Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and make no profit from this work of fiction.
A/N: This was originally posted on dokuga_contest on February 24th for the prompt Pajama, or, as I call them, Pyjama.
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Slowly fighting her way from the almost inescapable lull of slumber, Kagome grumbled low in her throat, refusing to open her eyes just yet. Light was streaming into her apartment and she could see it red behind her eyelids, shaking the last vestiges of sleep from her weary shoulders. She was encompassed in a glorious warmth that she was reluctant to part with, but, unfortunately, she couldn’t afford to lounge around in bed all day.
One blue eye opened soporifically, and examined the warmth she was nestled against. When, upon further inspection, she realised it was a body, her other eye opened and she slowly sat up in an attempt not to jostle her bed-mate. The male with long silver hair made a grumbling noise as she disentangled herself from him, but, before she could make a break for it, his arms wound around her waist. Clapping her hands over her mouth to muffle the instinctive ‘eep’ of protest, she watched as the angelic looking male snuggled into her lap.
Hitting the side of her head gently with her fist, she hastily recalled the events of yesterday. This male, this not-so-human male, had been unconscious in the snow outside her apartment and so she’d let him recuperate in her bed. However, she really didn’t remember joining the veritable Adonis in her bed.
As she panicked silently, he nuzzled his head into her stomach, nosing her pyjama shirt to one side and pressing his cheek against her bare tummy. Hesitantly, she peeled back her duvet and sighed in relief when she realised he was still fully clothed. The dark blue hakama and white kosode were wrinkled from his snoozing and she smoothed her fingers along the sleeve of his kosode absently. Glancing back to his face, she was startled to find that his warm golden eyes were open, slitted black pupils trained on her face intently.
“Hi,” she offered, somewhat lamely, running her fingers through her bed head in an attempt at taming the tangles. His hair still looked like spun silk and though it was lightly rumpled, it was still as glossy as ever.
He rose from her lap slowly, gaze never leaving her face and stretched in an almost feline manner, yawning in such a way that he exposed glistening white fangs. He blinked at her languidly, revealing his magenta eyelids and the blue crescent moon on his forehead crinkled when he frowned at her.
“You are...” he inhaled deeply and prowled closer to her on the futon, shamelessly invading her personal space, “confused,” he finished, speaking directly into her ear. His voice was low and seductive and his breath against her neck tickled.
“Did you move me into the bed?” she asked hesitantly, attempting to distance herself by pressing her palms to his chest. But he was built like a rock and impossible to move regardless of how much force she exerted.
“Hnn...” he inhaled along her throat, “sleeping in that chair... you would not have woken up refreshed.”
“Um...” she didn’t know quite what to say to that, so she settled with, “thank you?” It sounded like a question even to her own ears.
“You are very welcome,” he pulled back from her and ran a clawed hand through her hair. In the light of her apartment he was almost glowing; eerie, majestic and enthralling. Non human. Other.
“W-what are you?” she asked, heart beating madly in her chest even as she asked him that. Would he laugh at her? Tell her it was makeup and contact lenses? Except... she knew it wasn’t.
The gold eyes narrowed speculatively and she was struck by how long his lashes were, casting shadows across his pale cheekbones. A callused palm cupped her cheek gently, “I am Sesshoumaru.”
What a name. She gazed at him, bewildered and highly aware that he was avoiding the question. Then, her ill-timed stomach put in a growl of hunger and he flattened his other hand against the bare skin of her belly.
“And you are hungry,” he said casually.
She blushed and got out of the futon hurriedly, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. “I’m gonna eat breakfast... do you want anything?”
Those intense gold eyes of his looked her over from head to toe. “I want to know your name.”
Kagome blinked and smiled bashfully. “I’m Kagome.”
“Then, eat, Kagome.”
As she pottered around in the kitchen, he leant against the far wall and watched intently. When the toaster popped he was beside it in an instant, so fast she hadn’t seen him move and she watched dumbly as he glared at the contraption.
“Sesshoumaru?” she ventured tentatively.
His eyes slanted in her direction. “Humans are strange creatures with even stranger contraptions.”
Gulping, she scooted past him and collected her toast, wondering if he’d realised that in that one sentence he’d distanced himself from the human race entirely.
When she brought milk from the fridge he appeared to be completely wrong footed and snatched the carton away from her.
