Inspiration: "Dance with Me" by Kelly Clarkson
..::**::..
He thought it would just be a passing fancy.
When the miko had come to him with the request of travelling together, Sesshoumaru had assumed it was to get away from his brother. Whatever spark they'd had during the fight against Naraku had quickly fizzled once she'd returned to the past, though she seemed better for it.
There had been now final row, no torrent of emotions, and Sesshoumaru was left to wonder if the spark had been there in the first place. Perhaps it had been an infatuation made real by circumstance.
Inuyasha had always been strangely protective of the woman.
Sesshoumaru had never seen the need—the miko was more than capable of protecting herself.
Fully expecting the woman to return to her village after a few days, Sesshoumaru had agreed to let her accompany him. He'd dreaded the thought of her endless prattle, but she'd once again surprised him by allowing long silences between her musings.
It was almost as if she enjoyed his company.
Weeks had bled into months, and soon they were nearing the end of the eighth moon cycle together. They'd found a routine, a way of co-existing that was both freeing and enjoyable, but lately, the miko had begun to act strange.
He'd thought it an anomaly, perhaps due to the weather, but she'd started pinning her hair up. Sesshoumaru seemed to remember her being adamant about keeping her hair free to distinguish herself from the dead miko, so it was something that had caught his attention.
And it wasn't the typical style of all miko.
Each time it was different, a twist or a braid or even held by a clip she'd bought in town, but each style revealed the slope of her neck, and Sesshoumaru was loathe to admit how much it appealed to his instincts.
It was a blatant offering.
And she did it often enough that it had started to annoy him when she didn't. Like right now. She was crouched low, spinning a story for some village children, dark locks draped over her shoulders.
Sesshoumaru stood his distance, not wanting to upset the youngsters, though the miko seemed to be incorporating him into her story, as she kept motioning over to him. Her audience was full of stolen glances, some of wonder, some of apprehension, but as always, her soft tone and welcoming smile did much to calm their fears.
Then a wayward breeze caught her hair, and she was forced to push it behind her ear, once again revealing her neck. Sesshoumaru stiffened as she flashed him a grin, this one different from the one she gifted to others.
One specifically for him.
He needed to kill something.
Inclining his head, he signalled to the miko where he was going, blue eyes blinking in surprise. No doubt she was wondering why he was hunting again after only a few days. He asked himself the same thing, but the answer was not something he was willing to share or indulge in.
Not when she was so unaware of what her actions symbolized.
Pale silks caught the same breeze that had rustled her hair, and claws dug into his palms as he turned away. Hopefully, spilling a lesser lifeform's blood would relax the tension in his muscles that seemed to be increasing by the day.
..::**::..
Hunting had not helped.
Or perhaps it had, but his movements had been interrupted with thoughts of sun-kissed skin, his mind doing its best to fill in the blanks of what might happen if her offering was real.
The village had been quiet when he'd returned, the miko waiting for him on the outskirts and immediately brightening when he came into view.
"Did you find what you were looking for?"
He winced at her question. "No."
"Too bad." Getting to her feet, she brushed off her clothing then started walking away from the village. "Where are we headed next?"
"Home."
"You need something from the Shiro?"
"Not mine, yours."
"My home?" She sounded genuinely confused, cocking her head to the side and revealing that enticing slope again. "Oh, you mean near the well? Are we visiting Rin?"
"Do you not consider it to be your home?"
She twisted a lock of hair, fingers trailing from her neck to her shoulder.
Sesshoumaru barely suppressed a growl.
"Not really. Not since—" Kagome clasped her hands behind her back. "Anyway, if you want to visit Rin, that's totally fine, but don't feel like we need to go back for me."
"Do humans not require a place to nest?"
"Some do, I suppose. But everyone else has moved on since we defeated Naraku—Sango and Miroku have their kids, Kohaku is working on rebuilding the slayer village, Rin is learning from Kaede, and Inuyasha is off with Kouga helping out Shiori."
