Disclaimer: Though it saddens me to say it, I don’t own anything relating to Takahashi-sensei’s Inuyasha. However, the plot and/or ideas of this drabble series do belong to me.
A/N: None. :) Update 5 of 7.
Chapter 73: Rival
“My woman!”
Kagome heard a small snort beside her before she was engulfed in a hug, pressed tightly against a broad chest. The mixed scent of cologne and a hint of pine flooded her senses, and after a moment, she pulled back to gaze into a pair of twinkling, baby blue eyes.
“It’s good to see you, Kouga-kun,” she said, a fond smile playing about her lips. She took in his ruggedly handsome face and sharp grin, but couldn’t help the displeased noise that escaped from her mouth at the sight of his hair. The petite female tugged on the short, black strands as a wistful expression crossed her features.
Inclining his head at Sesshoumaru, Kouga smiled down at her. “It’s just hair. It’ll grow back.”
“I know… It’s just… strange, is all,” Kagome confessed. “You can’t even tie it into a ponytail anymore!”
The male shrugged slightly. “Well, that’s what I get for rejecting a crazy girl.”
Kagome grinned at his sour look. “How is Ayame doing anyway?”
“Still as clingy as ever,” he said, rolling his eyes. “She won’t leave me alone. I’m seriously tempted to get a restraining order against her.”
The woman quirked an eyebrow. “She’s that bad?”
“Worse, probably. Desperate, I think. Marrying me is the only thing on her mind.”
Kagome gave his arm a sympathetic pat and allowed him to place a hand at the small of her back. She smiled in amusement as he guided her to his den, or the “Man Cave” as he liked to call it. Sesshoumaru, their silent shadow, trailed along behind them at a more sedate pace. He glowered when his wife threw him a quick glance over her shoulder.
Facing forward again, Kagome gasped as soon as they made it into the room. Though it wasn’t the first time she had been in there, the new addition to it had startled her completely. Ignoring the large, L-shaped couch, the various fur pelts displayed along the walls, and the billiard table in the corner, her wide eyes locked onto the massive portrait hanging above the fireplace.
That was definitely not there the last time they visited.
“What in the world…?”
Kouga beamed proudly, mistaking her shock for awe. “Picked her up last week! Ain’t she a beauty?” he boasted.
“Erm… That’s not exactly the word I’d use.”
“I know! She’s gorgeous!”
Kagome laughed nervously. “It’s a bit chaotic, Kouga-kun.” She was relieved when Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement.
“Huh?” Their childhood friend blinked owlishly, eyes tracing over the artwork. “Oh, I guess it is. I’ll cover it if you want, Kagome,” he offered.
“No, it’s alright! Really! I’m actually rather curious about it.”
The intimidating canvas depicted a continuous narrative–multiple scenes involving the same group of people. There was no clear starting point or an end, but Kagome decided to begin at the simplest scene first. There were women sweeping their homes and sprinkling salt and wheat throughout the interiors. She supposed that it was some type of spring cleaning.
Her head tilted as she looked at the next group of individuals: priests of a Western religion. The men were in a cave sacrificing a goat and a dog, while a wolf lay, nestling with two infants in the foreground. While she didn’t know the exact significance of this, she figured it was important since it was placed at the center of the painting.
Next came the chaotic scene that she had mentioned to Kouga earlier. The same priests, dressed in and armed with strips of goat hide, ran amok in the streets, slapping women with them. Subsequently, the females were shown placing paper into a big urn and paired with a male partner afterward.
“So? What do you think?” came Kouga’s voice.
Sapphire met his own blue hues. “I’m not sure… It’s weird, to be honest.”
“Yeah.” He nodded understandingly. “But that’s why I like it! Plus,” he said, face brightening. “It’s got a wolf in it!”
Kagome giggled at his enthusiasm. “Still obsessed with them?”
“Always!”
“Why’s it important though?”
“Ah, according to a curator friend of mine, that she-wolf supposedly took care of the Roman founders, Romulus and Remus. There’s a festival dedicated to her and another Roman god.”
“Oh, so it’s like a religious tradition then?”
Kouga hummed in his throat. “Kind of. People sacrificed goats for fertility and dogs for purification.”
“Which… explains the other parts of the piece.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Kagome glanced at her husband, who hadn’t uttered a single word the entire time. Her gaze zeroed in on his face, taking note of the way he was currently studying the subject of their conversation with intense concentration. His eyes were narrowed, his lips were pursed, and his jaw was locked tightly. Knowing him better than anyone else, she was aware that the painting bothered him. She didn’t know why, but she was determined to find out.
“Maru-kun?”
“Hn?”
“How do you like it?”
Sesshoumaru’s amber orbs slanted her way. “I do not,” he intoned deeply. “It is barbaric.”
Kouga sneered. “Why? `Cause it’s not up to par with your refined tastes?”
“Yes.”
Kagome was unsettled when a growl came from the dark-haired male. It had sounded almost… animalistic.
“I invite you over to my house, and you ridicule my things?”
“No.” Sesshoumaru continued when an incredulous look made its way onto Kouga’s face. “Only this painting is atrocious. The rest of your belongings have no importance to me.”
“Tch! Arrogant prick.”
When her husband opened his mouth to reply, Kagome cut in, “What the hell has gotten into you two? Please tell me you’re not fighting over something so trivial!”
“We’re not,” Kouga immediately said, meeting her glare head-on. “He just doesn’t know how to play nice.”
Sesshoumaru’s lip curled, teeth bared. “Fools are undeserving of my mercy.”
“Heh! If this was a dogfight, you’d already be dead!”
The Taishou heir smiled then, eyes glinting in a sadistic fashion. He ignored his wife as she moved to hold him back. “Is that a challenge?”
“Maybe. You’re on wolf territory, mutt.”
Above Kagome’s head, Sesshoumaru’s hues flashed scarlet. “Pitiful. The only `territory’ I care about is my own.” His arms draped around the female, holding her possessively. “And my woman prefers dogs.”
Kouga sputtered, face flushing in anger. “She ain’t your chew toy!”
“She is not,” the other confirmed. “But she is mine.” He reveled in the silence that followed.
And then:
“Good to know you’re still an asshole. For a second there, I was almost worried.”
Sesshoumaru was just as confused as Kagome when she turned to look at the man. Kouga had an easy smile on his face, and his body language was relaxed, nonthreatening. He appeared as though he hadn’t been fazed by the whole argument.
“What?” he asked, fidgeting under their stares. “You guys are making me uncomfortable.”
“What was that all about, Kouga-kun?”
“I was just testing him.” He smirked at Sesshoumaru. “Just wanted to know what his priorities are.”
“Erm… I don’t understand?”
“It’s alright. He does. Ain’t that right, dog?”
Sesshoumaru wrinkled his nose but nodded his head. “…Wolf.”
Kagome wasn’t sure what they were talking about anymore. “Are those new nicknames?”
“Something like that,” Kouga allowed. “You can say it’s a type of male bonding.”
“Then… I’m glad I’m a girl.”
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Original Posting Date: February 16, 2013
Prompt: For Kneazles’s “Valentine’s Day Countdown” Challenge, Lupercalia Festival
Words: 1250