Holler Me Home by The Norrington

A First Time for Everything

Sesshomaru was always full of suprises.  The biggest shocker had been his interest in her, plain old human, klutzy Kagome.  Nothing could top that one, she guessed.  Other suprises were smaller things that made him uniquely himself.  Like the fact he enjoyed chocolate, but was allergic to it.  Or that reasons he slowed for Rin to collect flowers is because he liked to look at them.  He found the colors pleasing.  

But one of the bigger suprises (behind that biggest one, of course) was actually of the smaller variety.  They were making camp, not long after their courting began.  The fire was crackling and Rin and Shippo had settled down to study their reading lessons.  Jaken was fixing a slight tear in one of AhUn's harnesses.  She was just settling down, setting a pot to boil, when a creamy, rich, and strong smell floated over the camp.

She sniffed lightly, pondering it, and knowing that Sesshomaru would smell it to, she turned to ask him what he was.  He sat leaned against a tree, one knee draw up towards his chest.  His elbow rested on that knee, but in that hand, near his mouth, was a pipe.  It's bowl was small and glinted in the fire light, but the steam was long and graceful, so pale it was almost white.

Her mouth dropped open as she saw the wisp of light gray smoke stream from his nostrils, releasing more of that dark, good smell into the air.  

"What is that?" she blurted.

"Cardamom," his voice was as smooth as his smoke.  

When she did not look away, he raised a brow at her, the tip of the pipe clasped between his lips.  She shuddered.

Smoking had never been sexy before.  Then again, Sesshomaru was full of suprises.

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A/N:  Pipes are cool.  This is from Stella's Spicy Challenge, and the prompt was Cardamom.  2/7/13