InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Visions ❯ Soul Stealer ( Chapter 4 )

My ultimate thanks goes to Wiccan for being my pushy beta (her words, not mine). I think you are friggin’ awesome for putting up with the long updates and the mess that I know can be my work. So thank you so much.

Visions
Chapter Four
Soul Stealer



All the worlds a stage; the men and women merely players.

Kagome thought that if Shakespeare’s words were really true, then she was part of a really fucked up play. A play that had her waking up on top of an unyielding, steadily moving surface that smelled absolutely delicious, driving her to want to rub her cheek all over it just to retain that scent. ‘What the hell,’ she shrugged mentally. She wasn’t fully awake anyway, or so she told herself, and happily nuzzled into the surface beneath her, pleasantly surprised to find it hard and silky. Absently, her hand began moving against her new bed, curious at the various dips and hollows that her new pillow possessed. Inhaling once more, she had the sudden inane urge to run her lips against the velvety texture that her hand was exploring.

Shifting her head, she had barely skimmed her lips across the surface before her head was caught in a vice grip from a clawed hand, and the thing under her fairly rumbled with a sound she knew to be an impressive growl. Gasping, her eyes shot open, trying to focus on whatever was under her. Pale skin met her gaze, revealed by a partially unbuttoned shirt, covering an immense chest that was quite ridiculously toned. Gathering her bearings, Kagome realized that one of her hands were on a large pectoral muscle, and her lips were currently still in contact with the skin that lay one inch directly right of a pale pink, very decidedly male nipple.

The rumbling beneath her grew in volume as she stiffened, and the claws entwined in her hair tensed. Her first instinct to just bolt and go wallow in her own embarrassment was abruptly killed by those very same claws running gently over her scalp, as if asking her to stay and continue her exploration. The growling noise had ceased, then returned with a different cadence to its tone, becoming deeper and effortlessly sensual. Her bones wanted to melt at the sound and her body almost moved before she could stop it, her taste buds wanting more of the skin she’d sampled just moments earlier. However, her memories came rushing back her and she realized exactly who was under her. She had a feeling that, despite his body’s reactions, he wouldn’t be very pleased with her groping and licking him like a kitten with a saucer of milk. No matter how tempting it sounded.

“Sesshoumaru?” she asked cautiously.

Sesshoumaru himself had woken up to a feeling of contentment unlike anything he’d ever known. It was like he was floating and slightly disoriented, something he knew he’d never felt before. There was a soft, warm weight on his chest that felt very comfortable and smelled amazing. Inhaling with his demon senses, he brought that smell deep into his body, his muscles relaxing instantly into an almost liquid state. Even though his mind was still slightly hazy, he knew that it was rare for him to completely let his guard down like this. Only when he knew he was in an environment that was completely safe could he let his defenses down.

The bundle on top of him shifted slightly, centering his floating thoughts on it. Something soft rubbed against him, and he thought that it felt very nice; so nice, that it would be better if it rubbed over his whole body instead of just his upper body. He wanted to open his eyes, but he felt too damn comfortable to make the effort. Something touched his chest then, teasing, exploring, and it felt incredibly good. His body reacted slowly to the touch, his blood heating and flowing sluggishly under the drugging pleasure of that solitary touch running over the muscles on his torso.

His body jerked into an aroused, complete consciousness the instant he felt soft lips touch his skin, so close to a very sensitive part on his body that budded up with unfulfilled desire. That wasn’t the only thing hardening on his body, as his eyes jerked open to see a dark head hovering under his chin, his hand lost in the ebony tresses as a sharp growl of pleasure left him.

‘When did I put my hand there?’ he wondered, quite stupidly, he later realized.

His thoughts flittered away from him as he felt the female above him tense, knowing that she was going to pull away. His instincts came to the forefront, unconsciously running his claws through her hair, wanting to press her head against him to continue her ministrations, his growl telling her that she pleased him and that he wanted her. Badly.
“Sesshoumaru?”

Her voice violently brought him back to earth, and he stiffened beneath her.

It was the miko on top of him that was producing those extraordinary feelings, and he was allowing her free rein over his body. Abruptly, he dropped his hands to his side, although his body still throbbed, pulsing with lust for the young woman on top of him. Her timid, innocent expression was testing his resolve not to just kiss her silly until she was beneath him, writhing in ecstasy. She shifted slightly, and he inhaled sharply.

“Woman,” he said through rather gritted teeth as his eyes closed slightly. “Would you kindly remove your knee?”

