Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Par Tout Autre Nom ❯ Behind Every Good Man ( Chapter 23 )

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: Ahhh… the time has come to talk of other things, so sayeth the walrus or something equally bizarre. -chuckles- Anyhow, this really, really is an important note…

It really has come to a point in the story for a split of sorts. The plot is talking to me and beating me over the head when I try to steer it down a different path, and it's just going to be easiest if I let it flow it's own way. But, given the (no doubt) varying ages of the audience and certain rules for the locations I have selected to post the story, the version on FF.N (although this chapter is still "R" and it won't effect all chapters), will be a slightly variation off the full, gory-details to retain its rating and abide by the laws of the site. Why? Because I'm a stickler for that kinda thing, even if I know it's one of those "nobody pays attention" back-and-forths. It's easier for me to post a cleaner (if slightly shorter) copy than reload the whole freaking thing.

SO! Mediaminer will have the original version of anything that I think may be a little questionable, and Fanfiction will have the safe-type posting. Please consider ratings seriously and responsibly (that can count as my little warning to be safe since the story has really been more PG-13 until now, but we're moving into more adult situations that definitely fit with the high rating…)

But now that that is out of the way, I'll take me nice moment to roll around in the reviews and giggle at how sweet and wonderful you all our. Gershon… I just have to mention you again, there are times I want to crawl through the computer and grab your mouth-er hands… heh… you know what I mean, but then I remember doing so would stop you from leaving me those beautiful reviews! -happy sounds- And to Sylvannastar for commiserating (and mocking) my moments of sniffling at the evil Youko muse who has seen fit to take up residence on my head. But I absolutely adore you all, my junkies, my darling repeats, and my new readers… -laughs and shakes head- Kazusa's never going to let me live this down. But reeeeally enough from me… so~ Enjoy! ^__^

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By Any Other Name

~Behind Every Good Man~

Something warm was brushing up along her spine.

The out of place sensation was slowly drawing her up out of the layers of blackness she had been enjoying for the night after the unpredictable stresses of the day before it, too rhythmic and patterned to be dismissed. She fought against the urge to wake stubbornly, muttering out a few half-hearted threats to whatever it was that was bringing her to consciousness before she was damn good and ready. Souta might not be able to beat her in a fight, but he had the advantage of knowing she wouldn't really hurt him, but when she'd jammed her thumbs into his ribs to stop the taunts falling from his mouth about her "boy kitsune," he'd started that high-pitched shrieking that never failed to give her a splitting headache in five minutes or less. Usually the lingering kind that was still manifesting itself in a dull ache that she was in no hurry to confront by leaving her slumbering state early.

Brat knows it too, she absently swatted behind her, doing her best to ignore the increasing pressure of that touch. Self-defense, my ass, he perfected that sound when we were kids just for me.

Apparently, whatever was prodding at her began to get impatient, and before she'd started to sink back down gratefully into her healing void, she could feel it take definite shape… fingers, sliding down over the curve of her hip just before giving her a quick pinch.

Kagome jolted with a yelp, breathing in sharply as her mind temporarily made an effort reoriented to her surroundings without opening her eyes. But then, just as quickly sliding back down into that dazed state just on the edge of sleep when her senses failed to bring her any threatening aura in her vicinity, "Do that again and you're going to lose those fingers. I'm tired, and I'm sure it's still dark out, so go entertain yourself away from me."

When she heard the low chuckle so close to her ear, Kagome let out an exasperated sigh even as the wave of anticipation flushed through her system, warring with the instant increase of her desire to escape the well-known path her subconscious had chosen to walk tonight, Oh god… I really do not need this kind of dream right now. I just have to "fall asleep" again, it'll all go away-

"You sleep like the dead, don't you, my beautiful little miko?" the soft words were barely a whisper, warm breath fanning over her neck to send a chill that had little to do with cold traveling down her spine. Something about the sound of his voice brought a faint murmuring to the back of her mind, instincts telling her that there was something she needed to rouse to deal with immediately, but it was just too much effort to reach for such things when she was still oddly fuzzy amidst the clarity of the memory.

And yet… amidst that clarity, the stirrings of unease faded away when she realized exactly what she was remembering, right down to the pattern of the shoji that came into focus when she convinced her eyes to finally open a bare slit. Her brow furrowed curiously, waiting for that stroke down her back to come again and let her center on the feel of her own flesh, sighing out a breath she hadn't known she was holding when it failed to brush against any irregularities in the skin. This was an older memory… from a time she dearly missed…

It had to be that kiss, Kagome squeezed her eyes shut again, trying to curl in on herself and ignore the warm body behind her. No one has… I never could… Damn him for making me remember.

