Dress to Impress by Priestess Skye

Dress to Impress

Title: Dress to Impress
Author: Priestess Skye
Word Count: 966
Rating: PG-13

For the fifth time that night, Kagome growled. Looking in her closet, she had nothing, absolutely nothing that was suitable for school tomorrow. Sure, she had about a dozen school uniforms, the black of her skirts and blazers standing out amongst the white blouses. But she had a wedding to attend to this weekend with Sesshoumaru. That meant she needed to dress to impress, as his family demanded nothing less.

That was if she had any clothes to show off in.

Sighing, Kagome, slammed her closet door, and glared at the growing pile of clothing on her bed. They were all dresses that a child would wear. In a month and a half she would be entering her first year of university. She couldn't dress like a child. Especially not when she was going to be meeting the bulk of his family. She lifted the first dress off the pile and stared at it in disgust. The pink was entirely too childish, as was the cut. The skirt was puffy and the sleeves ballooned. Immediately that was tossed in the ‘discard' pile.

She saw the silent approval in his eyes as he stood across the room watching her sort through her clothes. This was not his ideal way to spend the afternoon with her, but as he would have to suffer alongside her the next day, it was just as well that he suffered through this as well.

The second had some potential, but it wasn't what she was looking for either. Pale yellow, the sundress was pretty for special casual occasions, but it wasn't something she'd ever consider for a fancy wedding. Unwilling to toss it, she created a new ‘save but unacceptable' pile. And her afternoon progressed as such as she filled a new bag full of clothes to give away.

Smiling, she looked at her closet now, the way it stood open half empty, waiting for her to fill it with some new pieces. She was getting a fresh new start in a little bit. Her wardrobe may as well get a fresh start with it. But she was still lacking that ideal dress and pair of shoes to wear the next day. Flipping through the clothing once more, she settled on a simple red piece she had bought last year. Sesshoumaru had yet to see it, as she considered the colour bold and daring, but it was by far the most acceptable piece she had. The length wasn't a concern for her, as it fell to the floor, but she wasn't entirely sure about the cut of the bodice as it was fairly tight and a little low. She wanted to look sophisticated for his family, not like a two dollar floozy.

"There's nothing wrong with it," Sesshoumaru confirmed as he rose from his seat to take a closer look at the dress. "Silk is entirely appropriate and the colour will look striking against your skin." A single digit ran down the length of silk as he stood before her. Slowly, he took the dress from her hands and keeping it on the hanger, he held it against her shoulders. "It will match my suit."

"You're wearing a tuxedo," she accused, narrowing her eyes at him. "Anything will match a tuxedo." She took a deep breath before pulling her lower lip into her mouth, nibbling on it. "You don't think red is too bright? I'll stand out."

"Like a flame," he agreed, handing the dress back to her. "Go put it on." She watched him walk into her closet, eyeing her shoe shelf after he pushed her toward the small bathroom down the hall. Already, his focus was on something else entirely. Sighing, Kagome once again cursed any and all who declared that appearances were important. She had never cared before, and truthfully, for the most part she didn't care now. But he cared. Sort of.

Last week he did tell her she could show up in a paper bag and he'd still be pleased, but she also knew he didn't expect her to do just that. "I need help with the zipper," she called out from the bathroom, lifting her hair high off her neck as he walked through the door. She could feel the pads of his fingers lightly touch the skin on her lower back as they found the tag of the zipper. She could feel his mouth settle on her collarbone as he leaned over, his golden eyes making contact with hers through the mirror. Kagome's breath caught in her throat as the intensity of his stare slammed into her, as if he could devour her whole simply by looking her at her. Hot air ghosted over her skin, sending shivers down her spine as fingers lightly trailed up with the zippers. It was like fire meeting ice. For a moment, her whole world disappeared and faded away until there was nothing left but her, him, and his touch.

"Breathe," he commanded as his hands fell away from her back and slid around so they lay flat upon her stomach. She watched herself with him, noting the way his eyes drifted up and down her reflection. "A flame," he confirmed, his lips brushing her ear lightly as he spoke. "Perfectly suitable."

Unable to speak, Kagome simply nodded.

"If you're like this now, just wait until tomorrow night when I get to peel you out of this," Sesshoumaru chuckled as he pulled away. "Come, I believe your mother has pie in the kitchen."

In the blink of an eye he was gone and Kagome found herself clutching the bathroom sink for dear life. Good lord, if she was like this now, how was she supposed to survive until tomorrow night?