“What?” A gasp. “Oh!”

She quickly scrambled off of him, again unknowingly brushing against the erection she’d created, causing his fists to clench. She stood blushing by the bed, waiting for him to say something. He willed his blood to cool, something that was very difficult when her scent was still driving him mad. Finally, though, he regained his renowned control and sat up to face her.

She stared back at him with wide eyes, her cheeks tinged with a virginal blush that did strange things to his libido, and he silently marveled at the effect she had on him. He’d taken control over his lust centuries ago, never again allowing himself to be affected by worthless bitches who were beneath his notice. Then, this little slip of a miko waltzed in and spiked the lust of his demonic nature with barely a sigh from her tantalizing lips. He was a sexual being by nature, as most Inuyoukai’s were, and a predator at heart. His kind reveled in the chase of a worthy female, but he had stopped chasing long ago; now his overly amorous body had reawakened with a vengeance.

“I’m so sorry,” he heard her blurt out, wringing her hands in agitation. “I had forgotten that you came in during the night, and I wasn’t really expecting you to be in bed with me-” She stopped abruptly, as if what she had just said penetrated her head. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Why were you in bed with me, anyway?”

She faced his cool gaze unflinchingly, even though she wanted to bite her tongue off at her stupidity.

“It is not relevant,” he said in dismissal, before standing up with fluid grace and straightened his clothing. He smelled the spike in her temper, and fought the urge to close his eyes in pleasure at her scent. It was so much more… enticing when it was laced with heat.

“Not relevant?” she said in a disbelieving tone. “Well, maybe not to you, but it’s not everyday that I have men waking up under me in bed…” She stopped as his gaze sharpened on her, and she thought for a moment that the corner of his mouth had turned up in an odd little quirk. She blinked, and it was gone. Before she could say anything, there came a knock on the door.

“Kagome, are you okay?” The monk’s concerned voice wafted through the door, and Sesshoumaru found himself annoyed that the monk was so overly concerned about the miko this early in the morning. Tamping it down, he strode to the door and opened it wide, meeting the almost-knowing gaze of Miroku. Before any other comment could come, Sesshoumaru left with a swish of his silver hair, leaving Kagome frowning at Miroku.

“Did I interrupt something?” he asked innocently.

“No,” she ground out. “Not a thing.”

“Good. We have a lot to do today.”

“Such as?” she asked, trying to run her hands through her unruly hair to gain some semblance of order to it. Huffing, she gave up after a moment and just allowed it to fall in wild disarray down her back.

“Such as trying to catch a villain,” he said, a gleam in his eyes.

“What happened to the body from last night? Maybe we can get something from it.”

“You really don’t want to see it,” he said, grimacing. “It was taken to the morgue last night and they performed an autopsy. The actual death of the victim was caused by massive blood loss. They kept him living long enough for him not to die from the other wounds.”

“So then what are we doing today?”

“We didn’t really get a feel for the crime scene last night because we were distracted by… other things,” he said, with a sideways glance towards her. She flushed. She knew he was referring to her strange connection with Sesshoumaru which, at the moment, said that she needed to be near him and in his sight, but she resisted. He didn’t want her around anyway. “Maybe we can get a better look and more insight today,” Miroku finished.

“Fine, let me change and get something to eat, then we’ll go.”

Quickly she ushered the monk out, hurriedly changing into a sweatshirt and jeans. After lacing up practical tennis shoes and running a brush through her unmanageable hair, she was ready to go.

She was greeted by four pairs of curious eyes, while Sesshoumaru eyed her with a coolly detached gaze from the corner and Miroku looked on in slight amusement. She let herself look at Sesshoumaru for a brief moment, disregarding his aloofness; she could feel his slight relief when she entered the room, and she knew he was glad he could see her again. Regardless of whether it was the connection or not, he wasn’t fooling anyone.

“Good morning,” she said, and then pointedly got herself a piece of toast and a glass of juice from the mini-fridge. They were dining in the break room of the penthouse headquarters, and Kagome wondered how much longer they would be there. This trip hadn’t turned out exactly as she’d planned, and a wry smile touched her face. She wasn’t expecting to be caught up in another case, especially one so violent and malevolent. Whoever they were dealing with, this was different. Not for the first time, she felt a twinge of uncertainty. What if she couldn’t handle it this time? She was one of the most powerful mikos of all time, she knew this, but this was no ordinary being they were dealing with. They didn’t even know what they were dealing with, whether it was demon or human.