"I was beginning to worry that I wouldn't wake you in time," he continued on, obviously completely unaware of her internal struggles to banish the images around her and retreat to the safety of oblivion.

"You got kicked out of bed again, didn't you?" Kagome muttered back sourly when she finally registered the amusement in his comment and gave into the push to participate. She felt a pang of guilt for taking out her frustration on her own dreams, but at the same time, it was a dream. She could vent to this version of Miroku without having to worry about hurting feelings, but she still let herself smile and soften her tone when she added to show she really didn't mind the disruption too much, "Hentai."

"Desire is the most simple honesty, Kagome," he returned loftily, the hand now identified as the "something" that had brought her up to the dream curving over her hip soothingly and giving her a light squeeze. "Don't tell me you have let yourself think otherwise?"

Kagome burrowed back under into the pillow Inuyasha had made for her in his efforts to mimic the comforts he recalled from her room to make her more at ease with a groan, Trust Miroku to say such things. She shook her head in exasperation and ignored that question for one of her own, "What time is it?"

"Late," he answered after a brief pause, the futon dipping as much as it could under the added weight when he moved to slide down beneath the blankets behind her. His right arm wrapped around her waist and tugged her backwards until she was snugly tucked up against him from shoulder to ankle, brushing his palm over her stomach before he settled for resting it flat below her navel, "After the creatures of evening have returned to their beds and before the rest have risen for the day."

"It's pretty damn obnoxious when you wax poetic at ungodly hours of the morning," she grumbled into the futon, but she was sighing as she let herself melt back into his warmth, the strength that radiated through her from the touch of skin on skin even as it more fiercely stirred that rational part of her mind she was struggling to ignore. "And why do you always have to wake me up when you crawl in here? You know you don't have to ask, but I really am tired. Can we try again tomorrow?"

Another long beat of silence had her brow starting to furrow at the divergence from the normal course of the dream, wondering why Miroku was hesitating so often at moments where his responses always seemed to roll off his lips with enviable ease no matter what time of the day or night, That's strange… he so quiet. And he feels so hot this time. Is this a fever dream? Ah shit, I hope I wasn't out in the rain that long, that's all I need-

The arm around her waist shifted, bringing his touch sliding back along the dip of her waist in a more purposeful way until he'd slipped it under her arm to close over her breast. Her body sent a tingling jolt straight to her stomach, reawakening urges and needs while the edges of her grogginess finally began to fade away under a more important and infinitely more enjoyable sensation, "I will undoubtedly remember your wishes for our future such nights, Kagome."

This is so unbelievably unfair, that part of her mind reserved for self-preservation started actively trying to prod her into actually waking up again when it became apparent she wasn't about to be given the chance to go back to sleep before this dream went in an entirely different direction. Those same teasing instincts that had served her so well since their appearance were warning her that there would be no stopping this from playing out if she didn't succeed before the dream could really get going. Fairly screaming at her to get out while it was weak, before her memories could fill her with thoughts and feelings better left buried back in the recesses of her subconscious where they had effectively lain dormant until a certain overconfident kitsune had gone and stirred them back up.

"I'm going back to sleep now," she informed him in what she hoped was a convincing voice, deftly removing his hand and lacing their fingers together before it could return to its favorite position.

"But there is so much time to be lost in the hours of sleep," his laughter skated along her senses as effectively as any caress, and she gave into the urge to kick her heel back against his shin when he stretched out languidly and nipped at her ear. Unfortunately for her, the little attack only served to heighten his laughter, encouraging him to slide his tongue soothingly over that light sting he'd just caused her.

"That's the point," she squeaked when his other arm slid underneath her, hooking her hip and giving her a pull to disrupt her sideline position. More of her tenuous hold on escape was pushed beyond her reach with a rushed exhalation when she fell forward enough that she was sprawled out on her stomach, the futon rustling and leaning with the change in his own position until she was certain he was propping his head up on his elbow to look down on his "handiwork."

Probably with that little "I win" smile on his face too, she blew out a sigh, still not quite ready to give up on her return to the lovely blackness of deeper sleep, even if it was to play out a warmer memory of her husband. It was still only a memory, and when it had faded away, she'd be left with nothing but her own body heat warming the covers and an ache in her body that she had no way to fill.

And a houseful of youkai who will know exactly what I'm thinking about.

Not to mention… something about this dream just felt… off.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" Kagome tried to convince her uncooperative mind to work to put her finger on the cause of the sensation when she felt him move. The warmth of his body hovered over her back, breath puffing between her shoulder blades when his mouth opened to press a slow, lingering kiss to the center of her back, touching the tip of his tongue to the skin and effortlessly scattering her every effort to the four winds.

