Send Noods! by ECCougar

Send Noods!

Two Weeks Ago...

"Okay, so the way this weird little box thing works it takes a picture which is like a drawing of the present only its the present and you can send this thing to other people." 

Listening to Inuyasha explain what cell phone was and how it worked was fun. Kagome didn't stop him, enjoying the story like it was a game of charades. Nobody knew quite what the hell he was talking about and everyone was guessing how it worked. Hilarious! Sango and Miroku were just as animated as Inuyasha was, asking questions about what magic it was, how fast it worked, what kind of pictures you took. Shippou had begun asking how the pictures worked.

"Do they have pretty colors? How do they get the colors on it?" He dogged Inuyasha for details.

He had gone with her the last time she was home to go buy some basics for traveling when they had run into her gaggle of girlfriends who were delighted to see the hanyou in his hat. They insisted on taking pictures with Eri's new phone, a birthday gift from her family. It had a beautiful high definition camera built into it, and took the greatest photos, she gushed. The group had gone to Wacdonalds and ordered fries and burgers, going into a photo frenzy. Inuyasha was fascinated at first, seeing his image on the screen of the new phone. When they were done eating, they carried the frenzy on in the local park, goading Inuyasha to pose and do all kinds of silly things. 

Then it got awkward. 

"You're so handsome! I bet you send nudes to everyone!" Ayumi teased. Inuyasha had blinked at her. 

"What the hell is a nood?"

Ayumi traded a surprised glance with Yuka, both girls giggled feverishly.

"Like, a naked picture! A nude!" Eri explained. Inuyasha turned ten shades of red.

"Why the hell would I do somethin' like that?!" he had flustered, the mood for photos ruined now. "Come on Kagome, we need to go shoppin anyway. Lets go!"

Once they had parted ways with the girls he had huffed in embarassment.

"Your friends are gross and weird." He grumbled. "Nudes. Thought they were saying noodles or somethin. Speaking of which, we need more of the ninja noodles for back home."

Present...

Kagome laughed again as she thought about the whole conversation. 

"Have you told them about the... Noodles..?" Kagome cackled, arms at her sides. Sango and Miroku smirked at one another, confused but based on the deep blush it produced over Inuyasha's face knew it would be a hilarious story. 

"Noodles? Like Ninja food?" Shippou asked. Inuyasha swiftly bopped the kit on the head.

"This isn't a conversation for little kids. Go lay down, its time for bed anyway." He huffed. He turned to the other two who awaited an explanation.

"Sooooo, noodles?" Miroku lead. Inuyahsa leaned toward the other two.

"Apparently, if you have one of these things, the girls can take pictures of nudes." 

"Noods... Noodles?" Sango asked again. "What?"

"No! Like.. Nude. Uhhhh... Naked. I guess." Inuyasha stumbled. Miroku looked delighted and Sango looked disgusted. 

"So who are they making nude pictures of?"

Kagome was laughing so hard at this point she was waving them off. She was gonna die by the end of this conversation, and was so pleased Sesshoumaru wasn't present for this. He would probably be disgusted by the lewd direction it was taking. Then again, he'd surprised her before. 

"No, no," she gasped "They can take pictures of themselves nude. Some girls do it for their boyfriends, and boys usually do it to impress girls they like."

"Ahhhh, I see." Miroku nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully with a pervy glimmer in his eye. "The future sounds like a marvelous place... Yes a marvelous place of wonder!" 

Kagome winced for Miroku as Sango elbowed him.

"You're disgusting. Get your mind out of the swamp."

"But Sango, wouldn't you love a painting of me in the nude? Would it impress you at all, darling? Something to look fondly on and -" his train of thought was interrupted by Sango, who had since chopped him in the throat. She was blushing just as furiously as Inuyasha by now, so Kagome did have to wonder if she was imagining it. Succumbing to another fit of giggling she shook her head and settled in for the evening with Shippou in her arms. If she was right, Sesshoumaru would return from his travels and meet up with them on the road tomorrow.