The accomplice was demon, she knew that. It had been distinctly claws that ripped into her. But the leader… he was different. She’d felt a slight touch of his aura, but it hadn’t told her anything significant about his origin. All she had felt was a sense of smothering foreboding.

As she brooded, Sesshoumaru watched her from across the room with surreptitious glances. In the clear light of morning, he was still as confused as ever. He told himself last night that he was going to decide what to do with this new complication in his life, but he was no closer to finding the answer than last night when he had been so angry. Or after he had spent the night in her bed. Heat stole through his blood with a speed that left him reeling on the inside as he remembered the interlude of the morning. Of her soft form fitted against him during the night. The scent of her.

Damn it, he didn’t need her in his life! He hadn’t been searching for a mate, technically speaking, and now one just seemed to fall into his lap. A stubborn, bull-headed, complicated….passionate, innocent miko, of all things. One who had the courage to continue living her life in the face of insanity, who talked in a shy voice of how he helped her through the visions, and who slept trustingly in his arms when he could tear her limb from limb without even trying.

As he watched her pick at her toast and saw the slightly malnourished look of her body, he concluded that she obviously didn’t know how to take care of herself either.

Kagome jumped as another plate with a bagel and cream cheese landed in front of her. She looked up to see Sesshoumaru standing above her, his eyebrows drawn in a low line. “Eat,” was all he said, then left the room with her gaping after him.

She wasn’t the only one staring. Inuyasha’s mouth had practically fallen open at his half-brother’s departure, while Shippou’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

“Kagome, do you think it would be best if you explained to everyone else your new relationship with Sesshoumaru, that way we are not all left in the dark and surprised whenever displays like that happen?” Miroku suggested, and Kagome nodded.

Quickly, she did a run-down of what a Chosen One was and how it affected her and Sesshoumaru. She left out the part of what Kaede said about their physical relationship, not willing to try to explain about that.

“So, basically,” Inuyasha said when she was finished, “you and Sesshoumaru have this connection now that is stronger than if you were mates?”

Kagome shrugged. “Basically. I don’t know much about demons and their mates though, so I can’t really say for sure.”

“Well, I see characteristics of it so far. He needs you to eat and take care of yourself; he needs to be around you and protect you. You’ll need to have constant physical contact with him.”

She blushed at this and, while Miroku looked on in amused silence, he saw Kouga scowl.

“And you can’t have a lot of other males around you, otherwise their scent will taint yours. He needs to establish his dominance and that you are his rightful mate; as a TaiYoukai, Sesshoumaru has more power to enforce this. It’s important to him.”

“So I’m not allowed to have any other scent on me than my own?” she demanded.

“Or his,” the hanyou said wickedly.

Kagome groaned. “Great.”



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In the clear light of day, the alleyway across from Tsuki’s Oden Shop didn’t look all that ominous. But then, that was the nature of the night. It was full of the unknown, creeping shadows, and an aura of mystery that suggested that anything could happen, sinister or otherwise. Unfortunately for the victim last night, it was the former rather than the latter.

Blood still stained the walls.

Kagome noted that, in almost a detached way, as she stood staring at the place where the victim took his last breath. It would be a while before any cleaning team could make sure that evidence from last night would not remain and, even then, it would never be completely erased. Society might want to simply note that a terrible tragedy happened in this alleyway, then continue on as if nothing happened. The victim would just be another statistic of crime, eventually being forgotten. But Kagome would never forget. She couldn’t forget.

Maybe that’s why she was cursed, she mused. Someone needed to remember the dead.

Of course, she wished that she didn’t have to remember so vividly. As she walked towards where the body had taken its last breath, she felt something strange, a shift in her powers.

“I don’t know what we’re expecting to find,” Inuyasha complained, skirting the rotting garbage that was overflowing a nearby dumpster. “We’ve already established that this guy doesn’t really leave anything behind.”

“It doesn’t hurt to look, Inuyasha,” Sango said, glancing back to where the police tape waved in the slight breeze and a few curious passers-by were trying to sneak a glance. “You never know when we might find something; besides, you know the first rule of serial killers. They’ll always screw up, sooner or later.”

Sesshoumaru was eyeing Kagome closely, watching her wander to the far wall, a faint frown between her eyelids. She looked as if she were caught in the middle of a dream, moving slowly. Miroku followed Sesshoumaru’s gaze. “Kagome?”

“I feel something,” she said distantly. “Wait…. no, I don’t feel something.”