"But I am `so clever,'" he mimicked her tone of voice just to hear her snort, bending his head to repeat the kiss the moment she had.

She could practically taste his smile when the tension melted out of her body, sprawling her out with a quiet moan that readily displayed her torn desires despite her best attempts to act unaffected, "You aren't going to settle down until you get your way, are you?"

Those lips spread into a delighted smile against her, the arm under her body tightening to lift her well enough that he could press himself against her snugly yet again, fingers drawing absent patterns low enough on her belly to make her try and curl in on herself with each pass. However, now she could feel a subtle change, a sort of confidence in the direction of those caresses that didn't fit even as the almost burning warmth of his skin against hers overwhelmed her senses, "No."

Why can't I tell I feel cold until he touches me? And why is it so hot now? Kagome's hands fisted beneath her, a part of her resenting the way she could respond so quickly to a fantasy. Even if it had happened once, had been real to her, she knew this wasn't real this time, so- Why can't I wake up?!

"I am singularly un-ignorable, you know," he purred against her ear, tracing her spine from her neck all the way down to her tailbone with the very tip of his pinkie.

The moment that observation registered, Kagome went perfectly still, Miroku… uses his forefinger when he does that.

Almost as though he'd sensed the way her thoughts were turning suspicious, one of his hands slid down the length of her arm until he was holding her hand down against the futon to prevent her from rolling over, breathing in deeply when he rested his cheek on her head, "Do you always smell as delicious as you taste?"

Tentatively she tugged at her hand, wary now in the light hold Miroku would always release for her, and feeling her heart start to race when the hand holding her uncharacteristically tightened, "I think… you should let go now."

"Why are you fighting me?" his voice was curious, but she could hear the teasing lilt in it easily even as she frowned at the actual words. "You know I can make your body burn, Kagome. Why won't you let me show you how it should feel?" he managed to disengage the fingers of the hand she had been unwittingly clutching, using them to gather the thick curtain of her hair and sweep it out of his way.

She could feel his eyes roaming her back, burning wherever they touched just as clearly as his hands while he did no more than rest on top of her with those charged words hanging in the air. Her confusion and unease grew when he shifted his position again, throwing one leg over both of hers before she could even tense to lift herself and look at the face of this person invading her dream, What's going on? That's… Miroku would never speak to me like that! It wasn't like that between us! He was never so aggressive-

"Shhh," the sound of his voice started to shift, wavering in the timbre until the mellow sound had twisted from the familiar pitch and dropped into something foreign. Something that poured through her like the purest sake Miroku had once stolen from Sesshoumaru's cellars and shared with them… all liquid fire numbing her mind and paralyzing her inhibitions before they could kick in as it skated along her heightened awareness with the precision of a blade's edge, "You have no reason to ever think I would bring you harm. You are… safe in my hands, my elusive little miko. Safe and treasured…"

"How did you get into my head?" Kagome hissed out the demand, trying to hold her body stiff when he brushed his chest against her back in the process of getting his mouth to her shoulder. Stop saying such things to me in such a serious tone, she bit back on that command with effort, somehow knowing that to make that demand would only fuel his odd behavior.

"You invited me," he answered calmly, letting her feel the ripple everywhere they were in contact as the image from her mind melted away, stretching and changing until her heart was skipping a beat at the way that body over her remolded itself. Taller, more defined, and infinitely stronger as he carefully repositioned himself across her as though aligning pieces of a puzzle, "Don't you remember?"

The only thing keeping her from going into a blind panic was her complete surety that the person behind her was in no way related to Naraku or the creatures of the past who haunted her nightmares in their search for power and blood… This person didn't vibrate that way, or exude anything she could call a truly evil aura, but she was still holding onto her control by the barest thread. Who would want to be in her mind when she was asleep if not someone from the past? More importantly-

"What do you want?" she voiced the thought as soon as it came to her, gritting her teeth against the desire to arch when his fingertip reversed to make the journey back up her spine with painstaking slowness.

He paused and she could feel his surprise bounce back through her before he let out a sigh and eased down until his body was fitted along hers in their new position, using the hand not restraining her to come forward and lightly grasp her chin. He tilted her face up just enough to stretch out her neck, stroking his thumb along her jaw and dropping his voice as he gave her a teasing nudge with his hips, "I was under the impression you already knew what lovers do when the shoji are closed for the night."

If he hadn't brought his chin to rest on her shoulder, the way that remark with his physical "illustration" made her head snap up likely would have done him some damage rather than bring out that melodic chuckle to vibrate through her again, "What?!"

"Am I wrong?" something glinted in her peripheral vision, a flash of white in the narrowing shadows as the vision around her began to shift and change, melting away until the only clarity was the futon… and the feel of the man holding her so very close.

