✨Houjou✨
Kagome tried to listen to the teacher drone on. ‘Nobunaga blah blah blah’. She had promised herself she would go to school this week, pay attention, do some catch up work. It was for naught. Instead she found herself doodling in her notebook. Swords, moons, jewels, subjugation beads, and bows littered the page where she should have been taking notes.
This shouldn’t be so hard, she thought to herself. She had been compartmentalizing her time in the past for some time now and it was spilling out uninvited. A week at home alone had been a fight. She should have been using this time to catch up, to hang with her friends, but dog demons and evil hanyou haunted her. And her pre-incarnation.
The background buzz in the classroom picked up, school must be over. With a heavy sigh and another lesson lost, she knew it was time to gather her things, but wanted to put the finishing touches on these dog ears. A shadow fell across her page and she looked to to meet Houjou’s soft brown eyes.
He smiled tentatively, muttering a shy greeting which she returned. With great care he presented her a brown paper package bound with twine.
“For my gout? Or my indigestion?” By his wince she realized her words must have come across too harsh. “I didn’t mean it like that, I’m sorry!” She quickly chirped patting his soft hand.
He blushed, scratching the back of his head. “Uh no, nothing like that this time.” He laughed. His shy gentle tone was endearing and Kagome couldn’t help but to laugh in return. “Actually - uh - well - it’s - er- white day!” He stammered then winced realizing his voice had gotten too loud in the end.
Kagome’s mouth fell open in a surprised oh. Carefully, with reverence, she pulled the twine and let it fall away. She slipped her finger under the tape, opening the package the way her mother did, careful not to damage the paper as if she would actually reuse it. Inside was a plastic container filled with misshapen chocolate truffles.
“Did you make these?” Her eyes softened when she looked up at him. His blush grew deeper, spreading to his throat and ears. Kagome found herself blushing along with him as if it were contagious like a yawn. No one had given her anything on white day before.
“Well yah. I hope they aren’t too bad.” He chuckled and broke eye contact. Kagome lifted one of the wonky truffles to her lips, popping the thing in whole. It was silky and rich. It was good, there was an aftertaste, like he had used artificial sweetener instead of real sugar, or maybe honey. Closing the lid she thought to take them back to Shippo. “Hey, I was thinking maybe- since it’s Friday- we could - if you’re not busy - maybe - go on a date!” He flinched again when he got too loud at the end.
Kagome looked to the hallway where her friends were huddled at the window watching the exchange, they ducked below the silk. Their soft giggles drifted through the open window.
It would be a nice distraction. She wasn’t exactly interested in Houjou romantically, but The person she was interested in didn’t seem to feel the same so maybe this date would serve as a nice confidence boost. She felt bad using him like that, but isn’t that how most dates were? An experiment? With a sigh she gathered herself and met his gaze. “Sure thing! What time?”
She picked out her favorite dress, cornflower blue with yellow daisies and a matching cardigan. She even put on a little make up and pulled her hair into a high ponytail. On the way out the door mama stoped her to tell her she looked pretty and gave her a mom-hug full of nostalgia. Kagome rubbed her face against her mama’s shoulder heedless of the makeup.
This was what it would have been like if she had never been pulled through the well. Dates with boys. Quiet celebrations for milestones. Night classes. After school clubs. Kagome pulled away and bit her lip before presenting her mama a happy face.
They had agreed to meet at the train station. Kagome spotted him and took a moment to observe before she let herself be known. He had gotten there early, she could tell, and was glancing at his watch. He had brought her flowers. They were daisies, her favorite. He had dressed up too, wrinkled slacks were topped with a polo and bow tie. Her teen heart lurched at the sight.
Sweaty palms clasped tightly behind her back and she plastered on a fake smile. Trotting up to him she greeted with a false enthusiasm that made her wince.
They went to a movie that was his choosing, a documentary that she struggled to stay awake for. His hand fond hers on the arm rest about halfway through and they pressed sweaty palms together in the darkness. She didn’t let him pay for her out of guilt.