There seemed to be a lot she wasn't saying, but he wasn't about to pry. The less she spoke, the less he was drawn in.
"There wasn't anything for me to do there," she continued, finally releasing her hair only to turn around, that strange smile lighting up her face. "Thanks again for letting me travel with you."
He passed by her, intent on putting her out of sight and out of mind, but she fell in step beside him, her robes brushing against mokomoko and making his fur stand on end.
"Hnn."
"So, are we heading back to Rin's village?"
"No."
The edges of his mouth twitched at her resulting laughter.
..::**::..
He managed to keep his fantasies at bay for over a week, but on the eleventh day, they came across a secluded hot spring, and the miko couldn't contain her excitement.
"Do you mind if we stop? I know you wanted to get out of the mountains before the first snow, but—"
"There is still time."
The relief on her face was palpable, and Sesshoumaru refused to admit, both to her or himself, that he knew precisely when the next storm would roll in.
Or that he'd sought out this place specifically for her comfort.
However, he'd underestimated the power of his own imagination as the illusions of the miko returned full force, this time with her damp hair tangled around his claws, his lips descending upon the pulse point she insisted on showing off on a daily basis.
It was time to hunt again.
Tiny waves rippled around the spring, the miko having already taken off her shoes and testing out the water with her toes.
"I will leave you to it."
"Or you could stay."
Golden eyes widened in shock, freezing his feet to the ground as the miko began to undress. Pulling her hair over one shoulder, she loosened her hakama, the bright material falling away before she started on her kosode. She'd pulled one arm out before Sesshoumaru found his voice.
"What are you doing?"
Blue eyes gleamed as she looked back at him. "Trying to seduce you."
..::**::..
Kagome's declaration was met with silence, and she inwardly cringed. Guess that was her answer then. She'd hoped for some sort of answer, regardless of the outcome, but this kind of response was never a good thing.
Sighing, she finished undressing, leaving her clothes in a messy pile before walking into the spring. Steam rose around her, and she tried to enjoy the feel of the hot water soothing tense muscles, but as usual, her mind was somewhere else.
With someone else.
Fingers trailed beside her, creating more ripples, as she waded out into the middle of the pool. Guess I'll be returning to the village after all, she thought. There was no way she could continue to travel with him after being rejected—
A hand shot out and grabbed her arm, yanking her back against hard muscle. Kagome yelped, whirling around to find Sesshoumaru standing before her.
Completely naked.
Her movements cause waves to splash against his body, drawing her attention to the magenta stripes that curled over his hips. A blush stained her cheeks, and she was suddenly very aware of her own nakedness, bringing her arms up to cover herself.
Sesshoumaru gave her an incredulous look. "You are bashful now?"
The blush only deepened. "I thought you left!"
"After such an open invitation?"
Rage overtook her embarrassment, and she poked him in the chest. "You're the one who's been ignoring my advances! I've been trying to get your attention for months!"
"You have it now."
"Yeah, after I had to resort to the direct approach." Kagome managed to keep her voice steady, even when his claws slid into her hair. "You took the whole 'men don't notice a new hairdo' to a whole new level."
Both eyebrows disappeared under pale bangs. "It was intentional."
She felt the shift in his aura, felt the heat from his gaze as he pushed her hair over one shoulder, the back of his fingers caressing her skin. Need pulsed through her, and she leaned into the touch.
"I've been told that offering up certain parts of your body means different things in youkai language."
A single dark wave caught between his fingers, and he brought it to his lips. "And what are you offering, Kagome?"
Heat pooled between her legs, knees trembling as she steeled her nerve, sliding her hands up his chest.
"Everything," she breathed.
Going up on tiptoe, she urged him downwards, pressing their bodies together before their lips met. Tongues tangled, both fighting for dominance, and the spring's water suddenly felt cool to the heat building inside her.
She'd hoped.
