Higher Education by SunsetMiko

Chapter 26

All prompts in this chapter are labeled with what challenge they go to.

Prompt: Inclement: Rough, harsh, severe - generally related to the weather. (Obscure Word Challenge)

Kagome was confused when she spotted Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha at the cafeteria during dinner, where she had arranged to meet him. Something was off about the taiyoukai. His shoulders were slumped and he looked as if he were trying to make himself as small as possible, as if he wanted to disappear. She approached slowly, watching as Inuyasha talked and talked, the taiyoukai merely nodding his head from time to time. His eyes looked almost dead behind his glasses and her heart ached. What had his evil brother done to him?!

She crept closer, hoping to hear Inuyasha's words and when she did, she was shocked. The hanyou was going on and on about what a loser Sesshoumaru was, how he didn't deserve her, how he should set her free to be with someone she deserved. His words were harsh but he spoke as if it was perfectly normal dinner conversation. The way the taiyoukai nodded, seemingly agreeing, had her on edge. Had Inuyasha somehow brainwashed Sesshoumaru so that he would leave her? She wouldn't allow this to happen!

The miko closed the distance between her and the brothers, resting her hand gently on Sesshoumaru's shoulder. "I missed you," she whispered in his ear, feeling as his tense muscles relaxed slightly. "Come with me."

Without another word, without even acknowledging Inuyasha's existence, the miko straightened up and began to walk away, feeling as Sesshoumaru followed behind her obediently. Inuyasha might be able to mess with his head, but she had a direct link to his body and an even stronger connection to his heart. He ached for her and she knew that she would always win out between her and the hanyou. Sesshoumaru would always listen to her over him, would always do what she wanted of him, no matter what. She'd gotten him to go to a toga party in nothing but a sheet after just meeting him. What couldn't she get him to do?

Inuyasha tried to stop his brother from following the miko, ordering him to sit back down, but Sesshoumaru got up and walked away anyway, leaving the hanyou to curse angrily to himself. It was obvious he was going to be engaging in a battle of wills with Kagome. He could not allow her to build his brother back up. He could not be confident in himself because that confidence was dangerous to Inuyasha's health. He rose, hoping to follow the pair so he could keep them apart if at all possible, but he lost them in the crowded cafeteria.

Kagome stopped at the top of the stairs and opened the door, leading the taiyoukai out onto the roof of the large building that housed not only the cafeteria but the auditorium and gymnasium as well. He followed her out and as soon as the door closed behind him, she had her hands on his cheeks.

"What did he do to you?" she asked, her concern obvious.

"Nothing," he said flatly. "We went shopping."

"I heard him, Sesshoumaru. He's wrong."

"But you deserve so much more," he replied softly, as if the words themselves caused him pain.

"I don't want anyone else but you. Now come here," she said, opening her arms to him.

Sesshoumaru wrapped his arms around the miko desperately, as if he knew it was the last time he would ever hold her, and Kagome sighed.

"How did he manage to get into your head? You were doing so well."

"I disappointed you last night," he responded, his tone empty.

"You gave me the best orgasm of my life last night," she corrected him. "How could that possibly be disappointing?"

"Because it was not what you truly wanted from me. If I was a real inu, I would have known what to do, what you wanted."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, irritation in her tone. "You are a real inu. He might have stolen your confidence, but your aura is still strong. Your beast is still rising. He's trying to keep you under control with his hate-filled words, but you can't let him. He's terrified that you're going to make him pay for everything he has ever done to you, and you will. I know it. He's just delaying the inevitable."

"I have no instincts. I have no beast. I am pathetic," he said, repeating the words Inuyasha had been filling his head with all afternoon. "I am not worthy of you."

Prompt: Orange Lily (Hatred, Revenge) (Language of Flowers Challenge)

Now officially pissed off, Kagome put her hands on her hips and released an admirable attempt at a growl. "So you want me to go to him then? You want me to fuck your brother? Do you want to watch, so you can be sure I enjoyed myself more than I ever could with you? Should I go back down there now and let him touch me, let him do all the vulgar things he's said he wants to do with me?"

She could see the anger rising in him as she spoke and she pushed him further and further, knowing eventually he would break. As she began listing some of the depraved sexual acts Inuyasha had mentioned at one point or another, Sesshoumaru growled, his eyes burning red. Finally he spoke, his voice rough and feral.

"He will not touch you. You are mine."

"Are you sure? I thought you weren't worthy of me, that I deserve better."

"Mine," he snarled and Kagome smiled.

"Yours," she said softly. In an instant, he had her in his arms, kissing her passionately. He was forceful and aggressive, dominating as he swept his tongue into her mouth, and the miko moaned. She should have been afraid, dragging his beast out of the depths of his mind into the light of day for the first time, but she hadn't known what else to do. Inuyasha had torn him down to nothing. He seemed even more meek and afraid than he'd been when she first found him and it broke her heart to see him that way.

Kagome allowed him his dominance, reveling in the feeling of his hands sweeping over his body. He touched her everywhere and though she was surprised when his fingers slipped under her panties, she allowed that as well. She watched as he brought his slick fingers to his lips, licking them clean.

"He was right," the beast growled. "I should have tasted you last night."