Next he took her to his favorite family restaurant. The waitress smiled at them fondly and treated them like adults at an upscale establishment rather than the kid infested diner.
Conversation that she dreaded hung between them. He talked about friends she hardly knew anymore and events she had missed. Pop culture phenomenon seemed so far away when her most recent fad was burying bodies in decimated villages. She pushed the macabre thoughts away though and laughed along with him.
It was just outside the restaurant where she had her first kiss.
He cupped her face with soft, tender hands and brushed his lips against hers tenderly. He didn’t push, didn’t press. He exhaled softly when he pulled away and she thought he may have been moving in for another kiss when a man walking briskly down the sidewalk bumped into him.
They both scrambled to pick up the takeaway that had fallen, Houjou politely insulting the man. Rich honeyed laughter wound through the night. Kagome glanced up just in time to see a broad back turn the corner. Like a double image she thought she saw long white hair trailing behind him overlaying short black.
✨Kouga✨
The sun was dipping low on the horizon, but it didn’t matter. She hadn’t been really looking at the book in her lap anyway. Studying was just an excuse to break away from the group and spend a few hours alone. The action was less for her and more for Inuyasha. Since Kikyo’s final death he looked pained every time he looked at her. It was selfish that his pain made her angry, she knew, but the emotions were persistent.
Kagome was just setting her book aside when strong arms locked tight around her. She tensed until gruff laughter shook the chest behind her. The girl from the future relaxed against the wolf prince as he kidnapped her.
He was a strange confidant. Definitely not her first choice. But, Sango and Miroku were entrenched in their own suffering. Suffering that made her romantic concerns seem so silly. To her surprise Kouga was incredibly perceptive. He had noticed her pain over the last few months and had taken to finding her when she was alone, usually after bathing, sometimes at the well, and offered her an understanding ear and warm shoulder to cry on.
Not all their rendezvous were sad. Usually they just talked. Sometimes about his father, sometimes about hers. He told her stories about his pack and she about hers. He seemed to just know exactly what she needed and when and lended his presence to supply it.
Tonight was the same as he spirited her away from her school books and obligations and Inuyasha. He ran slower now without his jewel shards and it was nice to see where they were going instead of the intense whirlwind he usually kicked up.
“Here we go! This is one of my favorite spots but you gotta time it right to catch it.” They were in a clearing dotted with night blooming flowers that were just starting to unfurl. One end of the clearing was blocked by a cliff that boasted a roaring waterfall flowing into a river that churned tumultuously. The river was broad and white capped waves broke against the rocks. The sea was near, she could smell the salt in the air.
Kagome turned to thank him, but he gripped her shoulders tightly and turned her back to the stream. “Watch.”
The sun finally dipped low enough for it to be full dark. An almost full moon hung heavy in the sky, raising over the waterfall. Bioluminescence burst to life, probably algae she thought, making the waterfall glow bright blue, blue like Kouga’s eyes. The water hit the river and she watched in awe as that started to glow as well. Understanding the science behind the phenomenon did little to lessen its wonder.
Breathlessly she turned to him and he let her. He wasn’t looking at her though, the river arresting his attention. He followed as she made her way to the shore and noticed that the fish, who ate the algae, were glowing as well.
Kagome bent to the edge of the river and scooped the glowing water into her hand. As she suspected it was algae. Mischief danced in her eyes as she turned to the wolf and swiped her glowing finger down his arm leaving a trail of illuminated algae in its wake. Eyes wide he watched as the glow slowly died on his skin.
“Whoa cool!” His tail flicked excitedly and Kagome laughed and he scooped some in his own hand and repeated the action on her arm.
“It’s bioluminescent algae. Cool right! Thank you Kouga.”
“Bioluma-what?” Kagome laughed but didn’t correct him while he tried to repeat the foreign words. She painted some on the tip of his nose laughing when he went cross eyed trying to look at it.
They played with the algae laughing and painting each other. They both took and allowed liberties that they normally wouldn’t have. Kagome was kneeling on the ground beside him, just finishing the whiskers on a cat face, hurriedly before the light died.