Ever since they had collected the Shikon and torn Naraku a new one, she had continued traveling the countryside, only with less fervor. Her studies had picked up, and she'd decided once and for all that she would look into history majors for college. With the well being an infinite source of accurate history to preserve, she'd be able to represent history in real time. It was exciting when she considered it. Inuyasha had found it boring, and didn't understand why she had any reason to go back to the future other than family. High school was nearing its end, and she really did want to be of use to the future the way she was in the past. 

She and Inuyasha truly respected one another. Heartbreaking as it was, they had exhausted the romance road, beaten the dead horse longer than it should have, and at the end of it all, Kagome just... They just had nothing in common but the past. While there was deep love, both of them had decided not to sully their friendship with something like romance. 

Inuyasha's brother on the other hand, inspired passion. There were no big-brother-esque qualities that gave her pause to think about him in the most carnal forms imaginable, and the only thing that made her hesitate was his distaste for humans. He'd been more lax with his ward, and occasionally dropped the girl by at Rin's request. If not for the little girl, they'd have no contact, of that Kagome was sure. Long story short, somehow she had enticed the demon lord into a physical relationship. Whether or not the taiyoukai had feelings of any sort, she'd never know. For now she was content to be where she was. Study for finals, graduate high school (later than her other friends, but nothing was ever too late) find a major, graduate college, and preserve the historic Sengoku Jidai the best way she knew how. 

Shippou shifted in her arms, and she kissed the back of his head lovingly. It was the best part of her life, this past. She drifted asleep, hopeful about the future.

~*~

When she woke, there was a calming scent that reminded her of being in the eye of a massive storm. It was oddly quiet and fresh in the campsite. She shifted slightly from her side, carefully stirring to remove her arms from Shippou, who was still snoozing comfortably, when she hit a warm wall behind her. 

At first she stiffened. When the warmth moved and a long strand of silver hair came into view, she relaxed.

"You're early." she said softly.

"Hn." 

As if he needed a reason to warm her at night at all, even if it was unusual for him to do it so publicly. She smiled to herself and decided it would be fine to sleep in for now. 

As the sun rose, it was unavoidable to rise and get a quick breakfast going. By then, he had removed himself from her person and was hovering at the edge of the campsite. Inuyasha, while not exactly welcoming, had begun to settle in to the idea that Sesshoumaru was around more and more often. It made for peaceful interactions. 

"We should be off soon, there are a few villages requesting some help with some small issues. That, and I need to take a day or two back home. Gotta get some more supplies and a couple of new books for the college courses I'm taking before graduation." 

The group was off after food was finished and dishes put away. It wasn't long before they had come to the first village requesting aid with a small tribe of kappa that were harassing the local women. Once they sorted the problems, they were on their way to the Bone  Eater's well, where they would drop Kagome and move on to the next village so they wouldn't keep the people waiting. 

They came upon the well and the pack gave their goodbyes. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were the last two to bid her goodbye. Sesshoumaru kissed the back of her hand, face placid. The only hint of a tease was the quirked brow that promised he would be thinking of her in more ways than one. With that he turned on his heel and followed after those that had already left. Inuyasha waved her off as she sat at the edge of the well just before diving in. He grinned at her, and just as she shipped off, he laughed and called out to her,

"Hey 'Gome! Don't forget the noods!"

She cackled back to him, laughing the whole way back through the well's timeslip. 

To Inuyasha's misfortune, Sesshoumaru heard him and took it exactly the wrong way.

~*~

The crass bullshit that came out of that beast's mouth never ceased to incense him, but this time he'd taken it a step farther than it ever need be. Nudes? Inuyasha with Kagome nude in any stretch of the imagination made him see red; even mentioning it brought rage beyond control, which was how Inuyasha found himself in a one-armed choke hold three feet off the ground.

"You will watch your filthy mouth you insolent whelp. If this one even catches a whiff of you requesting, let alone imagining her in the nude ever again, it is ensured its the  last thought in that head as it rolls to the ground." Inuyasha tore at Sesshoumaru's arm, desperately attempting to say something. Sesshoumarued inclined his ear and could make out just a touch of what he was attempting to say.

"Issa joke! JOKE...!" He garbled. Sesshoumaru dropped the half-breed on the ground to squirm and hack. 