The miko smiled as her hands slipped under his shirt, caressing his chest. "You'll have another chance," she assured him. "I promise you. I'm not going anywhere. You can't trust anything your brother says to you. How... How did he do this to you?"

As his anger receded his beast did as well and Sesshoumaru regained control, his tense shoulders falling, making it obvious that the taiyoukai was back to normal, or as normal as he could be. "He said that women are with inu because of our abilities to... to bring you pleasure. He said that was what you wanted, that you chose an inu for a reason and I let you down."

Kagome laughed softly. "You did not let me down last night. What happened to that arrogance? That 'I was the first man to make her come' arrogance? No one can take that away from you."

"But that was not what you wanted from me."

The miko sighed and forced Sesshoumaru to look into her eyes. "It was exactly what I wanted from you, for you to explore, to touch me however you wanted. I expected you to move slowly and I loved it, every moment of it, even the awkward ones. You have to stop listening to him. I was far from disappointed. Doing that... it might have been too much too fast, you know? What we did was perfect."

"But inu..."

"If I wanted your face between my thighs, I would have told you. You would have done it, done your best, and I would have loved every second of it. That can still happen. But you don't need to move at your whore of a brother's pace. You should move at your own. Everything he said about you is a lie, a hate-filled lie designed to keep you under his control. Don't forget, I'm not the only woman who wants you. He can't take that from you either."

"I was accosted in the showers this morning," he confessed. "A female asked me to join her in the shower, even after I told her I had a girlfriend."

Prompt: Asseverate: to declare or to affirm positively or earnestly. (Obscure Word Challenge)

"See? You're gorgeous, Sesshoumaru, and wonderful. You're caring and sweet. You're open to new things. You're funny. You're brave. You even stood up for me, not once but twice. You wouldn't let Hojo insult me and you stopped Inuyasha from doing it too. You weren't afraid of him last night. Did you really let him get into your head so easily? All he had to do was tell you that you disappointed me? How did he even know what we did?"

Sesshoumaru blushed and Kagome smiled. "He noticed my cut claws and then..." He paused, unsure of how to speak the words. "And then he scented you... on my fingers."

"Even after a shower?" she asked in surprise.

"That was my thought exactly, but the sweet scent of your arousal remains."

"And from there he managed to break you down? Sesshoumaru, you have to stop listening to him. He'll say and do anything necessary to keep you down, to keep you weak. He's terrified of your strength. He's terrified of you."

"You truly think so?" he asked.

"I know so. Just think about it. If he takes away your confidence, you'll never stand up to him again. He nearly shit himself last night. If he saw what I just did, he would have run away home in an instant."

"What do you mean?"

"Your beast, Sesshoumaru. He took control. He kissed me, claimed me as yours," she paused for a moment before continuing, "tasted me."

"So that is the source of the sweet taste in my mouth." He watched as Kagome's cheeks flushed pink. "I am definitely looking forward to more."

"There's that confidence," she said with a shy smile.

"You truly met my beast?"

"I did, so no more worries that you don't have one. You definitely do, and he doesn't like your brother very much."

Kagome watched as Sesshoumaru thought, knowing the instant he accepted it as the truth. His shoulders lifted as his confidence returned. The more he thought about it, the more it became clear. Inuyasha had manipulated him, played off his weaknesses, and nearly caused him to give up the miko that meant the world to him. This would not stand. He would teach his brother a lesson: that he would never be able to do so again.

"You know, it was kind of hot, seeing you catch his hand like that and hold on like you did. He was so afraid of you and he deserved it when you messed it up. If only he didn't heal so quickly. He deserves to be in pain for a long time."

"You... you like it? I was worried that I had frightened you."

"No, you didn't frighten me. I could never be afraid of you, not even when your beast was in control. You need to do it again, stand up to him. Don't let him walk all over you."

"You're right," Sesshoumaru said, thinking over all the money he'd spent on his brother that day. He instantly decided that it was all going back. Everything he'd purchased would be returned. With that in mind, he pressed a kiss to Kagome's lips and then told her his plan. She agreed to help him and the couple headed back downstairs into the cafeteria.

The miko still wanted to have dinner and she slid into the empty seat beside Inuyasha while Sesshoumaru headed up to his dorm room to collect his purchases. He still had time before closing to return things. Meanwhile, Kagome glanced at the hanyou beside her, a smirk on her lips.

"You lose, Inuyasha. You're always going to lose."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" he asked. "Where's Sesshoumaru?"

"Returning all the crap you made him buy. You might as well give up. You can tear him down, but I will always build him back up. You push him too far and you're going to regret it. I met his beast a bit ago, and he doesn't like you at all."

Inuyasha swallowed hard. "You met his beast?"

"Yup," she said with a wide smirk. "I drew him to the surface using his hatred of you. He took full control. You really don't want that to happen when you're around. He'll tear you apart and you'll deserve every bit of pain he causes you. I will not let you take him away from me."

The hanyou studied Kagome's face for a long moment before rising and walking away. She'd successfully scared the shit out of him and he had no idea what to do. He'd thought it was a good plan, tearing Sesshoumaru down, but his relationship with Kagome was too strong.