Were those... fangs? Kagome's stomach lurched in a completely inappropriate fashion once she'd made that particular observation, widening her eyes as the mortified thought that she might indirectly give this youkai the slightest encouragement. She violently kicked herself when he made a satisfied sound, right back to nuzzling the side of her neck, Please don't be that kind of youkai… please don't sense-

"That's better," he somehow managed to work his hand down underneath her to splay his fingers wide on her stomach for just a moment until he inched them down to trace two fingers just above the line of her hair. The bold stroke effectively turned the chant in her head to a creative line of cursing she credited entirely to Inuyasha, "So stubborn… why are you still fighting when we both know that you want me to touch you?"

Well so much for that last piece of dignity, she would have drummed her fingers against the bedding if her hands had been free… or more accurately, if she hadn't been clenching them into fists with her efforts to stave of the inexplicable willingness to relax and listen to that beautiful voice. Or even worse, the urge to arch up and send those fingers the final distance down between her legs.

"Is it so horrible a thing?" she could feel him tilt his head curiously to one side, his eyelashes tickling the skin behind her ear when he moved to press a trail of kisses down the side of her neck again as the hand on her stomach began to gently knead. "To dream of me? Of the way it felt to let me make your blood burn?"

Kagome's eyes squeezed closed, clenching her jaw when some wicked little part of her mind that had grown tired of being silent began to poke at her, whispering to her about the foolishness of denying herself even in dreams. What was the harm in indulging in a little fantasy with her promises to the past fulfilled and her body in the present still uncomfortably alive from a kiss she could still taste on her tongue?

She tried to hold herself stiff when this dream youkai seemed to sense the way her resolve was wavering, full on taunting her by moving the hand on her stomach caressingly up to her ribs and back down while those roaming kisses began to slow. With her hair flung out casually across the pillows, there were no obstacles for the lick traveling up the center of her neck, his hand flexing to squeeze her fingers when her own curled in reflex and she pressed her hips down harder against the futon.

Damn it, Kagome, snap out of it! she hissed at herself furiously, even as she allowed her face to be moved again, this time being turned back just enough for him to cover her mouth with his own. This isn't a harmless dream to play around in… this is a youkai who invaded your head, who pretended to be Miroku to get you in this position, who- oh gods he feels good as Kurama. I just-ah! No. Now is not the time to do such things!

"Dreams are an echo of our waking desires, Kagome," he whispered against her lips, the hands on her suddenly tightening to flip her over onto her back, not giving her the warning or the time she needed to gather up a defense before he had covered her body with his own again. One leg shifted, pushing her knees farther apart to settle between her legs, making certain he was resting in the most inflammatory position he could manage without actually fitting them together. Once his place was assured, both hands slid up her ribs, giving off an aura that he was drinking in every inch of her before they finished their journey at the sides of her head and sunk into her hair, "They show us the things we try and stop ourselves from feeling when we think too much."

Kagome's eyes snapped open, startled and blinking furiously when she found their surroundings had changed, shrouded in a darkness that hid his face from her, "What-?"

"But even in your dreams you are trying to think too much, aren't you?" he cut her off smoothly, letting out a deep sigh of relish when his weight shifted against her and caused the most delicious friction. Made even better by the telltale slickness that made the next glide against her so much easier and prodded him to taunt, "I can feel you, you know… I can feel how much you want me."

Kagome could have cried at the accusation, her hands coming up with every intention of shoving him away from her even if it meant using purification. And yet… the moment her hands touched his sides, they betrayed her. Fingers softened, and against her attempts to tell herself not to, she found herself curiously tracing the lines of muscle around to his back, This is wrong, this is stupid, this is-

She could feel his hair brush across her shoulder when he moved, trailing open-mouthed kisses to her ear so he could be certain she felt him whisper, "Where's the harm in letting yourself have a fantasy? In dreaming?"

Kagome swallowed hard, unaware of the way her fingers dug into his back or the way she moved to brush her thighs against his hips in encouragement, keeping him in place to be sure the next teasing stroke ran right against the tangled nerves causing that gnawing hunger in her soul, "Because I shouldn't be dreaming of you."

He let out a snort, removing one hand from her hair to slide it under her backside and pull her up against him harder, waiting for the gasp of realization when he showed her just how easy it would be to go from rubbing against her to being inside her until he answered, "You should be dreaming only of me."

Only? her head fell back, breathing out a shaky sigh when he seemed to lose interest in talking for a moment and went back to nibbling down her throat just hard enough to make her skin tingle. But it was still not enough to distract her from that increasingly insistent rocking, Oh gods… how does he know how to do this to me? Why can't I stop him? Do I-? Is he telling the truth? This is my dream?