"Explain." Sesshoumaru ground out. Inuyasha coughed and spit as he stumbled to his feet. 

"Fuck Sesshoumaru! Its a joke!" the hanyou repeated raspily. "About noodles! Ramen noodles!" 

A frown marred Sesshoumaru's  usually tranquil features, coaxing further explanation. Inuyasha told him the story of Kagome's friends and the phone with the camera. He briefly touched on the fact that it painted instant photos and how the girls mentioned nude pictures, which they called nudes, which sounded a lot like noodles, which is what he first thought they were referring to and that it had nothing to do with actually nudity. Though the explanation still seemed vague, it touched on  the finer points of the situation, and Sesshoumaru, albeit painstakingly forced, issued the appropriate apology for his treatment of his half-brother. He was silent for a long stretch as the walked slowly back to join the rest of the group before something occurred to him.

"Did the priestess ever mention sending these... Nudes... to anyone ever?" 

Inuyasha waved him off.

"Nah, first of all she doesn't have a phone-thing like the other girl's. Second, she's not the kind to do something like that. What'd she say about it that day?" He tapped clawed finger on his lip. "Something like girls do it for their mates and guys do it to impress girls? I dunno. It sounds stupid." With that, Inuyasha huffed and tucked his hands back in his haori.

"Hn..." Sesshoumaru walked a few more steps. "You'll excuse this Sesshoumaru. There are matters to tend to. Remind Jaken to care for Rin, and not to let her eat any more of those sweet things Kagome brings back without this one's consent. Her breath smells like her teeth are rotting. We shall be back within a fortnight, no later." 

He was gone in a flash of light. Inuyasha watched the orb disappear, curious would could have garnered Sesshoumaru's attention so quickly and coughed once more. So long as he wasn't on the end of a one-armed noose, he figured he didn't care. 

~*~

Kagome arrived back through the well a mere day later and caught up with Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha the day after she got back. Inuyasha still had bruising on his throat, which he had to explain after she pestered him to death about it.

"Feh! Quit worrying about it.. Believe it or not, the stupid bastard apologized before he ran off to do whatever it was that he needed to do. Oh, and he said to stop feeding Rin sugar. Think he said her teeth are rotting." 

Kagome pouted with Rin, who was still mad as she watched Shippou with his candy bar and fiddled with hers that she had been told she couldn't  have by her darling Lord. Worrying her lower lip between her teeth, she wondered if Sesshoumaru was upset with her for some reason. There was next to no reasoning behind why he'd up and vanished, and telling Rin she couldn't have something was usually a punishment for both of them. It sounded odd, but when Rin was unhappy, so was Kagome and vice versa when Sesshoumaru was punishing them for bad behavior. She was not a child, god damnit! If anyone should be mad, it should be her - he'd promised a full couple of weeks traveling with them through his territories while they attended matters of his state. It was so she could tour his land while getting him in closer touch with his subjects, human and demon alike. It was also so they could spend more time together learning about one another outside of a bedroom or bath house. Now he was gone with no promise of coming back for over half that time. She fumed for a moment, watching poor Rin sigh heavily with her pouting lips. Forget that jerk. 

"Come here Rin." The little girl plodded over and plopped into her lap. Kagome snatched the candy bar out of her hand and unwrapped it, much to the girl's protest. She picked a piece off for herself and gave the rest of the unwrapped bar to the girl, who's eyes shimmered with hope. "That treat is not for Sesshoumaru to take away. He didn't buy it." She said pointedly. "I did. Now have your treat and if Lord Sesshoumaru has a bone to pick with anyone afterwards, he can pick it with me."

She glared at Jaken, daring the tattling little frog faced imp to tell on her. He looked nervous, but didn't make a peep. Kagome nipped a piece of the chocolate in her hand, letting it melt on her tongue as she continued to fume. Whatever, she firmly decided. If spending time with her mattered to him he'd be here. 

She squeezed Rin, who was sucking on her own chocolate piece happily. 

"I'm glad you like it Rin-chan. Now go play with Shippou." 