She knew it was almost time to head back before anyone worried about her. Impulsively she swooped in to kiss Kouga’s cheek. A thank you for giving her a moment away. He turned at the same time and their lips met in an accidental caress. They both pulled back, blue eyes wide.
Her first real kiss was with a glowing wolf prince.
He leaned in and kissed her in earnest. It was fleeting, full of promise. When he moved to pull away she followed him tentatively asking for more and not really knowing how. She didn’t need to know how because he did. His kiss was urgent. Passionate. Despite the growls and nips her heart broke at the tenderness of his hands on her face.
Their tongues met and they spoon fed each other growls and hungry moans. Kagome’s hands drifted from his face to his neck and his armored chest. His grower ended in a soft whine, as he tore his armor over his head. It sent a chill skittering down her spine. Taking her bold exploration as permission he began his own. Rough rands roved over her clothes and thighs. Caught in the whirlwind that was Kouga, she didn’t protest when he pulled her into his lap. It was entirely on her own that she wrapped her legs around his back and pressed them closer.
One hand cupped her rear while the other she felt under her shirt, working it’s way to her breast. His kisses slowed at the texture of her lace bra. His hesitation gave her a moment of clarity and she pulled away a hair. She was about to tell him that they needed to stop. That it wasn’t fair to him that they keep going and that she wasn’t ready. Just as she opened her mouth he stiffened, yet another kind of growl was building in his chest.
A moment later she felt the familiar pressure of a rising thunder storm on the horizon. The air became thick and oppressive.
Risking a glance up, Sesshomaru stood at the edge of the clearing. For a split second she thought he looked amused then his expression morphed from impassive to mild disgust at having caught them red, or rather blue, handed.
Kagome looked down to see the blue streaks all over Kouga’s chest and her thighs, slowly fading but not nearly fast enough. Kouga still had one hand on her butt and the other up her shirt. It was worse than getting caught by a parent.
“Get lost dog.” The casual flippancy was belied by his taut muscles. His tongue lathed her throat while he pretended to ignore the threat behind him.
Pushing the hand away from her breast Kagome tried to move away. He let go reluctantly, dragging heavy fingers against her nipple. She pinched his ear and a whine escaped him. Sesshomaru hadn’t left. He stood a silent specter watching her internally combust from embarrassment.
“Sesshomaru what-“ she struggled to stand modestly, but it was a lost cause. There was no way to disentangle herself from the uncooperative wolf with any sort of grace.
“You have been kidnapped.” He raised a brow and she could have sworn she saw that amusement again. Kouga finally stood to face the daiyoukai, arms reaching around her waist which she shrugged out of.
“Were you rescuing me?” She couldn’t help the disbelief that worked its way into her tone.
“No. The half-breed has been tearing the forest apart screaming your name for hours. He believes it was Naraku who took you. I see that was not the case.” He sounded put out, but something in his eyes led her to believe that was lie.
“I see.” He hadn’t turned to leave, instead waiting while she gathered herself and Kouga straightened his furs with a wince then shrugged back into his armor. Together the three of them left the clearing.
They walked together in silence for awhile but Kagome’s curiosity got the better of her. “Why are you still here?” She asked the pale demon flanking her side.
This time she was sure of his amusement. “You reek of wolf and the musk of your arousal is pervasive.”
Horrified, Kagome turned to Kouga who shrugged with a proud smirk confirming her fears.
They continued their march back to her camp. They could have been there in minutes but Sesshomaru seemed content to take his time. The source of Sesshomaru’s amusement clicked. “You’re just trying to start a fight aren’t you?” He made a noncommittal noise but mirth danced in his eyes unguarded.
Dropping back a step Kagome pulled Kouga with her. “I’m sorry Kouga. I’m sure Sesshomaru can take me back from here. This isn’t fair-“
He squeezed her hand in his. “I knew what you were about going in. It’s fine Kagome, I’m not sorry.” He brought her hand to his lips and left a lingering kiss on her knuckle. “It was worth it.”
In front of them Sesshomaru snorted.
