here' she tugged at the corners of hi-

"Aren't there laws against molesting people in their sleep?" Sesshoumaru grumbled as he cracked one eye open. Kagome blushed furiously as Sesshoumaru looked down at her. "And after I so generously shared my bed with you too."

"Speaking of which," Kagome said as she attempted to sit up, only to be held down again. "I don't think it's a good idea for me to be here."

"And why not?" Sesshoumaru asked, sleep stealing in his voice.

"For one, what if Inuyasha comes in and scares me again?"

"Door's…locked…" Sesshoumaru mumbled, slipping in and out of slumber.

"OK," Kagome trailed off, only to launch head on into the next reason. "Its not professional."

"What better way to protect me than to be near me…" Sesshoumaru concluded, stifling back a yawn.

"Well," Kagome huffed in irritation. "I can't sleep in thigh-highs. These things itch. At least let me up so I ca-"

In two quick movements they were off and tossed over Sesshoumaru's side of the bed. Kagome blushed and opened her mouth to protest further when Sesshoumaru opened his eyes.

"Go to sleep," he commanded more than said, then closed his eyes and wrapped both arms around her.

"Just shut up and go to sleep," he whispered in a gentler, sleep-fogged voice that sent shivers up and down her spine. It's my bed, yet you don't hear me complaining."

Kagome huffed again, then shrugged as she snuggled against him. 'He's stronger than I am, even in his sleep so I can't just peel him off.' She yawned again and wrapped a free arm around his waist. 'And this is pretty comfortable. We'll do this tonight, but not again.'

Kagome closed her eyes and went to sleep.

*6:45 AM*

Sesshoumaru took in a slow, deep breath as he slowly waded to consciousness. He inhaled again, this time a little deeper as his sleep-fogged mind listed the various scents that drifted under his nose.

'Jasmine, lavender, thunderstorms and apple blossom. Something in this room is very confused,' he thought as he opened his eyes. The sunlight streaming through his balcony doors assaulted them upon contact. Sesshoumaru mentally cursed and snapped his eyes shut, then opened them again with a little more caution.

A stray sunbeam shone over Kagome, her hair an array of midnight blue and black as she slept against him, the pink solitaire in the necklace sparkling in the light. Sesshoumaru nearly smiled back at the smile on Kagome's face, but forgot it when he found his hand in her hair. He lifted his hand to his face, studying the obsidian strands, and was more than surprised to find a few hairs of his own mingled in the silky locks. Sesshoumaru shook his head and they instantly came free, leaving only the beautiful darkness that smelled so much like jasmine and lavender.

Sesshoumaru held a lock to his nose and sniffed delicately, just in case it wasn't her smelling like this. To his relief it was, which would explain why he buried his nose in her hair in his sleep. Sesshoumaru put his hand back down and tried to gently remove it when Kagome reached up and entwined her fingers with his, effectively trapping her hair in his hand and preventing a painless escape.

"Don't leave, not yet," she mumbled in her sleep, nuzzling her nose against his hand. She squeezed her hand in his, and sighed in contentment when he squeezed back. Sesshoumaru nearly huffed in irritation. 'If anyone were to see me like this it would ruin my reputation,' Sesshoumaru thought as he gently rolled Kagome onto her stomach. She didn't protest, and didn't stir as his gaze traveled down her back.

'Besides, she's only human. Where did this fascination with her come from? I don't have time for this.' Sesshoumaru trailed one finger down her back, allowing a claw to extend as he did so. She shivered slightly from the contact, and her scent took on a spicy twist. Sesshoumaru smiled, pulled her back to her side and closer to him.

'What would it hurt to be a little kind to her, at least in private?' Sesshoumaru asked himself as he settled beside her. 'After all, I did tell Naraku that she belonged to me. So why make a liar out of myself?' He brushed a strand of hair away from Kagome's nose, then pressed the same strand to his lips. 'Its settled then. She belongs to me.' He returned the strand to its sisters and drifted off to sleep.

*8:23 AM*

Kagome awoke to find herself face-to-stomach with someone. 'Not that I mind,' she thought as she raised her head and looked around the room. 'It's a very nice stomach, with abs and everything. Oh God, I must still have some of the wine in my system.'