Rin nodded and ran back over to her spot on  Shippou's blanket while Kagome moved closer to Sango to see what they had been up to in the days she was gone.

~*~

The young man stood nervously as the Western Lord observed each painting with intensity. In the span of the last week, he had commissioned ten small portraits, each with him in a unique pose that had been staged by the artist whose work was currently in question. Each work was no larger than one of the books Kagome was usually enamored by. 

"All of them. Bind them in a book with leather and silk ties. We prefer them to be dyed red. It will be done by the end of tomorrow." His tone left no room for argument, and the artist nodded quickly as the Demon Lord of the West breezed past him to the door. He went to set about his task with Lord Sesshoumaru paused at the door and looked directly at him. He felt the demon lord sizing him up before meeting his eyes. "Well done. Let the head of household functions know your fee, as we will require you to be on retainer."

 With a flicker of silver, the Lord of the West was gone. The artist let out a great woosh of air he'd been unaware he'd been holding in, then realized what had been said. He shook for a long moment before letting out a whoop of excitement. He'd  be the first rich painter in his family in ten generations. 

~*~

Kagome and friends had been moving at a fast pace for an additional five days after she'd arrived back, making it a business week since Sesshoumaru had excused himself with no reason. All of them were hot and tired. The only water they'd come across was a dried out village well they had tried to assist the remaining villagers in reviving. It would be another four hours of travel before they came across a hot spring Sesshoumaru had marked on the map for them should the ever actually need it. It was small, only big enough for three humans at a time, but it would do. The water was clean and could made potable by boiling it. 

"Guuuuuhhhhhh!" Sagno wailed. "I still have pieces of keratin and goo from the last demon we vanquished stuck in my hair! There is SAND and DIRT stuck in places I never wanted, and I need a bath!"

"Quit saying that four letter word. Its in poor taste." Kagome groaned, trudging beside her. Inuyasha feh'd.

"You guys do smell pretty bad."

"Sit, boy." Kagome mumbled under her breath. She was rewarded with a satisfying thud and cry of pain.

"Damn Kagome! Don't get your skirt in a twist!" he grumbled from the new divet in the road, slowly pulling himself up. 

"Sit." 

Faceplanting again he howled in misery as the girls walked on. They were still tired, dirty, and hot, but a faint smile graced both of them as they sniggered at Inuyasha's misfortune. Shippou had tugged on Miroku's sleeve and talked him into giving him a shoulder ride, and Rin was still perched atop Ah-Un riding comfortably. Poor Jaken looked ready to fall over, but all of the pack moved toward the spring with high hopes to rest for a day or so before they continued their tour. They dragged into the clearing they'd been told about a little later than their projected time, but once they found a good place to set up a minute or so outside the spring for privacy, all of them made short work of gathering the necessary items to start a fire and set up camp. Once everyone was settled, the boys went for their soak first while the girls started food. 

"So how are you fairing, Kagome? Pretty sure you're still mad Sesshoumaru hasn't shown up yet... Based on the increase in the number of sits you've given Inuyasha this week." Sango chuckled, but there was a genuine crease of worry in her brow. Kagome gave a half-hearted smile."I'm not bad.. I mean, I'm upset I guess, but at the same time I'm not really sure how to feel. I guess I thought we were farther along in knowing what we wanted out of one another. Maybe I was wrong?" She pondered, stretching her legs and arms out from where she sat.

The sun was beginning to go down, setting the forest ablaze with orange light. She kind of regretted letting the boys  go first in favor of food. Surely the spring was a golden pool of healing and the light playing off the trees would have made a lovely theatre to watch as the light faded. Both girls sighed, contented not to be walking anymore. The crackle of the fire between them filled the silence for as long as the meal took to cook. They served Rin, who graciously thanked them and then themselves. Kagome was about to take the first bite of her food when a rustle startled her. 

Sango's head jerked up toward the sound of the brush cracking, and Kagome dropped her food in favor of her bow, nocking an arrow towards whoever was moving closer. They both heard swearing before a young man fell from the bushes on his face in the grass around their campsite. The man wore a black kimono and geta. His hair was short and black and his figure was all angles. He had a red leather book in one hand he was holding above his head comically, like it was the most precious thing in the world. When he scrambled back up he realized that he was being held up by a bow and a tanto.