"I won't stop you if you want to touch me," he urged her softly, laughter still coloring his voice as he rubbed his cheek against hers in a show of affection. "Aren't you curious to see what your soul is craving? What your dreams are telling you?"

Something about the way he spoke made it almost seem like a challenge, a taunt that she was afraid of her own mind that twinged across her pride just enough to draw her focus completely away from any lingering efforts to kick them both out of this dream. In the safety of the enveloping darkness and the sense that his face was again hidden against her throat, she could feel her brows draw together in irritation, I don't believe it… I'm dreaming of a youkai who just mocked me in my own head about a twisted dream?

Her eyebrow twitched, biting down on a new moan that tried to escape when he took the muscle of her shoulder in his teeth a bit more firmly than before, Screw it… there's no way I wouldn't have felt an attack on my mind that would take this much power or not be able to sense if this really was a youkai. And I'm not about to let a figment of my imagination make fun of me this way.

Kagome waited for him to start rubbing against her again before her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, both hands turning to grip his shoulders as she ground her body up against him hard enough that it made even her cry out sharply with the violent whiplash of sensations.

The first indication that she managed to surprise him was the way that body pressed so intimately against her own went rigid, his breath catching in his throat noticeably enough to bring the twist of a smirk to her lips once her own thoughts collected. Her hand moved up to fist in his hair almost before she realized it had moved, glorying in that inhumanly silky texture she loved so much as she bent to hiss back at him, "Don't think I don't know how to handle the things that haunt my thoughts, and don't ever think I'm afraid of them. I know my body as well as I know my mind."

Another flash in the darkness when she allowed him to raise his head, letting her verify that she had indeed put fangs onto her mysterious partner for this fantasy, "Is that so?"

Kagome nodded, unaware of if he could actually see it or not, "I can always purify you out of my head. Dirty thoughts, and all. It could work." Even if Sesshoumaru would kick my ass for turning a purification in on myself like that…

A bark of delighted laughter answered the threat, and he'd kissed the tip of her nose before she could do more than open her mouth to scold the new sound of amusement, "Ah, little miko… perhaps you could, but where would the fun be in removing me from your thoughts when you put me here in the first place?"

So maybe it really is all me, Kagome couldn't help that thought with a faint sigh of long suffering when she sensed his head tipping to one side, tasting the almost boyish grin that had to be gracing his face. It's like a weird version of Miroku…with fangs. And the hair… and the- ah hell, Shippou's right. I really am a freak.

He cleared his throat suggestively, moving his head to remind her that she hadn't yet released the fistful of his hair, "Don't stop now that you've shown me how very eager you are for my body. You are thinking when you should be touching me."

A freak with an impatient, perverted libido, she corrected herself even as that mouth was back on hers, lips parted and demanding she respond to him with a hint of… irritation? He was angry that she wasn't paying attention? Oh gods, what's wrong with my head if this is what I come up with for my first fantasy in years?

But even as she had the strange urge to laugh at herself, first for being so paranoid and second for the actual image she'd created to play with, her body was sinking back into the bedding as she felt her arm draw him closer, It is a dream… what could it hurt?

The moment Kagome stopped holding herself away from him, actually leaned up into the kiss with her hands pulling at him and her mouth opening for his attentions, his entire demeanor changed. Arms wound tightly around her back, almost enough to drive the air from her lungs to be drawn into his greedy mouth while her back arched at a severe angle to flatten her breasts against him. His hips pinned her own down against the futon, grinding against her mindlessly even as his head angled and that kiss turned into something that very nearly scalded her mind.

Kagome's eyes went wide for a split second in stunned amazement before they were slipping closed again, an almost helpless whine being swallowed by his mouth with still more of her breath when she instinctively tried to get even closer.

This was not the way she was used to.

Kagome could feel her heart start to race, body trembling when she felt his fingers grow claws, the tips digging lightly into her skin as he seemed to come back to himself, rocking against her more carefully with a growling sound of satisfaction. Her head fell back against the pillow with a startled gasp when he finally released her mouth, sliding down her body with all the confidence in the world to nip here and there before soothing the spots with a puff of air or a pass of his tongue.

He rubbed his nose against the side of her breast, trailing his tongue just below the nipple and smirking when she moved restlessly beneath him, trying to second-guess his direction and trick him into contacting that passion-hardened flesh. She vaguely heard him make a tsking sound before she felt one of those lean-fingered hands come up to brush his thumb over the very tip of one nipple. She had opened her mouth to beg when the hand quite abruptly gripped the breast he'd been teasing just short of being rough and he finally closed his mouth over the peak.