“This isn’t human milk,” he pointed out.
“I know,” she said carefully, holding out a hand for the carton, “It’s cow milk.”
“I do not know what this cow is, but surely humans should drink human milk? And even then only the young should drink it?” he asked, looking perturbed.
Kagome took the carton from him and poured some into her tea. “Babies do drink their mother’s milk,” she explained with a shrug, “and adults drink cow’s milk.”
Sesshoumaru’s lower lip curled with distaste as she sipped at her tea. “Humans are backwards,” he proclaimed.
“If humans are backwards, then what are you?” she asked lightly, wondering if, this time, he’d actually tell her.
His full lips pursed, and she took that as a ‘no comment’ as she finished off her toast. “I’m going to wash up,” she said, pointing at him sternly, “You, stay here.”
A silver eyebrow was raised. “Another human custom?”
She turned her nose up at him primly. “I don’t know about you, but humans require privacy while bathing,” she informed him prudishly, “Deal with it,” she muttered, grabbing her towel and heading to the bathroom.
The lock clicked into place behind her and he smiled at her naivety. If he’d really wanted to gain access to that room, a locked door wouldn’t even slow him down.
Meantime, he walked over to her little window and peered outside. He was fairly certain he wasn’t being pursued, but what he couldn’t fathom was why. Up until Kagome had taken him in they’d been hot on his trail, ready to rip out his heart.
Nobody lingered on the street empty street except a colony of ants and no malicious aura could be detected...
And then he caught glimpse of a small portrait on her window ledge, of a younger Kagome dressed in Miko robes stood in front of a shrine with an old man in traditional robes.
Kagome was a Miko?
He inhaled deeply, spreading his awareness to seek out any tell tale purity sparking in the air. His youki was immediately enveloped by the overhanging cloud of purity that was so dense he couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed it. The little woman’s reiki was so immense that the residual power in this little apartment was enough to cloak his very presence. It was also, he realised bemusedly, dampening his senses slightly. Both potent and subtle it simultaneously overpowered his youki and pleaded innocence. He wrinkled his nose.
His pursuers would be effectively blinded.
His lips curled into a smug smirk. It looked like Kagome had become his bolthole.
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When Kagome exited the bathroom, she was frazzled, and nearly walking into a hovering Sesshoumaru on her way out of the bathroom was not helping matters. She’d hoped that a shower might calm her nerves, but frankly, she was just as highly strung now as she had been before she’d gone in. Her work clothes had helped construct a facade of normality but Sesshoumaru’s ethereal appearance had crumbled it.
Sighing, she found her handbag and pushed a brush through her hair, all under the watchful eyes of Sesshoumaru.
Once again, she squared her shoulders and raised her blue gaze to clash with his golden gaze. “What are you?” she asked again, slowly, doggedly.
Sesshoumaru stepped forward and stole her comb, resuming the brushing for her with a patient air.
“If you tell me to leave this house... I am dead,” he told her truthfully, watching her shoulders tense, “you weren’t lying yesterday, when you said I was safe. This apartment is possibly the safest place in the world for me.”
Kagome peered up into his face, trying to ascertain from his faraway expression whether he was lying or not. For some unknown reason she trusted him. Perhaps it was the pleading note he injected into his tone that made him seem sincere. Even when his claws ghosted close to her neck as he wound her scarf around her throat gently, she trusted him.
Exhaling in a sigh, she walked over to the genkan and slipped on her shoes. “I’ll trust you, Sesshoumaru,” she looked at him over her shoulder as she opened the door to leave, “I hope that you can eventually trust me too.”
Golden eyes clouded as he caught onto her meaning and he bowed humbly to her in a movement that she somehow found startlingly significant. She assumed it was because Sesshoumaru didn’t look like the kind of being who would bow to anyone.
Closing the door behind her, she ducked her face into her scarf as the wind bit at her exposed skin. Walking slowly down the steps and out into the street, she glanced back at her apartment, and saw him framed by her window looking content and benevolent.
Smiling softly, she turned and walked away, hoping that, against all odds, she hadn’t made a mistake.
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A/N: I hope you enjoyed this enough to review! To my reviewers, I love you. Rowdy, darling, leave me one of those lovely reviews telling me where I screwed up, because they're brilliant and I love you for them.