They made it back to her camp seconds before Inuyasha came crashing through the trees. “Kagome!” He swooped her away from her captors. “Did he hurt you? Ugh you reek of wolf and-“ he sniffed at her and she pushed him away, looking to the side to hide her blush. Which turned to be a mistake because she caught a different set of amused golden eyes.
“You owe the wolf her life. It was he who rescued her where you failed. It is truly a shame on our great line that you can not even manage to scent your own woman. To be outdone by a lowly wolf, you are an embarrassment.” His tone had taken on a more familiar quality. Kagome realized that earlier he had sounded normal, almost relaxed, but now he was a haughty aristocrat.
Inuyasha bristled and Sesshomaru got what he came for when his half-brother lunged at him.
✨Inuyasha✨
One year of wanting and three of waiting she finally got what her heart so desperately wanted. When she emerged from the well he kissed her fondly.
Her heart though, was a selfish traitor. His kind reverent kisses were never enough. He would grab her face as if it were made of glass and bring them together with a soft gentleness that always left her wanting. When he pulled away after the barest of caresses he would look at her as if she were his world. That kind of love didn’t come often and she knew she should cherish it, but deep inside she wondered if it was actually her he was seeing.
Things went on like that months until she formed a plan. She needed to prove to him that she wasn’t going anywhere. She wanted him to know that she loved him in his entirety.
So it was a calm spring day where flowers exploded from a sea of grass that she made him his favorite meal and lured him to the well. Vines had over grown for lack of pruning since it was no longer in use. The sight made her heart hurt, but for him it was symbolic of her one way trip that meant she was there with him forever.
Kagome had shaved her legs and wore the best underwear she had brought back with her. A matching set that made her feel mature and sexy. She even wore the modern dress. The only one that he had ever complimented her in and made him blush. Her eyes danced as she fed him bits of meat and he fed her in return.
When their meal was done she reached for the beads around his neck. This was her ultimate show of trust. Removing the beads that Kikyo had made. It was the beginning of a new chapter. The end of Kikyo and subjugation. Kagome trusted him. She loved him as he was, bad temper and all. The magic snapped as they left his neck. The look in his eyes was pure wonder.
“Kagome...” the cool beads slipped through her fingers into his hand. He clutched them to his chest for a moment before letting them fall to the blanket so he could use those dangerous, beloved hands to cup her face.
His kiss started out that same sweet gentle touch but she deepened it, whispering his name in his mouth like a prayer.
Claws slipped into her hair and down her back. His grip tightened when she pushed him back. Lips trailed from his mouth to his neck and throat nipping lightly. She would feel the rumble of his moans against her lips. His sounds of pleasure made her bold. She climbed on top of him to straddle his waist.
“What are you- are you sure?” His hands were running up and down her thighs restlessly, lightly scraping her skin.
“I’ve never be more sure of anything. I love you.” His eyed widened and pupils narrowed when she sat up to pull the sundress of her head.
Her first real real kiss was with a hanyou she loved in a sun drenched field littered with wild flowers.
He grabbed her then and kissed her more honest and open that any other time. There was true passion in his lips when they met rather than shaky hesitation. Kagome wasn’t sure either of them really knew what they were doing, but she was confident that instinct and desire was enough to guide them.
A growl built in his throat and a familiar presence filled the clearing. His aura wasn’t the tumultuous thing it has been when they first met, it was more tempered now. Still no less stifling in it’s sheer force.
The daiyoukai really did have the worst timing. She realized sagging against Inuyasha. Since her return he had taken to coming to her for updates on Rin. Especially for truthful assessments of her and Kaede’s needs. The old woman wouldn’t ask for anything even when raising the girl was a strain on her resources, so Kagome did the asking. She found it endearing that the demon lord who claimed to disentangle himself from her humanity by leaving her in human care visited with a regularity that negated his intent.
Unfortunately his regular visits were almost always when she and Inuyasha were finally able to get some alone time. Even when he didn’t actively interrupt them his presence alone was like an ice bath for his half-brother.
