InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Windows on the West ❯ A Courting We Will Go ( Chapter 45 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer:  I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

~oOo~

Some untold amount of time passed between the newly minted couple, full of heated kisses and caresses and incoherent and loving murmurs, before Kagome finally asked a question that awoke Sesshoumaru from his passionate daze.

Comfortably settled in his lap, she rested her palm against his heart, glad his armor was gone.  “Sesshoumaru?  Umm... what happens now?”  she asked softly, a blush evident on her cheeks.

“Whatever we wish.  Courting is mostly left up to the male involved.  There are only two things that are required of all courting couples, one of which is the gift of clothing bearing his crest,”  he said, as he reached up and fingered the edge of her qipao that stated just who she now belonged to.

“Oh,”  she nodded.  “What's the second thing that's required?”

“That... is something that I must consider, and it is to be a surprise, so I cannot tell you.  But I do not plan to make this too quick.”  He looked at her solemnly.  “I wish to move slowly, and with purpose, rather than quickly, and with thoughts of only one thing,”  he finished, and Kagome flushed even deeper as she caught his meaning.  “I do not wish you to think I desire only one thing from you, as many males do.  I wish to engage all of you, heart, mind, soul, and body... and I am willing to take my time to do so.”

Kagome melted all over at that declaration, and her eyes softened as she smiled at him.  “I'll tell you a secret, Sesshoumaru,”  she whispered as she stared up at him.  “You've already got all of that... but if you want to move slowly, then I won't push you.  I appreciate the thought, actually... I think it's going to take a little bit of time to let this all settle, and to believe it's really true,”  she finished shyly.  

He canted his head at her, a little surprised.  “Why is it that you find this hard to believe?”  he asked.

She sighed, and looked down at her lap, thinking about it.  Why is it so hard to believe?  It's not like everyone hasn't noticed that he's changed, but... “I suppose that it's because you hated anything human for so long – and even though you obviously have changed to an extent, acceptance of a person's race, isn't necessarily saying that you would want to be with them.  That's a whole different story than just acceptance.”

“Hn.”  He considered her words, his eyes thoughtful.  “It is true that acceptance is different... to accept a person's race only goes so far.  In order for... feelings to become involved, one must move past acceptance to forgetting that they are even anything different than you are.  To me, now, you are not human, and I am not youkai – you are simply female, and I am male, and I want you.  But there is yet plenty of time to accustom yourself to this, Kagome.”

A contented smile on her face as she took in the words that showed he understood her, and that he truly didn't care any longer about their differences, she snuggled into his chest, and just enjoyed the feel of his warmth wrapping around her as his fingers drifted through her hair.

Sesshoumaru, more contented himself than he ever remembered being, let his thoughts drift...

“Father, what is the purpose of this discussion?”  a younger Sesshoumaru impatiently asked, a frown on his face.  He hadn't been at all interested in the lesson his sire was trying to impart to him.

“It is something that all males must know, Sesshoumaru,”  his father had replied.  “It is part of being a youkai male of breeding and responsibility.  Your station requires a certain way of doing things, and you must not disrespect that, ever.  You have reached an age for mating, and so must understand what will be expected of you should you choose a female.”

“I have no interest in such,” he remembered replying, his voice cold and irritated at having to listen to such drivel.  “My only interest is in conquest, and females would only be in the way.”

His father had laughed at him.  “That, my son, is because you are still young, though physically of an age to mate, mentally, you are not ready.  Still, there will come a day when you will need the information I am about to give to you, conquest or not.  After all... you will eventually need an heir, correct?”

He had considered his father's words, and reluctantly accepted that he was correct.  But courting was still foolish – once he ruled, he would simply choose the most powerful female and sire an heir on her, then be done with it.  He knew, though, that his father would not care to hear that, and resigned himself to listening to the - in his eyes, totally useless - information he was about to receive.

You were right, father... again, he thought with a bit of annoyance at that thought.  He hated to admit to the fact that he'd been the one that had been so wrong about so many things in life.  But as he looked back down at the woman curled around him so sweetly, he found he couldn't maintain that annoyance.  

No... instead, he was grateful that his father had been correct.

His way was so much better than anything, he, Sesshoumaru, would have ended up with had he followed his own beliefs.

He felt a surge of respect for his father that he hadn't felt in centuries – ever since he'd lost so much of it when his father had taken Izayoi.  I cannot any longer maintain my anger at his choices.  That would be hypocritical.  I was simply too young to understand his need for something different than my mother was capable of giving him.  I, however, will not make the same mistake that he did, courting and mating a female that couldn't give him what he needed, and being forced to take a mistress to gain warmth in his life.

No... I will never take a mistress or concubine to my bed.  I will have only one lover, just as I expect her to cleave only to me.  She is everything I need, and I have no desire to take another over her.

He pulled her closer at that thought for a moment, and then sighed, loosening his hold and encouraging her to sit up.  When she looked up at him questioningly, he kissed her softly once more, and then stood, pulling them both up easily, and set her down on her feet.

“It is time to return to the others, Kagome,”  he said, and she nodded.

“Okay, Sesshoumaru-sama.”  She started to move, but he gripped her shoulders for a moment, a slight frown on his face.  

“There should be no such formality between us, Kagome,”  he said reprovingly.

She blinked.  “Oh!  I'm sorry... it's just habit, I suppose,”  she replied ruefully, and then her expression became thoughtful.  “Um... I forgot to ask, but, is there anything that is expected of me in courting?  Anything I'm supposed to do?”

He shook his head slowly.  “Nothing more than you do already.”  When she tilted her head questioningly, he elaborated.  “You already take care of this one as a wife would.  Nothing more is required of you, since you have already proven yourself as a fit mate.  I must now prove myself to you.”

“Really?”  she asked, taking that in.  How different from the human way!  Males only did the things they did when dating a woman to get what they wanted, and then they usually left her, and moved on to the next.  Even when they were actually serious, it was more about getting what they wanted out of the woman, and not really about her.  And here, in this era, it was totally different.  Most marriages were simple political alliances, and the woman had no choice, so there was no need for such a thing as courting.

“It is different than the human way, is it not?”  he asked.

Nodding, she smiled at him.  “Sort of.  In my era, courting is called dating, but even then, you pretty much know the guy is after only one thing, and once he gets it, there's no way to know if he'll stick around or not.  I know that here women don't even have that much – they are simply sold off by father's or brother's to their allies or friends for political gain.”

He slid his hands down her arms in a soft caress, then let her go to lead her back to their camp.  After a moment, he spoke again, and Kagome couldn't help the surge of love and giddy happiness she felt at his words.

“You are worth far more than that, and this one plans to make you perfectly aware of just how much more.  When the time comes for us to consummate the relationship, you will be fully convinced of the value you hold to this Sesshoumaru.”

A demure smile crossed her lips at that.  

And you, too, Sesshoumaru.  You'll know just how much I love you by the time this courting is over, too.

I promise.

~oOo~

A/N:  Anyone choking on the fluff yet?  I hope so... I tried hard enough.  And now I've got to go brush my teeth – my jaw fricken' aches!

Amber


Converting /tmp/phpbe6yYk to /dev/stdout