Higher Education by SunsetMiko

Chapter 1

All prompts for this chapter are from the DDN at Dokuga on 7-5-14

Prompt: Ancient Rome

Kagome smirked as she adjusted her sheet. The toga party was in full swing but she was on the hunt. There was one person who had promised he would be there and she had to find him in the crowd. Finally she spotted him, hiding against a wall, trying to make himself appear as small as possible. He shoved his glasses up his nose and shifted his sheet uncomfortably.

"There you are!" Kagome said while smiling. "I wasn't sure you'd make it."

"That was our deal," he said softly, his voice almost disappearing under the music pounding in the house.

Prompt: Sun

Sesshoumaru studied the reason he was at such a wretched event, the miko before him. The sheet she wore bared one shoulder, her skin golden and free of tan lines. Immediately his mind was picturing how she'd managed that and he had to shake the dirty thoughts from his mind.

"Can I go now?" he asked, eager to escape before someone else noticed him. He didn't fit in with this crowd and he knew it.

"No!" Kagome exclaimed. "You have to have a drink and dance. The whole point in dragging you here was for you to have some fun!"

Prompt: Brightest Star

Sesshoumaru held back a sigh and waited as the miko disappeared into the crowd in search of alcohol. He studied the other partiers in their sheets and other costumes and frowned. No one held a candle to Kagome. She was the most beautiful creature in the room, shining brightly in the crowd of students, and yet there she was, holding out a plastic cup for him to take. Why was she there with him? Why had she insisted on his presence to begin with? Why did she see him when he was invisible to the rest of the student body?

Prompt: Phrase

Kagome smiled at the nervous taiyoukai as he accepted his cup. He sipped at it like it might be poisonous and she laughed, tipping the bottom to make him drink more.

"It's not going to kill you, Sesshoumaru."

He did his best not to cough as he swallowed down the bitter liquid. If she could drink it then so could he, even if it did burn on the way down.

"There you go, big guy."

"Big guy?" he asked, confused by the nickname. No one ever called him anything but his given name before.

"Big guy," Kagome repeated the phrase.

Prompt: Red Dog Sacrificed

"You know you're not a small guy. Why does 'big guy' surprise you?" she asked.

"I have never been called anything other than Sesshoumaru," he replied, sacrificing more brain cells to the alcohol she'd brought him. It went down smoother on the second try, thankfully, and he didn't have the desire to cough it back up.

"Well, now you have," Kagome said with a grin. "You need to get out more. You spend all your time holed up in your room studying."

"Is that not the point to school?" he asked.

"Not the only point! You have to have fun!"

Prompt: Northern Hemisphere

"You can spend all your time memorizing facts and figures about all the nations in the Northern hemisphere. You can get perfect scores on all your exams. If you focus only on that, though, your life is going to be very boring. Don't you want to have fun, Sesshoumaru?"

The taiyoukai looked over the girl in front of him for a long moment before nodding. Yes, he did want to have fun, but only if he could do so with her. No one else had ever been able to pull him out of his shell, but Kagome could, and easily.

Prompt: Hot Weather

"Gosh, it's hot in here," Kagome said, taking another swig from her cup. "You wanna go outside?"

Yes, he most definitely wanted to go outside. The music was so loud inside that he could literally feel it in his chest and he would do just about anything to escape that situation, except leave Kagome's side. Thankfully, she sensed his discomfort and reached out to grab his hand. She guided him through the crowd and out onto a balcony where the cool night air hit them.

"That's better," Kagome sighed. "Maybe this was a little ambitious for your first time out."

Prompt: Months of July and August

"It's actually pretty cool for August," Kagome said, rubbing her bare arms.

Instantly, Sesshoumaru wished he was wearing his usual apparel. If he was, he'd be able to put his suit jacket over her shoulders as men did in romantic movies. Instead, he was stuck in nothing but a sheet and his boxers, so he had nothing to give her to warm her up.

"We can go back inside if you are cold," he said in his soft tone. His voice always made the miko smile. He sounded so mousey, so insecure, and it was her mission to change that.

Prompt: Evil Time

"Nah, I'll be fine. We'll only be out here for a few minutes anyway. Then we're going back inside to dance," she said with a wicked smirk. She knew she was pushing him beyond his comfort zone, but that was the point. Sesshoumaru needed to get out there and socialize. He needed to have fun. Ever since she first saw him, sitting alone in the library with a mountain of books in front of him, she knew she needed to help him. He was adorable and he had no idea. No one else could see what she saw in him.

Prompt: The Book of Common Prayers

Sesshoumaru said a silent prayer begging the gods to get him out of this one. He had no idea how to dance, had never even tried before, and he just knew he was going to make a fool out of himself in front of everyone, but especially in front of her. He couldn't do this. If he did, she would end up laughing at him. She would put an end to their confusing association and he would be alone again.

"I cannot dance," he said hesitantly. He didn't want to disappoint her, but he didn't want to lose her either.

Prompt: Wine Goes Sour

"You'll do fine We just need to get a few more drinks into you," Kagome said with a smile. "I'll be right back."