"W-wa-wait! Give me a-a second! Don't shoot!" He pled, holding the book up with a letter. Kagome looked a touch harder and realized the note had her name on it. 

"What do you want?" She demanded. 

"I have a gift for her Ladyship Priestess Higurashi Kagome!" He sputtered "From the Demon Lord of the Western Lands. He sent me ahead of himself to deliver these to you! Here -" He paused, shaking as he edged over to the campsite and deftly set the book on a fallen log with the note on top. "Lord Sesshoumaru requested you read the note before you open the book. That's all I have to deliver. I'll take my leave!" 

He held both hands up and slowly backed out of the campsite, this time around the bush before running back the way he came until he was out of site. 

"What in the hell..?" Kagome muttered, putting her bow back down and going to survey the red book. There was indeed a letter with her name on it, and it was closed with a thick black wax seal that bore a great dog head. 

Sango picked up the book and turned it over in her hand. It was thin, but the quality was unmistakable. Kagome broke the seal and read over the short note.

Kagome, 

              Respectfully, this Western Lord must insist that you not send nudes at the behest of my bastard half-brother. For further clarity, we send you a gift for your discerning eyes only. We hope you enjoy. 

 Apologies for the tardiness, I will be with you presently.

    Sesshoumaru, Gaurdian Lord of the Western Lands

Kagome's face was on fire the second she read the first sentence, and the moment she finished the short letter, she saw Sango begin to untie the silk bindings. 

"Wait! Don't. That's not meant for you, and I'm pretty sure Sesshoumaru will bore your eyes out with acid at your request if you open that." She warned. "Hand it over."

Sango frowned at her, clearly displeased at being unable to satisfy her raging curiosity. It was at that moment the they could hear the boys trudging back. Kagome tucked the red leather book into her bag for later, picking up the bowl she'd set down and eating. Shippo was laughing and having a grand time as the guys rolled into camp, all of them beelining for food. 

"Awesome, I'm starving!" Inuyasha ranted.

"It smells delicious. Thank you for the food Sango, Kagome!" Miroku relished as he served himself a bowl. Kagome leaned in close to Sango

"Sango, if its alright with you, would you take Rin to have her bath? I have a feeling I'm gonna need a bit of privacy.. I'll get her next time. Promise!" 

Sango huffed, begrudgingly agreeing as she finished her meal and coaxed Rin to come with her. Kagome ate slowly and kept her bag between her feet. She couldn't help the fact her heart was racing with anticipation, even though she was pretty sure she'd already guessed what was in the book. If she didn't calm down, she might draw some unwanted attention. She tried to put the book out of her mind and continued to eat.

The light was next to gone when Sango and Rin came back from their bath, and Kagome grabbed her bath items to go next, tucking the book in her towel. She walked for a bit, finding the spring with ease as the boys had built a small fire that Sango stoked well to keep the spring lit so Kagome could bathe with some light. She set out the lantern she had brought at the opposite end of the spring, just in case. 

She dressed down and slipped into the spring. The warm water caressed the dirt and grime away. Kagome washed her hair, then her body with a rag. She soaped up outside the spring with a small bucket of hot water, then rinsed well before going back to the spring to soak. She found herself worrying her bottom lip again. Her gaze fell on her towel, an arms reach from her with the book hidden. She flipped the towel back and stared at the beautiful red leather. It seemed like a sin just eyeing it. Unable to stop herself, she dried her hands and untied the beautiful satin ties with care. Kagome felt warmth pool in her belly and lower. Heart aflutter, she opened the book and examined the title page. It seemed to be pressed with gold leafing with her name on the center of  the page. She turned another page and her breath caught in her throat. 

"Oh." She gasped.

