InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Vying for Dominance ❯ Home ( Chapter 36 )

Home

 

 

Having left the water, Kagome fitted together one of the lining layers of her ruined gown to give her cover for wherever it was that Sesshomaru planned to take her. She was silent as she dressed, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of consequences too easily forgotten in the heat of the moment.

 

Her thoughts were of her family, of her friends, and of a home so distant from where she stood now. Could she really leave it all behind? Could she live and be happy knowing that she would never truly belong? Could she give up the life she had been born to for this promise of a future with one who lived in her past?

 

When Sesshomaru approached her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her fluidly into his secure embrace, she leaned into him, resting her cheek against his strong chest, her hand stroking adoringly across his perfect skin. She felt so safe there, so content, so filled with a warmth that defied feelings or words. She never wanted it to end, never wanted to let it go.

 

But could she hold on knowing what else she would have to let go if she did?

 

Lost somewhere in contemplation and wrapped in indecision and heavy burdens, her silence continued even as he took to the skies. He could feel the way her grip tightened around him, and he knew it was no fear of falling. It gave him hope, knowing that she was still holding him, that he still might convince her to never let go. He knew that she would be loosing much to do what he asked; but he knew as well that there was so much more that he could give her if she would only say yes.

 

Their destination was nearby, close enough that they could have walked. But then, that was not the reason he wanted to approach from the skies. This was what he wanted her to see. The mountain, the streams that cut their paths from its heights, the lake waters that gathered at its base, all the land and the life that it bred; it all carried his mark and catered to his will. Mortals would not tread here with their armies of men and machine: the land was held sacred, a place of the Gods to the pious and a place that meant death to those who tread unruly in the homeland of the Western Lord.

 

Where the cliffs had dropped before the shore of a highland lake, he had chosen to build his home. The lake waters gave both bounty and beauty to the land, making soils rich and all that grew upon them healthy and strong. Rolling fields and forests lush with green and filled with game provided for any need. And the wall of the mountain provided protection from assault as well as a way out should the need arise for those given the knowledge of such things.

 

The main house had been built upon a rise to stand above the smaller structures below. Though hardly with enough buildings to support a village, such things had been unnecessary to him in the past centuries. He had needed only a place that was his, a place apart from the battles he fought and the people he ruled. It would grow in time, he had always known this, and had prepared for it. There was room enough here for a large community, but one that he would only allow when he knew that they would be watched over by his chosen mate.

 

“Kagome,” he stirred her from her silent thoughts. This was what he wanted her to see. “Look.”

 

Releasing one arm of his hold on her, he gestured for her to turn and see with her own eyes. She took it in, all of it, her eyes slowly scanning the land and the buildings before coming to rest on stone structures and sweeping arches of the main house.

 

“What is this place?” she asked in quiet awe.

 

And he replied simply, “Home.”

 

VVVVVVVVVV

 

“It's empty.”

 

Sesshomaru had brought her to the main house, but as she stepped into the grand entrance, all hat was revealed was a vast space and bare walls. No furnishings, no decorative pieces, no tapestries or color of any sort to take away from the dark stain of the wood and the cold grey of the stone. Lifeless: It conveyed a welcome as cold as the Demon Lord. And even standing by his side, Kagome couldn't help but feel as though she were trespassing.

 

But Sesshomaru understood the young miko's hesitation; because though he called the place Home, it held no life nor did it welcome it. After all, such was not his prerogative. His trade was in power, a conquest marked by death. Life and welcome were beauties more suited to those of the fairer sex.

 

“Perhaps only in need of a woman's touch,” he replied.

 

The steadiness of his voice cloaked his hidden meaning, but she heard it all the same. “A woman's touch?” she asked carefully.

 

But Sesshomaru did not say or do anything to give himself away. Instead, he turned, telling her with a short gesture to the hallway off to the right, “I have matters to which I must attend. You are hungry. You will find suitable foods in the pantry.”

 

“I'm not…” She tried to protest, but Sesshomaru's quick glance over his shoulder to tell her clearly he knew what her body needed better than she would admit quickly silenced her. Blushing heatedly, Kagome rubbed her belly and released a nervous laugh. In truth, her stomach had been rumbling since early morning, but with everything happening, she had managed to forget. Not him though. He never let any detail escape him. Well…not most details.

 

A sly smile began lifting on her lips, breaking through her features flushed by embarrassment. “Wait. Don't tell me. You felt a draft and decided it was finally time to put some clothes on.”