"Are you alright down there?" came a voice from above. Kagome looked at the ceiling, obviously still under the influence.

"God?"

"Not quite," came an amused voice from beside her. "But I have been told that I'm like a god. In bed anyway."

"How modest of you Mr. Takamada," Kagome groaned as she crossed her arms over his chest and stared up at him. "Don't you have work today?"

"Today is a company holiday."

"Holiday?" Kagome asked.

"Today and Friday are the anniversaries of the Tenseiga's premier and instillation in this city. Therefore a four day weekend for myself and my employees."

"Do you ever really go to work?" Kagome grumbled as she scratched her arm. Sesshoumaru ignored this. "Are you still inebriated?"

"If you mean drunk, then probably, yes," Kagome countered with a yawn.

"I think it's breakfast time, Kagome. Wake up."

"Just five more minutes," she said as she settled back on his chest, her arms draping over him. A few minutes of silence was all it took for her to fall back asleep. Sesshoumaru rested his hand on her back and sighed.

"Just five more minutes," he said with a yawn that rivaled Kagome's. "That's all you get my pet." He pulled her up the length of his body to his shoulder and rested his chin on her head. "That's all you get and no more." Sesshoumaru yawned again and went to sleep.

*11:05 AM*

"What bleeding time did you wake up this morning?" Miroku asked Kagome as they and Sango sat in the hallway. Kagome blushed, remembering exactly where she was and who she was with when she woke up.

"Um, I'd say at least thirty minutes ago."

Sango snickered. "Did you bother to take a shower this morning?"

"Of course I did!" Kagome huffed. 'Takamada practically threw me into the bathroom. Speaking of which-' "Have any of you seen my shower gel?"

"No why?"

"That's so odd," Kagome said as she shook her head. "I woke up this morning and it was gone. I had to use something I found under the bathroom sink. It was kinda like the stuff the girls at the spa used on me."

"I bet Takamada threw all your stuff away and replaced it with that stuff," Miroku kidded, not realizing that he was right on the money. Kagome shook her head. "Why would he do that?"

"Don't know."

"At least you slept good last night," Sango said, missing the faint blush on Kagome's cheeks as she continued. "Miroku and I spent half the night in the back of the limo."

"Did you two pull a sneak again?" Kagome scolded. Sango and Miroku shook their head aggressively. "No! No way! Inuyasha didn't come out of Katrina's until 7:03 this morning!"

"Oh no," Kagome gasped, giving them pitying looks. Miroku groaned and rubbed his back. "My poor back will never be the same! Plus Sango dug her elbow in my rear!"

"I did not!"

"Did so!"

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

"Did not!"

"Did-"

"Now now children," Kagome said, holding up her hands. "Let's not fight, or else its off to the corner with the both of you." She caught the lecherous look in Miroku's eye. "Separate corners, Miroku." Miroku feigned a pout and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yes Mama," he and Sango said in monotone. Kagome giggled at the both of them as Inuyasha came out of his room. He stopped behind Kagome, lifted up a strand of hair and sniffed.

"How close did you sleep to Sesshoumaru last night?" he asked, getting his answer from her blush. Sango and Miroku looked at her in acute shock as Inuyasha continued.

"Didn't I tell you kids to behave yourselves?" Inuyasha scolded as he sniffed her hair again. Kagome scowled at him.

"Look who's talking. I hear you didn't behave yourself last night, you hypocrite," Kagome grumbled crossly. Inuyasha sputtered as she jerked her hair out of his hand. "After all, you kept Sango and Miroku waiting until 7. I was asleep all night long, but what were you doing?"

"Shut the fuck up Kagome," Inuyasha grumbled good naturedly as he walked past her and back to his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Kagome and the others giggled at his expense.

"That wasn't bad," Miroku said "But if you'd only seen the state his hair was in when he got back to the limo. He looked like-"

"Shut up Miroku!" Inuyasha yelled through his room door, effectively starting another wave of giggles. They calmed down after a few moments and settled into another problem.

"Have either of you noticed that we're all kind of wearing the same thing?" Kagome asked as she looked around. Sure enough, they were all dressed in white tank tops, with different color pairs of sweat pants.

Sango nodded in agreement. "I'm out of clean clothes."