Her body must have instinctually known what she  would see, because the heat in her was not just warm; she was on fire and she couldn't help the twitching between her thighs as the rubbed together in an act of anticipation. She'd seen Sesshoumaru in the nude before. It wasn't a secret they'd been together physically, they'd chosen not to hide anything as she was a woman of 19 and hiding things was childish. But the beauty of the paintings before her made her gasp and squirm. The first page was a full body painting of the Lord of the West. It was painted to depict his left leg stretched out before him to show the length of his torso, his left arm bent and settled on an unseen piece of furniture that was not part of the painting. His right knee was bent, propping his right arm up. The pose made him look careless and purposefully teasing at the same time. What bolstered this assumption was the look he was giving her from the work. She could see his golden eyes looking at her from beneath hooded, silver framed eyelids. Those lashes were sinfully long, and the artist had managed to put a heat to those golden eyes that she couldn't get enough of. To make matters worse, the artist had captured his perfectly devious, barely-there smirk. 

And the cherry on top of this painting was the star attraction. He had not been painted soft and flaccid. No, Sesshoumaru had been painted with a jutting erection, glorious and proud. With how small the painting was, she marveled at the small details the artist added in. They'd perfectly captured the crown of his cock, the veins that gave it its girth and length. The smooth stripes on his wrists, hips and ankles were a beautiful pop of color on his clear, creamy skin. Every muscle in his abdomen, the ones in his thighs and calves were defined, and the details brought back treasured memories. 

Sweet gods above, the man had sent her not a just a nude photo. He'd sent a book of erotic paintings. Suddenly there was bar was set so high of romantic expectation she doubted anyone would ever be able to beat it. Most girls got weird, gross pictures taken of some moron's unwashed cock too close to be attractive. She was still angry about his absence; but now she had a reason for it. Was this what held him up, she wondered. She turned the page and was once again delighted. It wasn't full body, but just as good. He was turned to the left now, his right side on display. His arms reached back behind his head, flexing his arms,  head tilted to make a mockery of her arousal again with those damned eyes staring from the page again. He was just slightly turned towards the artist, who gave an almost touchable level lof detail to his chest. Her finger trailed down his pectorals, abdominals, all the way down until the painting faded out at his hips. The water swished around her legs as she couldn't keep them still anymore. She couldn't help it - she was already so aroused, and she was only two pages deep. Glee filled her and she savored the second page before slowly turning to the next. 

'Ooooohhh dear god does this demon have a bad side?' She groaned internally. Cursing the artist for his prowess, she was wonderstruck by the piece. This painting had placed Sesshoumaru facing the viewer, sitting with his legs spread wide as he leaned forward on his knee with one elbow on one knee, his other hand on his other knee, and a clear vision of his impressive member arched upwards. Its rosy color clearly indicated the ferocity of his desire, as did his expression. It wasn't a cryptic smirk; it was a look of heated want, eyebrows furrowed with an almost angry intensity as his chin balanced on his right fist. Kagome swallowed hard. It felt almost like a threat, looking into his eyes. A dark promise. She turned the page to find a surprisingly PG painting, where he was looking off to one side with the front of his white silk haori parted, showing off his toned abdomen while he raked a hand through that luxurious silver hair of his. It wasn't as awe-inspiring as the others, but she enjoyed tracing the lines of his abdomen. Turning the next page for the fifth painting was a portrait of him looking up at the artist through his silvery lashes. The length of his hair was tossed over one side of his shoulder, giving her an unhindered view of the stripes on his cheek and the crescent moon on his forehead. Gods he was beautiful. 

The sixth made her blush hard and put a hand over her mouth in shock. It was Sesshoumaru's hips, the tops of his thighs, and his hard cock alongside of the hilts of his swords, Tenseiga and Bakusaiga. She could see the jagged purple lines on his hips and the belt that kept the swords in place. Clearly, this piece showed every detail of what Kagome could only call Sesshoumaru's beautiful member. The veins were lightly colored, the head mushrooming and gleaming, his flesh healthy and rosy with arousal aside the hilts of his two swords. By comparison of the hilts, his length was deliciously considerable. Once again - this wasn't the first time she'd seen him up close and personal. But the painting was beautifully crafted. The view was barely to the side, thighs parted and showing the muscle of his hips, the v-like dip down to his pubic mound barely visible. She decided this one was one of her favorites. 