 

At this, Sesshomaru turned back fully to face the young miko. He spread his arms to his sides, leaving nothing to hinder her view of his sculpted core or the way his chest flexed from the movement. His brow lifted minutely in challenge as he watched for her reaction, and his lips twitched in an attempt to smile his victory when her breathing became heavier and her scent thickened with sweet pulses of desire. “I was under the impression that you rather enjoyed the view, miko.”

 

Oh, she enjoyed it. She so enjoyed it. She enjoyed every inch of shifting muscle, every depression and rise, every stoke of crimson against the cool pallor of his skin, and every flash of silver as the light caught and shimmered in his hair. She enjoyed it. She enjoyed looking at him, enjoyed seeing the perfection of his chosen form. And she enjoyed the way that only by looking at him, by seeing his body, she could be reminded of how that body - crafted so flawlessly for the art of war - had been also that which had given her such unimaginable pleasure, that which had held her so securely with all the strength he possessed, and that which only hours ago had born the scars of his battle for her rights. She enjoyed it. She enjoyed it thoroughly.

 

But that didn't mean that she was going to let him know it. “It's okay to say that you're cold,” she told him coyly. “After all, you don't have fur in this form…” Her voice trailed off with the suggestion of something left to be said as she allowed her eyes to track downwards. “…Not as much at least,” she finished smugly.

 

A low thrum of appreciation began vibrating in Sesshomaru's throat. His bitch's bold play was highly stimulating, so much so that he wouldn't have needed any words to tell her as much. He began moving towards her, relishing the way her eyes were locked onto his body and knowing without doubt how it affected her to watch as he became aroused.

 

Kagome realized she was staring. She really did. But, as it seemed such a waste to not stare at such a delectable image, she continued doing so even as she swallowed thickly past the collection of drool in her mouth and forced herself to speak. “Weren't you…going somewhere?” She shivered faintly when he finally came to a stop in front of her, a part of her silently hoping that his answer would be no.

 

She was reluctant to look up; but when she finally did, when he saw the unbridled passion and lust darkening the sapphire of her eyes, he knew that so long as he was with her he would never have to feel the cold again. Because she was not of his kind, and she would never act outside of her desires or he calling of her heart. She gave of herself, not because it was required or because it was her place; she gave because it was in her to give, and because it was her desire to do so. And when she looked at him, he knew that it was him she was seeing. Not his title, not his position, not his power or wealth; just him. It was he that she desired, and to him that she gave herself.

 

He had once told her that he didn't think it was possible that she could love him. Perhaps he had believed it, or perhaps it was that he wanted her to believe it. She had come to him when it was impossible that she could. And he had let her in when it was forbidden to do so. Why had he done it? Why had she? The answer was in her eyes. She needed someone who could see her for all her remarkable qualities, just as he had needed someone who could see him as he was without the masks and titles and politics. But there was more - so much more that he wanted, that he needed. And he knew now that no other would ever be able to satisfy him.

 

Fortunately for Sesshomaru: he always got what he wanted.

 

“Is it your wish that I stay, Kagome?” How easy it was to make her blush. And in that simple reaction, it was nearly enough to make him forget his purpose and smile in appreciation at how beautiful she was when she did so.

 

“I didn't realize I had a choice.” And still she would play coy, trying to fake nonchalance even when it was so obvious what she really wanted.

 

“You do not.” He, however, though yearning for her sweet touch and burning passion, was far better practiced at being unaffected. “But I may take your request into consideration.”

 

That cocky little… Kagome was none pleased with his little game. She knew what he was doing. He was trying to make her give in and admit that she wanted him. She did, of course. But that wasn't the point. She could see, clearly, that while his tone was dispassionate he was far from being unaffected. And his eyes, where once she had seen nothing but frozen golden ice, she now saw every fleck of gold and every flash of the crimson tides; and she knew he wasn't being cold or trying to lay claims of power or dominance. No, this was his game, the reason he had chosen her - because he knew that she could resist his charms, and that only made him want her all the more.

 

Well, if he wanted to tease her, he was certainly welcome to try. But that would only make it that much more satisfying when she was the one to teach him that no one knows how to tease like a woman.

 

“It sounds to me like you might need a bit of convincing,” she drawled out, her voice thick and deep with seductive charm. She lifted her hands, running her fingers down his chest in a caress soft enough that even he was hard-pressed to suppress the shiver it provoked. She bit her lip, humming softly in pleasure as she watched the path of her hands slipping ever lower. But when she reached his waistline, a wicked smile pulled on her lips. “On second thought…” She pulled back, sending him a devilish wink just before she turned. “…Maybe I am hungry after all.”