Miroku sighed. "Me too."

"We're all out, but we can't all wash clothes at the same time. That would leave Mr. Takamada and Inuyasha unprotected. We can't take turns washing clothes because that would take too long. So what to do?"

"Why don't we play 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' like we did in the academy? Whoever loses washes everyone's clothes." Miroku suggested. Sango and Kagome nodded in agreement and thrust their hand forward.

"Ready?" he asked them. They nodded. "Ok. Only one round. One…two…three!"

A moment of silence then

"Oh crap!"

"Hurray!"

"I like my pants starched," Miroku said to the loser as he went and retrieved his clothes.

*1:45 PM*

Kagome grumbled as she tossed the last of Miroku's load in the dryer. 'Damn it!' she grumbled as she used a pair of tongs to retrieve a pair of boxers out of a crack of the washing machine. 'Why did I have to pick scissors! That was so dumb! And they both picked rock! Agggg!' She slammed the dryer door closed and huffed. 'At least Miroku's clothes are done. He can fold them by himself.' She tossed the first of Sango's three loads in next, then leaned against the dryer.

"I didn't know there was a laundry mat on the premises."

Kagome whirled around, then sighed in relief as Agent Kenji walked inside. "Oh hi. How are you?"

"I'm pretty good. How are you?"

"I'm alright," Kagome said as Agent Kenji leaned against the wall nearest her.

"How was the ball?" he asked as he started to pick at his nails.

"It was alright," Kagome said as she tossed another of Sango's loads into a nearby washer. "Nothing really bad happened."

"That's good to know." He stood up and walked to her side, a small smirk on his face. "I meant to tell you," he said as he stopped beside her, resting his hand against the wall. "that you looked great in that dress."

"Uh, thanks," Kagome said uneasily. Every alarm in her body was going off, including the butterflies as she took in his position. He had her trapped, with no immediate escape unless she wanted to leap over the washers in front of her. He leaned over and tipped her head up. The golden chain around her neck glimmered, capturing his attention.

"What's this?" he asked, picking up the pink solitaire in his index and thumb. "You didn't have this yesterday."

"I know," Kagome said, trying not to stutter in her nervousness. "I didn't get it until we got to the ball."

"Mr. Takamada gave this to you?" Agent Kenji said more than asked. Kagome shook her head. "No. I have to give it b-"

"So you're that kind of girl, huh?" Kenji said with a frown. Kagome scowled up at him, forgetting her nervousness in the situation.

"What in the hell is that supposed to mean?" she demanded. Kenji shrugged. "You're a gold digger."

"What the hell-" Kagome sputtered. "You don't know a thing about me, so what makes you think you can sit there and sa-"

"I should report you, but I think I'll give you a chance to get out of it," Kenji said with a coy smile.

Kagome glared daggers at him. "There's nothing for me to get out of."

"Of course there is. You're screwing your charge."

"I am NOT!! You can't just go around saying that kind of-"

"I won't tell if you'll share the bastard's money with me."

"What. Are. You. Talking. About?" Kagome growled, mentally pushing back her powers. Kenji started to laugh as he answered her.

"I say you and I become partners. You screw him out of his money, then give me half. We can have a physical relationship if you want."

"You know what?" Kagome snarled, attempting to shove past him. "Go right ahead and report me, so I can tell your superiors about what you just said." When he wouldn't let her past she sighed and attempted to calm down.

"Besides, if I were screwing him, which I'm not but for the sake of this argument, he's entirely too smart to be duped by some girl. And if I were screwing him, which again I'm NOT-" Kagome said, her voice getting louder by the syllable. "I wouldn't screw him over for a two-faced jerk like YOU. NOW GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY!!!" She shoved Kenji to the side and hurriedly moved past him to the door.

"You're not going anywhere," Kenji snapped. He grabbed Kagome's ponytail and flung her back against the wall with a loud thump. Kagome winced when the back of her head collided with the wall, fighting the stars in her vision as she glared at him.

"Let go of me," she growled lowly, closing her eyes. Behind her lids, her eyes started to glow purple. Kenji laughed again and put his hand on her stomach.

"Why should I?" he whispered huskily as he slowly raised her shirt. "You didn't fight Takamada, so you shouldn't fight me." He leaned over and kissed her earlobe, tracing the shell of her ear with his tongue. "Unless you don't want to keep your job."