Gods, how she'd hoped.
The taste of him was better than even her most vivid fantasies, and Kagome knew she'd never be the same again. He lifted her out of the water, wading over to the water's edge, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, moaning when more than just muscle slid against her core.
She tried to get closer, writhing against him as blunt nails raked against his scalp. A growl reverberated through her, and she moaned in response, trying to reposition herself. His hands clenched, pricking her skin as he pulled her away, looming over her as her back was pressed against smooth rock.
"No teasing, Sesshoumaru. Please!"
Red-tinged eyes bore down on her, his fangs seeming longer than usual. "I wish to prepare you."
Her heart soared. Honourable down to his core.
She hooked her heels together, feet pressing into the small of his back as she urged him closer. "Later. You can prepare me all you want. But I can't wait—I've wanted you for so long. Please." Reaching between them, she stroked him firmly, her eyes becoming half-lidded as he pulsed in her hand. Her knees tightened against his sides, and she lined them up, her own arousal spiking as she watched the head disappear inside her.
Her moan became a choked scream as he thrust the rest of the way into her, stretching her to the point of pain. He held himself still, and she shuddered around him, chest heaving as her body adjusted.
Every part of her felt tight, steam rising off her skin. Sucking in a deep breath, Kagome looked up at him, whimpering at the predator gazing down at her. Heart hammering against her ribs, she reached for him, brushing her fingers along the jagged stripes on his cheeks before tilting her head to the side, revealing the side of her neck to him.
Sesshoumaru's pupils dilated.
And then he was moving, hips slamming against hers, and she was quickly engulfed in flames. The anticipation had been too much—the wait too long—and now that his hands were on her, now that she could feel him, she wasn't sure she was going to survive.
"Relax Kagome."
She gasped, releasing the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"Did you forget how to breathe?"
Her blush was contradicted by the sultry smile that touched her lips, and she pushed herself up, her tongue sliding along the underside of his jaw. It had the desired effect, his entire body tensing as tendrils of dark youki curled around her.
"Sometimes you make me forget my own name."
His growl was feral, and he slammed her back down against the rock, elongated fangs latching onto her shoulder. The pain only excited her, and she pushed her hips up, silently begging for more.
Hooking his arms under her knees, he began thrusting again, the new angle making her cry out. Kagome grabbed onto his arms, incoherent sounds spilling out of her mouth. Her head fell to the side, offering all of herself to him, inner muscles clamping down, refusing to reach her peak alone.
Her back arched when he swelled inside her, the extra girth making her see stars. She tried to suck in oxygen, and it was in the moment that his fangs pierced her flesh.
Kagome's mouth opened in a silent scream.
The youki that had been swirling around her leeched in through the opening, moving through her veins and flooding her system as it wound itself around her very being. Pure reiki rose to meet the intrusion, not fighting but joining.
The combined energy wound itself around her, encasing her, before settling around her heart, warming her from the inside. Finally relaxing, she lay back against the bank, her arms softly encircling his neck.
"Does this mean I get to stay with you?" She winced at the pleading tone of her voice.
Sesshoumaru chuckled, tongue swirling over the wound on her neck, shivers running all the way down to her toes. Still connected, he pulled back enough that they could lock eyes, noses brushing against each other.
"There is no place you could go that I would not follow you to."
"Good." The sultry smile returned, and she kissed the tip of his nose. "Guess that means my seduction tactics worked."
Golden eyes gleamed, full of dark promise. "You are welcome to try others any time."
"I'll remember that."
An arm snaked around her, pulling her body flush with his as he turned them around, holding her in his lap as the water rippled around them. Kagome hummed, happiness lightening her aura as she snuggled closer. His claws drew comforting circles on her back.
Revelling in the feel of simply being held by him, she trailed kisses along his collarbone before her eyes flew open, and she pulled away, curiosity mixing with arousal as she looked up at him.
"Can I bite you back?"