 

She didn't make it very far. But then, she hadn't really been expecting to.

 

He grabbed her, taking her to the floor before she could have reacted. He was on top of her, his handling rough but never hurtful. The way he took her then, it was possessive, dominating. He was forcing himself into her, hard and deep and never relenting. Even the scraping pulls of her nails down his back didn't slow him, they only fueled his thrusts with more power and more force. He was controlling her, using his size and strength to move her as he wanted, to take her as he wanted. It was about power, and it was about control. It was a way of showing his dominance, and a way of punishing her for her insubordination.

 

It only lasted a few minutes, but that time was burned into her memory - a moment when the world stopped spinning so that he could take her completely. When it was over, he fell over her, his breathing harsh and labored and her body still trembling from the intensity of his need.

 

“Never…” His voice was ragged, the words forced to the surface through far more bestial undertones. “Never turn you back on me.”

 

He wasn't looking at her. His face was buried against her neck almost as though he couldn't. He was shaking, fitful contractions of muscle where held her; and it occurred to her how much restraint he forced on himself every time he was with her, how hard it was for him to deny centuries of experience and eons of instinct. It was impossible for her to know exactly what he was thinking, but there was a part of her that could feel it, that understood, as he did, the differences between them, and that in speaking only those few words, he was giving her more than he ever would have a female of his kind. He was telling her what she had done, and trying to explain his own actions.

 

It wasn't necessary that he do so, especially since she had provoked him purposefully; but she was grateful to him for it. He was thinking of her feelings, of her mortal emotions. And he was thinking that he might have made a mistake. He hated it. He hated himself for it. Because he should have been more controlled. Because he never made mistakes.

 

She smiled, her tight grip around his shoulders slipping until her arms were looped loosely around his neck. “Is that to be my punishment, my Lord?” she asked him softly. “Because if that is my punishment, then perhaps I should be bad more often.”

 

Kagome may not have been able to see him, but she swore she felt him smiling against her neck…Right before he decided to start cleaning her…with his tongue. A shrill shriek left her when she first felt the warm, wet appendage slipping in long draws along the length of her neck. She squirmed beneath him, trying, without success, to remove herself from the slobbery torture.

 

“Stop that, puppy!” she screamed in outrage. “I'm not your chew-toy!”

 

Her shouts did manage to get him away from her neck, but in pulling back, he licked his lips followed by the sharp length of his fangs as he faced her. “But you are so fun to play with, Kagome.”

 

Kagome opened her mouth to offer some witty retort, but was stopped short with the realization… “Did you just say `fun'?” Tilting her head back to get a better view of him, she stared in obvious confusion. “Fun?” she asked again. “Like fun fun? You mean to tell me that you actually know what fun is?” When his only response was the slight lifting of one silvery brow, Kagome's dubious suspicion turned quickly to outright disbelief. “Pft! Yeah right. You probably think beating up on Inuyasha is fun.”

 

Then, to her surprise, Sesshomaru released a low chuckle. “That is where you are wrong, miko. Beating Inuyasha Is fun.”

 

“Ha Ha. Very funny.” The sarcasm that dripped from her voice only partially concealed the resentment. She shifted uncomfortably beneath his weight, but when he gave her no room to get away from him she got angry. “Would you get off of me already!”

 

Sesshomaru tightened his hold. “No.” He wouldn't let her go just yet.

 

She had been phenomenal in her acceptance of recklessness. He had just reacted, putting her down to reassert his place with a misbehaving bitch. He knew she wasn't a true bitch. Over and over the knowledge was his. But knowing, a million times over knowing, still could not stop him from being and Inu. She knew it, and she had accepted it, accepted him. Not once did she struggle against him, not once did she ever fear. He had been rough with her, taken her without any kind of preparation, forced his way into her hot, tight passage. But she had moved with him. Even when he was forcing her legs to part, she was relaxing them and letting him do it. And even when it was over, still she played her games, still she would never truly submit.

 

She truly was remarkable.

 

She was glaring at him, her anger sharpening the glint in her eyes just as it tipped the currents of energy around her into sharp lances. What a vision she was when she was angry. She had been angry when they first met. She threatened him, wielded his own father fang against him. She had been a vision then, as well.

“Let me go.”

 

Her voice was hard, demanding. But still he refused. “Not until you admit that it is fun to beat Inuyasha.”