“What?” Miroku was confused. “You’re not making any sense.”

“Something feels off. As if I’m supposed to feel something, but it’s not there.”

Sesshoumaru edged subtly closer to her, drawn to her despite himself.

“Don’t you feel it, Miroku?” Kagome asked, her eyes half closed as her subconscious tried to find out what she was missing. It was something important.

Sesshoumaru saw her standing directly over the place where the body had lain. Suddenly, he didn’t want her anywhere near this place, anywhere near where that bastard had made her feel such pain. He wanted to take her away from everything in that one moment, to leave right then and go with him to where they could be alone. Just the two of them.

The fierce protectiveness that welled up in him was foreign to him, something he hadn’t felt since he was a pup, before he reined in his emotions. Right now, that damn feeling almost had his feet moving forward, but he resisted it, clenching his jaw. He watched the monk go forward instead, the demon side of him snarling at his own cowardice and the sight of another man going near her.

It was utter madness.

“Can’t you feel it, Miroku? Something is missing, something vital. Concentrate hard,” Kagome said, her eyes fully closed.

Miroku followed suit and both looked like they were meditating calmly, right in the middle of a murder scene. It was a very odd sight, even for the older demons.

After a few minutes of silence, Miroku frowned. “I feel that something is missing also, but I can’t put my finger on it. It’s almost as if there should be some sort of lingering aura, but there isn’t. Or something is unsettled.”

“What, like a soul?” Shippou spoke up.

Kagome’s eyes snapped open. “That’s it! Shippou, you’re a genius!”

The tips of the kit’s ears flushed a dull red as Kagome continued on excitedly, her eyes sparkling in animation. “There was an incident a long time ago, before I even knew I was a miko, when a soul-stealer targeted people. I felt the same type of feeling then, an unsettling feeling. It must have been the fact that the soul never really passed on into the afterlife, but was taken. That is what’s missing!”

Confused gazes met her excitement, except for Sesshoumaru, who was looking at her consideringly. She let out a frustrated noise. “I don’t know quite how to explain it but… when a human dies, the soul travels to the afterlife. Usually there is either a feeling of extreme content, or the opposite. There is no feeling here, nor was there any feeling back when souls were stolen around me when I was a child. We just learned something extra about our killer: he has the ability to steal souls.”

“This also opens up a question of motive that we can work on,” Sesshoumaru spoke up, taking command of his team. “Who would want to steal the souls of these specific humans, and why? And, if he is stealing souls, why does he have an accomplice that does the violent acts?”

“Finally,” Kouga said. “We have a direction to go in and something to focus on.”

“So go focus on it,” Sesshoumaru said coolly. “Find out what demons have the capability to steal souls in the demon registry.”

“We’ll be likely to find out more now the next time I have a vision,” Kagome said excitedly. She missed Sesshoumaru’s frown at the mention of another vision.

“Let’s get to work.”

As one, the team moved on.



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There was no way to really describe how Sesshoumaru was feeling at the moment. Absurd, maybe. Restless, yes. Anxious. And all because of that confounded miko. As the day had gone on, he became more focused on her. She could not be out of his sight for a few minutes before he had the urge to go and drag her to him. He resisted the urge to snarl anytime one of the other male members of the team got close to her. It was not like him, and certainly not befitting of his station.

Not to mention the random surges of lust he felt for her, without even looking at her. All he had to do was walk into a room where she had been, catch a whiff of her fading scent, and he was harder than rock. Frankly, it baffled him. He had never felt such an overpowering sense of want for any living creature, even when he was a young prince and let his lust loose on any pretty thing that was willing. This was beyond that.

Destiny.

His jaw clenched at the thought. Was the old miko, Kaede, right? Was there no way to reverse this bond because they were destined for each other? Would he really anger the Gods if he refused her? His thoughts shifted as he realized what would happen to her. She would go insane, lose her vivacious personality to madness. Something about that thought frankly bothered him a lot.

As of that moment, he was sitting in his own personal office, his head leaned back against his chair, while everyone else on the team was finding their place of rest for the night. They would have a complete list of registered soul-stealers by tomorrow morning, as well as a few leads they would have to follow to get information. Now that they had a purpose, there was a renewed sense of energy and excitement within the group. They had gone on so long, without any lead whatsoever to follow this murdering demon, it had grated on his nerves. He was not used to failure.