With a curse Inuyasha flipped them so that his body was covering her near naked one. All languid ardor was instantly replaced with tense aggression.
“Move. You are in my way.” Disgust marred his words but from what little Kagome could see if his face he looked more amused than anything.
“Go around asshole.” Inuyasha grit through clenched teeth.
“No.” Was the only response.
Inuyasha bristled and she was left to cover herself when he tore away from her to get face to face with his brother.
She dressed and gathered the revenants of their picnic while the brothers battled it out. No one even seemed to notice when she left them to their petty squabbles to head back to the village.
She wished, not for the first time, that anyone other than Sesshomaru was the one who kept catching her with her pants down.
✨Sesshomaru✨
Working on particularly stubborn weed, Kagome yanked hard. It pulled free with a pop taking her nail with it. With a curse she tore it off and threw it and the weed into her basket. She wiped dirty hands on silk that was far too fine for weeding wincing at the action.
The events of that morning had left her tired and sad and dressed in a too-small-kimono. Aggressive weeding had seemed like a good diversion when she left the house, but she was starting to have regrets.
———-
“Hey can you get the back for me” Kagome handed the scissors to Inuyasha and turned presenting the longer back of her hair. She had managed the front just fine but was having more difficulty making the parts she couldn’t see even. She longed for barber.
Inuyasha moved to stand between her and the mirror. “Keh, leave it long. I like it this length.” He reached around her tenderly gathering her hair into a low ponytail and tied it off with a string she had been using to separate it earlier.
Kagome’s cheeks flushed as his bare chest filled her vision. It was the first time they had really touched in months. They shared a bed when they were both around and a hut, but romantic gestures had been pushed to the side with the work of acclimating her to this time. Inuyasha was spending more and more time away with Kohaku and she had settled into a good routine with Rin and Kaede. Life in general was quiet, nice, content. Romance had become an afterthought rather than a goal.
Now he was crouching down so they were eye to eye, his hands caressing her cheek. The gleam in his eyes was tearful, nostalgic longing. His kiss was that reverent kiss she remembered. When he pulled back she could see her reflection in his eyes, with her hair pulled back, the traditional miko dress, and a few years on her skin, she looked exactly like Kikyo.
All those deep reverent kisses, the longing embraces, the tender care became perverted as it all clicked in her broken heart.
They faught then. Viciously. Toxic insults were wielded against one another. It ended with her packing up the few belongings she considered her’s and moving them to Kaede and Rin’s hut. She left him the bed.
__________
“Miko.” An all too familiar baritone called from behind. Kagome’s back went ram rod straight and she stood trying to dust all the dirt off the fine silk she wore. The kimono was borrowed from Rin. ‘Borrowed’ was a loose description. The kid was visiting a neighboring village with Kaede when Kagome moved in and she sort of helped herself to anything that wasn’t the traditional miko garb.
She tugged at the too tight fabric, tried to make it a little longer, before turning to confront the daiyoukai.
“Sesshomaru.” She bowed her head slightly and saw the extent of the damage. It was bad. “Rin is out of town but, if you would like -“
“You are in my clothes.” His tone annoyed her. Devoid of emotion yet somehow still possessive. More annoying than his tone though was the way his youki grated against her reiki, coaxing it to the surface while simultaneously trying to smother it.
She had to hike the skirt up indecently far to climb over the fence separating them. Silk snagged and tore. “Aren’t they Rin’s? You gave them to her.” Her voice came out petulant. Rude. A challenge.
“I will not ask again. Why are you wearing my clothes.”
“They. Are. Rin’s.” She punctuated each word. She knew she was in trouble, but squaring off against a haughty daiyoukai seemed like the medicine she needed at the moment. “And the first time wasn’t a question.”
“Mind your tone ‘Little Sister’. “ He hissed through clenched teeth. There was growl in the back of his throat, building and she answered with one of her own. Ripping at the sloppily tied obi she threw it off then tore the silk from her body. She made it to her elbows before he pulled the silk together in his fist at her chest. It didn’t escape her the way his gaze dragged from the scars on her arm to the one under her rib before he took it upon himself to protect her modesty.