The seventh was a full body painting of the twisting naked backside of his body. His left arm hung by his side, his right arm reached back and buried a hand in his silver hair. The painter took great care to paint the gleaming gold of his eye gazing at her from the dark crook of the circle his arm made. He was beautifully defined, pale and hard in the painting. One foot was flat on the floor as the other was coming forward from a point as he twisted to the right. The eighth painting was done as though he was sleeping on a bed of furs, one knee hiked up as his hips were barely covered by some thin, poorly concealing veil. One arm cradled his head on a sea of deep maroon sheets that complimented the more purple stripes on his body. His mouth was slightly parted, his fangs just visible from tthe angle at which his head tilted as he slept peacefully. She could see through whatever the covering on his groin was that his cock was still semi-erect and resting comfortably on his pubic mound. The painting, though seemingly sweet and endearing, was still desperately arousing. She could see herself climbing up his form on the bed planting kisses, licking and nipping until she pleasured him with her mouth so vigorously he made the stomach clenching roar when he came. 

Kagome shuddered in warm water, not noticing one of her hands had begun to absently stroke her hip and thigh. She flipped the page and bit her lip hard enough she though she tasted blood. . He was on his knees, arching towards the painter with his groin, bent just a touch backward. She couldn't see his face because his head was thrown back in what appeared to be ecstasy. That silver curtain of hair had flaired around him as he clawed into his pectoral with one hand and the had the other wrapped tightly around his length. She could see every muscle in his body strain for release, the reddened scratches on his chest ending at his claws. The artist had taken care to add a fine sheen of sweat, something she could practically smell coming off the page. It was decided - Sesshoumaru didn't have a bad side. It didn't exist. She could tell the last painting was coming up, as the rest of the pages behind it weren't as thick as the first eleven. 

Kagome wasn't sure she wanted to flip to the last page. Her journey through the paintings had been.. Well, it was the most thrilling rollercoaster she'd ever been on. Any misgivings she had harbored over his absence over the past few days vanished with each page she turned. She braced herself for the next surprise, and turned to the last painting. Her heart swelled, her mouth watered, all of her seemed to blossom with arousal.

Sesshoumaru's big hand covered her cheek in this painting, his arm blocking her nipple. He was splayed out beneath her as he cupped her cheek tenderly. The affection in his eyes, in her eyes. The painting looked down over their bodies as Kagome rode his hips; one of his knees kept her hips in place as the other was languid and relaxed. Her body was a beautiful collection of curves, her shoulders adorned with waving black hair that was dampened with sweat. It dawned on her, that the only way this painting could have come into being was if Sesshoumaru had either modelled with another woman, or had described her in such detail that she saw her reflection in the painting before her. Sesshoumaru had already surprised her with the collection of paintings of himself she never would have imagined. It felt like a display of vulnerability, and the last painting was the declaration of what he wanted. What he aspired to. She stared at it for the longest time, unable to turn the page to see what was left. When she finally did, she found the artists sketches for the paintings and preliminary drawings they had done before selecting the poses they wanted to paint. After she had gone through the remaining pages, she came back to the original and sighed, index finger twirling around one of her nipples.

"We are under the impression you found the nudes tasteful." His comforting deep baritone rolled over the water. It didn't startle her. The sound fanned the already roaring fire of her arousal hotter. One clawed hand came around her front and joined her other hand in toying with the beaded nipple. Kagome wanted to open her mouth and be angry with him for not being here when she needed him, but one particularly sharp tweak of her breast took the words out of her mouth and replaced them with a long low moan. She lifted her free hand back behind her to tangle in his hair, that damnably soft and silky mass, and pulled him down to kiss her. He battled her mouth, coaxing her to open her mouth so he could taste her down to the very core of her soul. Their tongues danced briefly when he pulled away to look at the painting she'd paged back to. 

"He captured you in every sense of the word. We were pleased to see the depth of detail he could put onto paper just from descriptions alone." 

His clawed hands twisted her hips around so she was facing him and hoisted her up, guiding her legs to wrap around his hips. He had stripped, his clothes next to the lantern she'd set out on the far side of the spring. 