He was no closer to accepting the miko than he had been when he first found out he was her Chosen One, but some damnable part inside of him could not completely shun her either. By turns, throughout the day, he had been subtly attentive to her, and then ignored her. He could sense the faint feeling of hurt within her when he deliberately walked away from her but, if he could sense her emotions, surely she could sense how much this whole situation was confusing him. He didn’t like to be confused, yet he seemed to be doing a lot of things he didn’t like since the miko entered his life. Still, he was feeling things he had never felt either, and it made him think. He was nothing if not a rational creature. Yes, there was a beast lingering inside of him, more so than the logic, but he’d had tight control over his demonic urges for many centuries.

It had been the worst today during their supper. Seeing her little pink tongue dart out now and then, getting a bit of stray sauce from the pasta, tortured him as nothing else had. He had begun to imagine that tongue on different parts of his body, giving him absolution from the desire coursing through him. Her light laughter only hardened him further; soon he realized that he had bent the spoon he was holding into some weird interpretation of a pretzel. Stiffly, he excused himself from the makeshift dinner and, sending her a slightly baleful glare, had retreated to his office like a pup licking his wounds.

Softly, he sighed.

Madness, utter madness.



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Kagome lay in her bed that night, the last withering look Sesshoumaru had given her still in her mind. He really didn’t like her, and the thought made her feel melancholy. Even after spending only one night next to him, some deep part within her hoped that he would be beside her tonight. Everything seemed safer when he was around.

Rolling over to her stomach, she let out a frustrated sound. She was sounding like some love-besotted fool. She didn’t even know if she liked him. He was arrogant, rude, condescending, and she could sense something deadly lurking beneath the façade of a man. Yet, she sensed he had this reluctant tenderness about him, and he was fiercely protective. And possessive, she thought wryly. She respected his power, but she really didn’t know the man. But still… that didn’t keep her from longing for his presence.

Suddenly she was overcome with exhaustion, the last two days taking their toll on her, finally catching up with her tired body. Sighing, she fell asleep, wishing there was a warm, lean body behind her, with two clawed hands with magenta stripes wrapped firmly around her waist…


She was a child again, playing with a little straw doll her mother had given her, alone in the courtyard of the school. She hummed softly in the fading sunlight, not noticing the shadows slowly growing longer. She didn’t wonder why she was at school at night, or why she was in the body of her childhood; one tends to forget such questions when they’re dreaming.

“Hello.”

She stopped humming and looked up at the shadow that blocked the sun. She couldn’t make out his face.

“Hello.” She smoothed the hair of her doll calmly.

“Are you here by yourself?” The stranger matched her calm.

“Yes.” She stood up, holding her doll, and looked at the stranger. His face was still obscure, completely shadowed against the reds and oranges of the darkening sunlight.

“Where is your mommy?”

“I don’t know,” she replied candidly. “It seems like she should be around somewhere, doesn’t it?”

“Since she’s not around, would you like to come with me until she finds you? I have many dolls that I think you would like.”

She laughed a little. “What are you doing with dolls?”

“I think they are beautiful. Like you are. I think I have one that looks just like you, in fact.”

Kagome was intrigued. “Really?”

She saw the stranger nod. “Really. I can show her to you.”

She frowned. “I don’t know. How will my mommy find me?”

She couldn’t see, but she could tell that the stranger smiled. “Mommies know a lot about their children. She’ll know where you are.” He held out a hand. “Will you come with me?”

She hesitated. She didn’t trust this stranger; it seemed like the shadows were growing around him but, before she could help herself, she heard herself saying, “All right. Show me the doll.”

She placed her hand innocently in his, and had to fight off a shudder. She didn’t understand why she didn’t pull away from him.

The scene changed to a dump yard, smelly and pungent in the late heat of the day. Immediately, Kagome pulled back.

“Mister, I don’t like this place.”

“What’s not to like?” he asked smoothly. “I found all of my dolls here. This place is just like a hidden treasure mine.”

“Really?” Her voice was dubious. “Where are the dolls?”

“Just around the corner. I know you’ll love them. I worked hard to get them and make them nice for you.”

“Just for me? Why?”

“Because I’ve been waiting for you.”

Kagome, who had been edging closer to the corner, stopped and looked back. Night was coming in faster, and all she could see was the silhouette of the man. “Waiting for me?”

“Just for you.”

“Why?” Innocence coated her voice even as she knew something was wrong.

“Because, Kagome, you are special.”

“Special? How do you know my name?”

“Because one of my dolls is named Kagome. She’s the one who looks like you. Go look at her, she’s waiting.”