Her hands had sunk back into his hair again, tightening instinctively to hold him close as her thoughts struggled to right themselves and process just where she could have possibly come up with this- this kind of feeling. She could hear him murmuring to her when he drew back with a final soothing lick, but it was impossible to make out the actual words with the way her blood was rushing in her ears or the way her breath seemed to gasp out impossibly loud in the stillness around them. She couldn't even work up the urge to be irritated when she felt his lips split in a smug smile against her heart, instead reworking her legs higher to grip around his waist and pull him down at the same time she rolled her hips up in a slow, perfectly controlled motion.

He was chuckling again, but this time there was an edge to it, dark and full of promise as his hand released her breast to find one of her wrists again and shove it down beside her head. She could feel him rear up, pinning her down with the weight of his lower body while that other hand fisted in the hair at the back of her head and tilted it back until her eyes opened to see the flash of green and gold as the darkness pulled away to show her his silhouette.

That's-!? Kagome's mouth fell open, the shout of stunned accusation hovering on her lips only to be devoured when he dipped his head to treat her to another of those absolutely bone-melting kisses. Especially when he coupled those talented lips with the purposefully teasing glide of his body along hers until he was poised at the entrance to her body, holding himself impossibly still despite her unconscious attempt to drag him down.

Kagome sucked a deep gasp of air into her burning lungs when he reluctantly drew back, his eyes gleaming down at her with almost frightening intensity as his fingers smoothed her hair and slipped around to caress her cheek. He'd hooked one finger under her chin, pushing slightly to tilt it up until he was completely certain she was lost in his eyes before he dropped his voice to that low, silky whisper that seemed to seep into every corner of her soul.

"Do you love me yet, honey?"

~*~*~*~

Kagome shot up in bed, gripping her heart and gasping under the wave of heat that flushed through her body even as her mind registered the brush of cool night air against her sweat-dampened skin. She sat panting in the dark, lifting a badly shaking hand to rake through her hair impatiently and shove the mass back out of her face with more force than was really necessary.

Her eyes closed, bringing both hands down flat in front of her as she bit down hard on her lip and tried unsuccessfully to banish the pulsing ache that filled every part of her body.

"Shit," Kagome hissed out, trying not to give into the self-deprecating laugh when even her voice wavered and cracked on that single word, no amount of effort convincing her nerves to settle back into dormancy. There is no chance in hell I'm getting back to sleep after that…

Shaking her head, she started to turn with every intention of taking a long shower when she felt something tighten and restrict that simple move. Startled, her eyes flew open with a flash and she stared down with renewed focus and disbelief at the delicate vines she could see wrapped around and around her body through the twisted blankets. Her mouth slowly dropped open, brows lifting as she belatedly felt the youki twisting and spiking thickly in the air around her.

With a growl of frustration, she twisted around and just as quickly fell over with a cry of surprise when she found the bloom of her little plant open wide and glowing deep violet as it pulsed rhythmically right beside her head. Unfortunately that was enough to upset her balance and send her tumbling off the edge of the bed, only to stop before she hit the cold bamboo when the vines tightened and held her suspended.

The rose slithered forward, tilting to one side and "smiling" at her in the darkness when a blistering string of curses finally erupted from her mouth, helping her right herself to her own two feet but keeping its hold when her knees tried to buckle.

"This is your fault!" Kagome finally recovered enough to point at the rose accusingly, sinking both hands into her hair with a sound of impatience when she noted the shaking hadn't decreased in the slightest. "Wait… no, that's wrong. Kurama. Kurama gave you to me… Did Kurama give me that dream?"

Somewhere in her mind, she realized how silly it was to be hissing this conversation at a flower, even if the flower did have a rather defined youki and had proven intelligence to some extent. But when it separated another little vine and tapped at her heart before giving her its version of a shrug, she wanted badly to just throttle the thing.

Kagome took a deep breath to resist the urge, sitting on the edge of the bed when it gave her a tug in that direction and seemed to chitter at her, as though scolding her for standing when it could feel the weakness in her legs, "He did, didn't he? You're some sort of weird sex-dream plant thing, and he left you for Shippou to bring to me so you could do that!"

The rose snorted, slowly unwinding the vines from around her to slide back up to its usual place in her hair as it tried to soothe her with long, comforting strokes. For a moment it seemed to tilt as though considering something… or hearing something she couldn't before it nodded and rubbed under her chin.

"You're talking to him, aren't you?" Kagome groaned and dropped her head into her hands. "Does he know I dreamed… that?"

In answer, it curled back up into a bud and squirmed under her hands to poke the end of her nose with a sound that was oddly reminiscent of a child's kiss.

"Then tell him I'm going to kill him."