Agent Kenji was suddenly grabbed from behind and flung across the room. Kagome opened her eyes, the whites completely purple beneath her blue-gray pupils as she thumped to the ground. Sesshoumaru kneeled before her, then reached down, picked her up and sat her on top of one of the washing machines.

Agent Kenji stood up and dabbed at his split lip. "Well, here you are at last. Who would imagine the protected would need to protect his protector?"

****

Inu-chan: Huh?

SF: {::sigh::} Shut up and let me finish the rest of the chapter.

****

"Shut up and get out," Sesshoumaru warned, barely restraining his humanoid form. "Leave this hotel and do not come back for threat to your career. And threat of your life."

"Don't you know that's illegal," Agent Kenji jeered as he stepped closer to them. "Didn't your little bed warmer tell you that-"

>Smack!<

Sesshoumaru backhanded Agent Kenji, sending him right back over the washing machines. When he stood up again, his eyes glowed a fire cat red.

"How dare you."

"How dare you," Sesshoumaru countered. Kagome watched this in awe, the purple purity inside her itching to get out. Sesshoumaru sensed this and held firm to his human form, knowing that it would be the only protection he would have if Kagome lost control. He allowed only his senses to sharpen as Agent Kenji glared at him.

"Don't make me say it again. Leave and don't come back. Surely you recognize the glow in the young lady's eyes behind me."

Kenji glanced behind Sesshoumaru and gasped when Kagome's purple-clouded vision rested on his. He started to back away, the red in his eyes bleeding away to the natural brown.

"Don't come back, or else she'll purify you. Now that we know what you are, we know what to use against you. Quit the FBI and move to another country Kenji."

Kenji grumbled something under his breath, then left without further incident. Sesshoumaru turned back to Kagome and rested his hand on her shoulder. The purple immediately faded, leaving a teary-eyed Kagome behind.

"Thanks," she whispered shakily. "I don't know what would have happened-"

"You would have purified him into a nasty purple goo," Sesshoumaru assured her as he hugged her. He held her head against his chest, allowing her to take comfort in the beating of his heart. "It's ok. Don't cry."

"Who said I would cry?" Kagome asked defiantly as a tear slipped down her cheek. "Oh hell," she groaned as another fell, then another as if of their own accord. "I am going to cry."

"Its perfectly fine," Sesshoumaru assured her, taking the time to enjoy the way she clung to him for dear life. "Someone should have come down here with you."

"Why didn't I know?" Kagome asked herself. "Why didn't I sense his youki?"

"I don't know. I wish I did," Sesshoumaru lied, stroking her hair to calm her down. 'He probably has a sealing spell like I do, that keeps her from detecting our youki.' He looked down on her as he continued to pet her, watching as silent tears rolled down her cheek. 'I don't like this at all. I won't have her so upset. I will arrange with Ah and Un for Kenji's disposal.'

Kagome calmed down and looked up at him. "Thank you Mr. Takamada. I really appreciate that. I don't think I could have handled a purple gooey mess."

"Not a problem," Sesshoumaru said as he brushed a tear away. "We can't have you upset now, can we?" Kagome sighed and hugged him again, reveling in his warmth as Sesshoumaru switched to Italian.

"No one will hurt you, not as long as you belong to me," he whispered as he kissed the top of her head.

Kagome started, blinking owlishly as he leaned over and nuzzled her neck. After a while he stiffened and straightened up.

"I must be leaving you Kagome," Sesshoumaru said suddenly, reverting back to English. "I will send Sango to look after you."

"Wait a moment!" Kagome called after him as he walked out the door. "What in the hell?" Kagome sighed and flopped down into one of the hard plastic laundry room chairs. "I need a bloody vacation, and I've only been on this case a week and a half."

*

Sesshoumaru quickened his pace down the hallway to the outside door. He immediately stepped outside and drew in deep, cleansing breaths as he scowled. 'Just great,' he complained to himself, trying to relax his tense muscles. 'Just fucking great! That's why Kenji attacked her! She's in heat!' He slammed his fist into the nearest wall, creating a decent sized hole in the concrete. 'Shit!'