"The last pages are blank if  you didn't notice." Kagome gave him a puzzled look, one that Sesshoumaru grinned at. He moved forward, drying his fingertips before turning to the last page of the book he'd commissioned. He pointed to the tiniest script at the corner of the last two pages of the book which read, 'Volume 1 - To Be Continued'. She chewed her lip, brow furrowed.

"You're not saying..."

His claws brushed through her hair, taking a few thick strands and inhaling deeply before he squeezed her bottom.

"Perhaps, when we have time to ourselves. We left the castle with this artist on retainer. He will be doing paintings for us from now on, and this Sesshoumaru desires that we do a set of nudes together." 

She pinkened from her cheeks to her toes, and she knew he could tell. The tip of that beautiful cock was pushing against her entrance. Even in water, she could feel her slick juices inviting her lover in. His cock slipped farther in as she was lowered farther down onto him. She could feel his mouth at her ear. 

"In fact, we know you would do well in a set of your own. What would you say to that, Kagome?" He murmured into her ear, growling at the delicious feeling of her slick cunt as she fully encased him. With one arm, he pulled the two of them out of the water and seated her on his hips. He lay back and cupped her cheek, feet dangling in the water still. 

"Fuck me." He rumbled, thumbing her clit with his free hand. 

Kagome cried out and shuddered against him, grinding her hips with renewed fervor. Once she found her rhythm, she lifted herself off his cock and brought herself back down in quick hard thrusts he met with enthusiasm. He arched off the cool stone and moss, hands resisting the urge to control those devilish hips of hers as the timbre of his growls met a fevered pitch. Kagome's moans had become staccato cries, escalating in pitch the closer she came to completion.

"God, Seshoumaru! Please, you're gonna make me...!" She couldn't finish her thought as tears pooled from the intensity of what she was feeling, desperately bouncing her hips on him. He was so close. She could feel it in the way he twitched and she was nearing this edge she wanted to fling herself over. Her head spun and it was only when he grabbed her hard by the hips, claws pricking her skin that she reached a moment of clarity. He roared as he took control of the speed, plunging into her with wild abandon that made her crash over the edge and spill into glowing light that burst behind her shut eyes. At first she couldn't speak - and then she couldn't stop herself from screaming his name and praising the gods above. Kagome barely registered the roar of his climax and the spill of warm liquid inside of her, still seeing stars from her orgasm and having trouble coming down from the high.

She mewled as her hands found his chest, warm with their sweat, and she slowly lowered the rest of her body to lounge on him.

"Hmmmmm oooooh..." She blinked a few times to get her vision back and started to giggle. "Sesshoumaru... You should send nudes more often. Those were... amazing."

She could feel him snicker under her.

"Now miko, propriety demands that you return the favor. I do believe its your turn." He teased, claws gently scratching her scalp. They laughed as they lay in the afterglow for a long moment before getting up to deal with the mess they had made. The fire had burned low, and Kagome didn't want to waste the lantern's oil. Washing and dressing again, they returned to camp, red leather book in hand. Sango noticed the two of them right away and quirked her brow, eyes darting to the book and back to Kagome's face. She blushed and held the book to her chest possessively. Perhaps one day she would share one of the less revealing ones, but for now, she opted to go by the honor code of the nudes - sharing was prohibited without the other party's consent. 

"Welcome back, asshole. Didja get everything done you set out to do?" Inuyasha sniped. Sesshoumaru gave him an uncharacteristic grin, one that made the hanyou shudder. 

"This Sesshoumaru is satisfied with the outcome of his work. And you, bastard. The... what did you call them again?" Sesshoumaru drawled, eyes rolling back to Kagome filling with mischief. "Noods?"

Inuyasha grimaced before coughing. "Yeah, nah. No comment, asshole." 

Kagome chuckled before placing the red leather, silk bound book back in her bag and pulled out a package of uncooked noodles, which she threw directly at the hanyou's head. They bounced off his forehead with a crunch.

"Just so everyone gets what they want." She laughed, winking at the half demon.

Extra Note - See our profile at Archive of our Own for Just a Touch of Nudity - Sango and Miroku's newest addition to the miniseries, Send Noods!

With all the love in the world, 

Your darling ECCB