It patted her on the back, making a soft sound of comfort while the retracting vines rejoined and curled around her throat, giving off the vibration that it wanted to reassure her that everything was okay. After all it was normal to be thinking such things for someone as beautiful and talented as Kurama, and she had already shown that she didn't mind kissing him, and-

"Stop that!" Kagome hissed out furiously, reaching up and gripping the vines as she took a deep breath to temper her own reaction. Damn, I have to take responsibility… He's right; I practically invited him in. I let this thing wrap around me and draw off of me… That's why I couldn't feel him, I was feeding him the power to work.

The rose continued to pat her, making a little grumbling sound that had her covering her eyes with one hand and gritting out, "Tell him to stop passing on images for tonight or I swear to whatever gods he likes worshipping in that evil brain of his that the next time I see him, I'll rip out his intestines and hang him off the nearest tree."

And now it's laughing at me… Just lovely, she could have cried, body still wound up with unbearable frustration while this rose continued to pass along the torturous heat from that damn kitsune's imagination, making her body ache and pulse.

"I am going to shower… and you are going to stay here so that I don't have to know he's laughing at me, do I make myself clear?" Kagome clenched her jaw, waiting until the rose had obediently untangled and curled up on her pillow like a little snake, clucking at her in what she translated with its renewed impressions to a warning not to be gone too long.

Kagome leaned over, cupping the bud in her hand and focusing on it seriously to be certain it really was passing along its "reports" to her so-called dream lover before she whispered out, "If I start understanding this plant any more, Kurama, I'm going to maim you in a way that will make it difficult to act on your perverted little fantasies for at least a century. Now stop encouraging whatever this thing is to put your thoughts in my head or I'll let Sesshoumaru kill it when he sees it."

Again that bud stretched up and "kissed" her nose before nodding and lying back down, but not before she felt the youki around it swell as a whisper echoed clear as day in her head, You're very sexy when you're threatening me.

She turned on her heel and stalked out as regally as she could manage with her legs still refusing to work properly for her, gritting her teeth to tune out the wheezing laughter behind her and the deeper, more seductive murmur that had yet to cease it's run through her consciousness.

Do you love me yet?

~*~*~*~

Kurama abruptly snapped back to himself with a strangled shout, barely catching himself on his forearms against the slick tiled wall of Yuusuke's shower before he pitched forward and managed to hit his head. His muscles spasmed against the twining vines of his roses, feeling too tight beneath his skin as he panted under the rivulets of steaming water, fighting to come down from the painful arousal as that water slid over his body like a lover's fingers-

YOUKO!! he snarled out furiously, clenching his jaw so hard it was a wonder he didn't shatter the bones.

`What? I think that went rather well, don't you?' Youko was full-on preening, nose up and grooming his hair with extreme precision as he answered his other side's warning tone.

You said we were going to look for the answer to our suspicions in her subconscious! Kurama reminded him in a low growl, shuddering with the effects of the unfulfilled and practically savage desires pounding in their veins.

`And we did.'

You almost had sex with her right there!

`I have remarkable restraint, don't I?' his smile turned predatory, lifting a hand to slide his tongue over the tips of his fingers and taste the sweat clinging to the skin. `She wouldn't have stopped us if you hadn't insisted on backing out and letting her mind go like that. Although it was surprising how strong the net was… I don't think I've ever been able to ensnare someone so completely as-`

Youko, you're rambling, Kurama took a deep, shuddering breath, closing his eyes and leaning forward to rest his forehead on the cooler wall of the shower as he fought his own battle for control of their resisting body, curiously reaching down and shuddering at the white flash that rushed through him when he brushed his palm over the length of his erection.

`I am not, I'm merely observing!' he sounded insulted at the implication, but recovered to try and encourage him to repeat that satisfying stroke with more seriousness, or to let him take over and finish cleaning them up since he was obviously too distracted to handle it himself. `It shouldn't have been so strong a connection. Even we were drawn into it completely, and that's never happened before.'

It could just be that she really is as weak as she claims to be, even if she is the reincarnated wife of that monk, Kurama pointed out, shaking his head as he finally gave in to Youko, giving him enough control to speed along their recovery. It was definitely one of his better points about having a side like him, Youko could shake off sexual frustration with admirable ease and recover their strength so rapidly when he actually wanted to, Aren't you the one who went off about how hard it is to escape kitsune seduction?

`Kitsune seduction, yes, but the function of that particular rose is just to make a net so we can pass along what we want her dreaming of,' Youko instructed patiently, his tone full of calculation and lingering curiosity. `We should have been directing and watching it play out, but we were there, not just echoing. That's never happened before.'

But you're not upset over it.

`Oh hell no! What gave you that idea?' Youko's brows rose in amazement at that. `This way was so much more fun!'