Turning around, Kagome continued walking forward. It was black now, and her surroundings faded away as she rounded the corner.

And screamed.

And screamed, and screamed, and kept screaming.

Her adult body was lying broken, torn, and bloody on top of a pile of countless other lifeless bodies, all of their eyes focused on her. She met her own blue-eyed gaze, eerily blank and glassy as she screamed. The pile of people below her adult body was every single victim she had been inside when they died.

As her shrieks rang throughout the dark space, she heard the now disembodied voice of the stranger ask, “Aren’t they lovely?”

“Kagome!”

She was jerked awake by a pair of strong hands, warm on her cold and trembling body. Opening her eyes, she was relieved to see the intense golden gaze of Sesshoumaru, and refrained from throwing herself in his arms.

As she woke up completely, she realized what had happened and who had witnessed it, and fought the rising hysteria that came along with it. Although it almost physically hurt her to do it, she tore herself away from his hands. Her only thought was the increasing panic that was filling her mind at the realization that he witnessed another weakness in her.

She saw him reach for her again, and knew she would crumble even more if he touched her right then.

“No! No!” she cried, and instinctively curled into a little ball, feeling miserably and helplessly embarrassed. “I’m fine, it happens all the time. Just go away.”

For a moment there, as she peeked between her eyelashes, she could have sworn he looked the slightest bit uncertain. “Did you have another vision? Are you hurt?” His voice was sharp as he questioned her.

Taking a deep breath, she fought the feeling of helplessness and sat up slowly, not meeting his gaze. “Honestly, it wasn’t a vision. Just a simple nightmare.”

“Define ‘simple,’ miko,” he said coolly. “Because that sure as hell didn’t look simple.” He paused. “You were screaming.”

She didn’t like the way his gaze never moved from her; it made her feel exposed and everything she felt as a child came back. Freak. Abomination. Cursed. “What did you expect? That I could see what I see, feel what I feel, and then think to have a normal life outside of catching monsters?” She gave a bitter laugh. “There is no part of me that is not affected by the visions, even my normal dreams. I was just revisiting an old one I haven’t had in a long time.”

Truly, now that she was focused, she remembered that she’d had that same dream many years ago, right after the apprehension of a particularly vicious demon. That demon had said he was going to come after her one day, and her dreams manifested his threat, making her into a vulnerable child, helpless to fight back. She tried to control her trembling and her shivers.

Through her misery, she saw him bend down, taking off his shoes and socks and setting them in a corner, before taking off his jacket and laying it in a chair.

“What are you doing?”

He sent her a slightly annoyed glare. “What does it look like, miko? I’m getting ready for bed.”

“You aren’t sleeping in here,” she said, trying unsuccessfully to keep her voice from shaking. But he seemed determined as he climbed into bed and hauled her up beside him, fitting her head under his chin.

“Shut up,” he said, mildly.

She made a noise suspiciously like a growl, and he felt his libido go into overdrive in an instant. To distract himself, he quickly said, “Look, for tonight, I can give us both comfort. Just take it and go to sleep. You can yell at me in the morning.”

Huffing slightly, trying to ignore his seductive heat and arousing scent, she wanted to have the last word.

“Fine. Just don’t get mad at me if you jump me again like you did this morning.”

She had the satisfaction of feeling him stiffen before she closed her eyes, a smile on her face.




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LISTEN UP!!!! It has come to my attention that this story was nominated in the “BEST DRAMA” category, and has been seconded as well in the IYFG second quarter voting. Thank you so much! I didn’t expect people to really like this story because it is my feel good story and not really in character most of the time, even though I try. I know its taking me a long time to update chapters, but that’s because I didn’t really know where this story was going.

Guess what?

Now I do! I have a direction for this story now, and because of the nominations, I’m getting really excited about producing more. There are a few things the readers can do for me:

Vote for this story when the voting begins on IYFG. I haven’t won an award there yet (only on A Single Spark, which was amazing) and I would consider it an honor.

Review, review, review. You have no idea how reviews inspire me, and I appreciate each and every one.

Be patient with me. I’m taking 16 units next semester (one being biology, which is not my strongest suit; I’m an English major) and working every day and teaching a Saturday Academy English class as well to high school students. Plus, I might need to get a second job. If I don’t get out chapters as fast as I normally do, believe me, I will be trying, but it won’t always be possible.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this chapter, and I’ve already done the beginning of the next one so hopefully you won’t have to wait long!

Until then,
Mujitsu