“Those colors-“ he nodded to the yellow and deep indigo around the collar, “are banner of my Honorable Mother’s house.” He nodded at the dirt smeared white blossoms framed within honey combs that worked its way up from the hem. “That is the crest of my Great and Terrible Father.”
Guilt settled in her stomach and tempered the sting of him calling her little sister in such a patronizing way. “I’m not your sister. We broke up.” She looked away from him partially out of shame partially to keep her pain private.
“Broke up.” He repeated the woods slowly, testing then, letting them roll around in his mouth and mind.
She laughed and it came out hollow. A brittle mockery of what laughter should be. To her own ears it sounded wrong. “Broke up. Like, we aren’t together anymore. Me and Inuyasha.”
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t ask for more information or look interested. But he also didn’t let go of her. She had learned this about him recently, that he did as he pleased and if he was still standing there, still holding her stolen kimono shut, then he was waiting for her to continue.
“I’m never going to measure up to Kikiyo, and he’s never going to be able to see me without seeing her.” The lump that she had been carrying in her stomach all day seemed to want to crawl out of her throat with the words. She wouldn’t cry in front of Sesshomaru though.
“Kikyo.” He didn’t ask, but she understood it was a question anyway. The hand holding her clothes shut relaxed minutely.
“You know, the most powerful priestess since Midoriko?” His stare was blank.
“The protector of the Shiloh Jewel?” There was no spark of recognition in his eyes.
“Inuyasha’s ex? The one who pinned him to a tree?” She pulled her hair pack into a ponytail and gestured at her face. “Looks just like me? Used to share a soul?” He shrugged.
“The woman who’s purity killed Naraku.?” Now something!
“That was you.” He said matter of factly.
“No gah! The other one!”
“I was there. It was you who finished him and the jewel.” Kagome was physically taken aback. An ego stroke from THE Lord Sesshomaru was like a balm on her torn self confidence.
“It was Kikyo that brought Kohaku back.” Finally, a spark of recognition!
“Hn” was all he had to say on the subject. Kagome wondered if it was Kikyo in particular that was below his notice or humans in general. The fact that he was so disconnected despite his position in orbit around her continued Kikyo drama was too much.
Rolling laughter burst from her. Young and free the way it should have sounded, not the old wary laugh from before. Whipping tears from her eyes she addressed the demon she was sure was getting wary of her sudden mood shifts. “I could kiss you right now-mph”
She was bent back over the fence, trapped, completely immobilized. His hand wasn’t holding the kimono together anymore, instead both had made their way inside the fabric and claws scratched against her rear as his mouth swallowed the last of her words.
If Houjou’s tender kiss had been the sparse appetizer, and Kouga’s had been a rugged steak dinner, then Inuyasha’s was a long awaited sweet dessert. If that were the scale all her previous kisses were on, then Sesshomaru’s kiss was the date that was so engrossing she wasn’t even tasting the food.
His kiss was possessive.
It was the kiss of a conqueror. Confident and tactical. Hard lips and smooth tongue giving exactly what was needed. Taking exactly enough. His domination was assured.
That part of her that was always a little too rebellious for her own good pushed it’s way to forefront and she resisted that dominance, tried to set her own pace, tried to make it deeper or angle a little this way or push when he pulled. She wanted to deepen the kiss. Tried to push herself more firmly against him, but he kept just enough space to leave her wanting. He was having none of it. He kissed her with infinite patience, deep seeded knowledge that she would submit.
Which she did. Not at all reluctantly.
She just broke up with Inuyasha that morning, now wasn’t the time to be diving head first into something else. It was like he knew that. Every swipe of his tongue and the press of his lips and the clench of his claws was a promise for later.
“I didn’t mean that literally.” She mumbled against his lips when he gave her a sliver of room to catch her breath.
“Then you should have held your tongue.” He spoke back in a low hungry voice against her lips punctuating his words with his tongue against hers.
Her first uninterrupted real first kiss was with a demon lord while wearing ruined priceless silk.