Kurama groaned, mechanically reaching for the shampoo Youko had deemed appropriate to use on their hair and worked it into a lather, trying to use the simple motion to take his mind off the dream-inspired lusts the kitsune was still letting curl sinuously through their body, Youko-

`What? I like feeling it.'

It's making it difficult for me to think, he pointed out, tilting his head back to rinse the soap from his hair.

`There are certain times of the day when it's perfectly natural to want to think only of our pretty lover and the fun we're going to have when she's in this shower with us,' Youko sighed and gave the impression of flopping over on his back, trailing his claws slowly down over his own chest with a twisted smile. `The more we touch her mind and her body, Kurama, the more I like her. Did you feel her? Whoever her lover was before didn't teach her the right way, she was surprised at what we-`

Youko, please! Can I at least finish and get us to where we can sit down before you start picking apart what we just did? he demanded impatiently, having to reach out and brace his hand against the wall again when the renewed jolt of lust made his balance waver.

`Ch… human failings,' Youko snorted and flicked a hand, taking over with a sort of clinical efficiency before he reached for the conditioner and took great pains in making sure he'd treated every last strand. `How many times do I have to tell you that we should be using this to make us stronger? Gods, Kurama, can't you feel that energy we just pulled out of her?'

Youko, if you were taking in her life energy during that dream, so help me- Kurama hissed out at him despite his allowance for physical control.

`So help you, what? You'll strangle yourself and hope I can feel it?' Youko smirked as he lazily slid the soap across their chest the same way he'd trailed his claws over their soul only moments before. `I'll take over as soon as you pass out and I won't let you wake up until after I've had sex with Kagome at least twice. Then I might let you watch.'

You aren't in control enough for that, so stop posturing at me, Kurama sighed and rolled his eyes, shivering to the depths of their being at the way Youko was purposefully teasing their hypersensitive skin. Neither of us can win against the other, we both know it.

`Indeed, so stop acting like you can threaten me just for taking a little taste,' he closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he let his memory fill their senses with that faint scent he'd managed to take in from her body. `I want to drink in everything about her, Kurama, and so do you. So help me, I'm not going to let your inhibitions stop us from experiencing our miko in every possible way.'

Slowly! Kurama shot back at him. Gods, Youko, slowly! If we rush it, we'll scare her, and she has enough youkai around her to make taking her away more than a little obnoxious.

Youko made an impatient nose, twisting sensuously under the water just to get Kurama hissing while he made an absent gesture with his hand to reverse the vines of his roses and carefully tuck the seed back into his hair as he rinsed off, `You felt her react when we touched her, Kurama. She's ready to give into us, we just have to be aggressive and show her that. If you back off you'll give her time to get confused, or worse, give that damn Sesshoumaru time to make her doubt her feelings. She wants to be ours.'

We just have to show her? Kurama returned dryly, swallowing hard and trying to count down his temper and quell the need to snarl at Youko for behaving so irritatingly arrogant to himself.

`Absolutely! You felt it too, I know you did,' he sighed happily as he turned off the water and stepped out, wrapping the towel around their waist in case Yuusuke's children were still awake before crossing the hall to their room. `She was crying for us.'

She wants to kill me, he pointed out, smacking himself in the head when Youko flopped over on Hiei's bed before grasping their hair in both hands and wringing out the excess water.

`She's just embarrassed,' Youko waved that off with a toss of his head that managed to fling even more water up across the pillows. `Once she knows there's nothing to worry about, she'll settle down. Besides, if she tries to throw us again, we can just twist around to be sure she's on the bottom and then we'll start with the shir-`

Gods, Youko, how many ways do you have to start a sexual fantasy?

There was a silent moment where the kitsune blinked, cocking his head to one side and asking curiously, `The short list or the long one?'

How has our head not exploded again? Kurama rubbed at his temples, breathing out a sigh of relief when Youko finally got off the hybrid's bed to flop over naked on their own. Clothes? Youko, you forgot-

`Why put them on when I'm just going to have to change them again?' something about the way he said that sent shivers down Kurama's spine, and before he could let his morbid curiosity get the better of him, he felt him drag one of their hands across their abdomen with meaningful slowness.

Youko, Kurama started to drawl out, trying to sit up when he was stalled by a shake of their head. We have other things to be concerned with right now. We have to make plans for tomorrow, prepare for the meeting with Sesshoumaru, we-

`Relax, Kurama…' Youko's low chuckle stopped the almost panicked rambling, propping himself up on his elbow as his eyes gleamed brightly in the darkness before they slipped closed and he changed the path of his hand. He let out a deep sigh as his fingers curled around their straining flesh with expert care as he pulled them both down into reliving their very recently made memory, `Remember? I'm good at this.'