"What, exactly, are we drinking?" he asked, catching her before she disappeared on him.

"Party punch," she replied.

"And what is that composed of?"

Kagome's smile widened. "Whatever alcohol the frat was able to get their hands on, mixed with fruit punch. It's different every time."

"Is there not any wine?"

The miko laughed. "Wine? I doubt it. Why? Don't ya like the punch?" When he made a face, she laughed. "I know, it's pretty terrible tasting."

Prompt: Least Rain

Just as Kagome was about to leave him to get more punch, a girl rushed out onto the balcony covering her mouth with her hand. The miko quickly moved Sesshoumaru out of the way before screaming "Look out below!" Moments later, vomit was raining down on the partygoers dancing beneath the overhang.

Sesshoumaru made a face and Kagome burst out laughing. "Never seen that before, I'll bet."

"I could have lived without ever seeing it, or smelling it," he said while crinkling his nose.

"Come on, let's go back inside," the miko said while tugging at his hand once more.

Prompt: Sultry Days of Summer

He loved the way her hand felt holding his. He didn't get a lot of physical contact, none really, and it felt wonderful. It left him wondering what the rest of her might feel like. Sesshoumaru quickly put the thought out of his mind. Kagome was trying to get him to socialize because she felt sorry for him. This would never develop into a true relationship.

Sesshoumaru looked around, finding himself in a crowd of bodies, people rubbing up against each other in a sultry fashion. Is this what she expected him to do? He didn't think he could manage.

Prompt: Greek Origin

Still, the idea of having her body pressed against his was thrilling and part of him thought that trying to dance would be worth it. He watched those moving around him, trying to figure out what to do, how to move.

Kagome caught his other hand, standing in front of him, and she laughed at the expression on his face. "You can do this. It has to be easier than learning Latin." When she moved his hands to her hips, Sesshoumaru tensed. She wanted him to touch her? It was a dream come true, but terrifying at the same time.

Prompt: Mad Dogs

His hands felt awkward on her hips, but once she started to move, wild dogs couldn't have dragged him away from her. She looked so beautiful, her eyes closed as she allowed the music to pour through her body. She moved fluidly, her hips shifting to the beat that was pounding through the house.

"Come on," she yelled. "Move with me!"

Kagome turned around, pulling his arms around her waist, and began to move against him. Soon his hips were moving with hers while his fingers lay splayed over her abdomen. He'd never felt so free in all his life.

Prompt: The Sea Boiled

When the miko opened her eyes again, her whole body tensed. Her ex was standing a short distance away, rage boiling in his eyes. He hadn't been happy when she dumped him and he obviously didn't appreciate seeing her dancing with another male.

Kagome turned quickly and leaned close to Sesshoumaru so that she didn't have to yell. "Whatever he says, ignore him."

"Whatever who says?" the taiyoukai asked in confusion.

"He's my ex and he's a huge jerk. Just ignore him, okay?"

Sesshoumaru nodded, though fear shot through him. What if her ex confronted him and wanted a fight?

Prompt: Precession of the equinoxes

Sesshoumaru glanced around; searching for the male had once been Kagome's boyfriend. His eyes landed on an angry looking fellow and his heart sped up. The guy definitely looked as if he desired to hurt someone, and that someone was likely him. The taiyoukai thanked his lucky stars he wasn't overly large. He was actually of average height and he didn't look especially strong. Though Sesshoumaru was a bookworm, he wasn't a small man and he was physically fit. Still, he had no experience fighting and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He wasn't the fighting type.

Prompt: Watchdog for the Flooding of the Nile

"Go away, Hojo," Kagome said when the male approached. "I'm not in the mood."

"You know, I didn't believe it when Naraku told me but there you are, whoring it up with some nerd."

"Bite me, Hojo," the miko hissed, backing closer to Sesshoumaru until her body was pressed to his. "What I do now is none of your business and I don't appreciate you having your friends watching me."

"I'll beat him down," Hojo said, stepping closer.

"He's a demon, Hojo. I know you're not that stupid. He could kill you in a second."

"Yeah? Well, let's find out."

Prompt: Dog Star Sirius

Yes, he was a dog demon, but Sesshoumaru had never been in a fight before. He'd been on the wrong side of bullying quite a bit in his life, but he'd never fought back, and so he had no idea what to do. Still, hearing this male call Kagome a whore was more than enough to anger him, and the taiyoukai growled softly.

Kagome could feel his growl vibrate through her back and she smiled. Sesshoumaru could handle this, even if he'd never fought before, which wouldn't surprise her. He seemed like a pacifist but Hojo had made him angry.

Prompt: Dog Hieroglyph

Sesshoumaru's hands moved from Kagome's abdomen to his sides, his knuckles cracking as he flexed his claws.

"You do not wish to fight me, boy," he said darkly, showing confidence he didn't have.

Kagome smiled as Hojo took a small step back reflexively. "I told you, Hojo," she said. "Now be a good little boy and run along home."

Sesshoumaru allowed the anger inside him to grow until his eyes began to bleed red and he watched as Kagome's ex turned tail and ran. The miko turned in front of him and grinned widely.

"My big, brave hero," she said.