 

“What?!” Kagome was horrified by the insinuation. “Why on earth would I ever, EVER, want to beat up Inuyasha?! You're fucking nutz! Now get the hell off of me!”

 

She had taken to hitting her fists against his chest, and with every hit he could feel more and more of her power rising to the surface to aid her. But Sesshomaru could not be moved. He looked down at the struggling miko with a flat expression, cleared his throat, and spoke a single word.

 

“Sit.”

 

Immediately, Kagome's struggles ceased. But her anger was far from being abated. “What does that have to do with anything?” she questioned tersely.

 

Everything, and Sesshomaru was forcing himself to maintain his plaid expression. “Do you mean to tell me that you have never used the effect of your subjugation spell for no more purpose than your own amusement?”

 

“N…No…” Her lacking conviction was obvious even to her it seemed, but she quickly recovered herself. “Of course not! Inuyasha is my friend!”

 

With a slight rolling of his shoulders, Sesshomaru replied, “He is my brother.”

 

Kagome released a short huff of breath, and then sighed and rolled her eyes. She had lost this round and she knew it, had known it since he went and said that word. But somehow, knowing this didn't stop her from the urge to smile. “Fine, fine. You're a bully, I'm a bully. We're both bullies. Now, would you get off of me?”

 

“I am quite comfortable.”

 

“Sesshomaru.”

 

This time she was talking business. “Yes miko?”

 

Her eyes narrowed at his false innocence. It didn't suit him at all. “Get off.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Kagome didn't like that tone. In fact, she was learning quickly not to like any tone in Sesshomaru's voice. If he `toned' anything beyond his usual stoicism, it usually meant trouble. For her. Very, extremely, wonderfully pleasurable trouble. For her.

 

She actually moaned in anticipation when he closed the distance between them and took her lips with his own. He kissed her deeply, his tongue probing into her mouth and engaging with hers in a sultry dance of passion. All at once it seemed, she became aware of her body again; not his weight pressing down against it, but every tiny shift of his form that would rub his skin against hers and shift the connection they shared.

 

Her tiny whimper when his lips left hers was almost enough to call him back again without contest. But… “Do you still wish me to go, Kagome?”

 

He could see her indecision, feel it, as she was caught somewhere between pride and pleasure. She took a breath, holding it for a moment before finally giving him her answer. “Yes.”

 

And he would allow her this, because it was as it should be: her decision. He began pulling back, but she stopped him, her hands gripping tightly to his sides and pulling him back.

 

“No.” Her mind was changed when she felt the terrible emptiness left behind as he began to pull out of her. She wrapped herself around him, pulling him down to settle against her again. “Just give me a minute,” she pleaded softly. “Just…a minute.”

 

There was simply no denying her, not when she pleaded with him so. She could have asked him for eternity and he wouldn't have been able to deny her. So Sesshomaru settled himself comfortably back within the welcoming heat of his miko's embrace, nuzzling softly against her cheek to tell her with no words, only the tenderness of his touch, that he appreciated her need, her desire for him, and that there was no shame to give in to such desires, no way to loose in a game where they both were granted the prize of pleasure for it.

 

“Sesshomaru?”

 

Not stopping his gentle administrations, he responded to her softly spoken question. “Hn?”

 

“Do you really have to go?”

 

As much as he would have liked to say no, he knew his obligations would not wait forever. Pulling back from her neck only far enough to be looking at her when he gave his reply, he answered, “I will not be long,” He had no intention of leaving her for any length of time. There was still one very important question that needed to be answered, and he would dedicate all the time that was needed to have it be made in his favor.

 

“Then you should go.” No matter how much she would have liked to keep him all to herself, she knew better. He had already delayed for her sake, and she knew him well enough to know how much even that meant. She smiled for him. “I'll be here when you get back.”

 

And he kissed her, because there were no words that would be able to convey how it made him feel to know that he would return home, and that she would be there waiting for him.

 

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

 

I am so very sorry for taking so long to get back to this story. Life has been…hectic lately, and the muses simply would not cooperate. But, after finding a way around what I most disliked about this scene, I finally managed to punch out this chapter. There are two more still to come, and, hopefully, they won't be nearly as stubborn. Heh, you know, I think my biggest problem with bringing this story to its obvious conclusion is just that: It's obvious! Lol, I hate being obvious. I like twists and turns and mega-cliffies ;) They make me happy. But hey, every story needs its ending, right? So I'll keep on trucking until it's done.

 

So, Later Days

 

Shadow