Chapter Thirteen – Lesson One
Kagome had had her share of rude awakenings—most of which came at the hands of a meddling Daisuke—but the one she received from Suzume had to have been the most jarring of them all. At least that's what she concluded as she lifted herself into a sitting position with her head spinning and ears ringing. Lowering her fingers from her mouth and smirking in a self-satisfied manner, Suzume cocked an eyebrow and placed one hand on her hip. "Well? Aren't you going to get up?" Kagome rubbed at her eyes, a half remembered dream fading away in the wake of tired anger. "Why did you do that?" she asked, the shrill, impossibly loud whistle still echoing between her ears. "I did knock," Suzume responded nonchalantly. "You didn't knock loud enough," Kagome griped, pushing back her covers and standing. "That doesn't matter, now does it? You're up now, so go bathe and get dressed. We have somewhere to go." Grudgingly, Kagome did as she was told, reluctantly donning the coarse miko garb at Suzume's urging and following her from the building. "Where are we going?" "Lord Sesshomaru has given me but one moon cycle to complete your training," Suzume began, "and as such, I have procured a place outside of these walls that will serve as your training grounds." "Outside of the shiro?" Kagome asked. "But why?" Suzume's gray eyes casually flitted over to her, and she said lightly, "You are too easily distracted here, and you must learn to find your center if you are to control the powers that the kami have gifted you." "Oh." For a while, they walked in silence, and as they turned onto the familiar path that would take them to the gardens, Kagome's step faltered. "Suzume-sama, where—" "Have patience," the woman said without breaking her stride, and Kagome hurried to catch up, anxious excitement beginning to pool in her stomach. 'Where are we going? There's nothing this way but the gardens.' Her wonderings were soon put to rest as they walked through the gate that led to the garden's paved path, and Suzume only walked along it for a few paces before stepping off of the road and into the pine forest surrounding it. With no hesitation and growing curiosity, Kagome followed. Beneath the canopy of the fragrant trees, the world was quiet and green, dappled with sunlight. She could hear a bird chirping in the distance, and even the sound of their rustling clothes didn't disturb the serenity of their surroundings. Kagome heard a small flurry of activity to her right and looked just in time to see the white tail of a rabbit as it darted further into the trees. She smiled softly. She didn't notice how calm she was until Suzume began to speak, the cheery lilt of her voice nothing but a natural sound that belonged here, in this place beneath the trees where serenity reigned supreme. "Your powers," the woman murmured, "are best described as a physical manifestation of your favor with the kami. With them comes the guarantee of protection and security, for no matter where you go or what you do, so long as you keep their divine plan in mind, they will never withdraw their favor." They stopped at a fallen tree, and Kagome sat at Suzume's urging, folding her hands in her lap as her teacher settled beside her. With one small hand, Suzume gestured at the quiet beauty around them. "In this place, where there are no buildings or people, it is much easier to connect with your reiki. Here, the presence of the kami is more easily felt, because neither man nor youkai have tainted it with their touch." Kagome nodded. "It's very peaceful here." Suzume hummed her agreement. "I want you to come here three times a day, in the morning, afternoon, and night." "What should I do?" "Relax," Suzume responded with an easy shrug. "You will be learning many things in the coming weeks, and you may feel as though you are being pulled in many different directions, so when you come here, you are to relax." "Will you come with me?" She touched the springy patch of moss beside her thigh, suddenly apprehensive. No doubt sensing her anxiety, Suzume placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yes, until you are comfortable enough to come on your own." She folded her hands in her lap and straightened her posture. "Now, do you know what your reiki feels like?" Kagome nibbled her lip. "No, not really." Suzume hummed. "That is the case with most miko," she said, effectively ridding Kagome of the slightly self-depreciating feeling that had begun to wind into her chest. The elder miko reached forward and grasped her wrists, turning her palms upward. "I am going to manipulate your reiki so that you may feel it. Sit very still, and try to relax," she said. Kagome wondered momentarily why the command was necessary, and then a curious sensation shot down her spine and it took everything in her to keep herself from snatching her hands away. Her fingertips alternated between chilling cold and blistering heat, her spine vibrated ceaselessly in her back and her heart increased its pace until it thundered behind her ribs. A warmth that had nothing to do with the progression of the day blossomed in her chest and then spiraled outward until her entire body felt flushed and sweaty. And then the loss of control that had come with her outburst the day before began to wash over her. Panic came with it, fluttering frantically in her throat like a frightened bird; she clamped her lips shut against the whimper borne of that terrifying emotion and met Suzume's gaze. The cool gray stare immediately cut through her scrambling senses, and her control slipped away. 'I...I don't want to...' But the thought didn't finish, because an overwhelming sense of peace washed over her, its cool, soothing fingers brushing gently against her heated cheeks. In the absence of the stark fear that had gripped her, and bathed in the realization that she couldn't hurt Suzume, Kagome felt...free. There was a loose, languid flow of something that originated from just behind her heart, calm and slow. She could feel it flowing coolly through her veins, running alongside her blood and depositing a sense of complete peace throughout her entire body. "Do you feel it?" Suzume's question came as no surprise, and Kagome slowly came to the realization that she could feel the elder's reiki as well, warm and inviting, beside hers. "Yes," she responded breathlessly, nearly giddy with the knowledge she now held. "Is it always so..." "Peaceful?" Kagome nodded. "It is much like you in that aspect," Suzume said, amusement floating with her words. "Right now, you are calm and so is your reiki, but when you are upset or angry, your reiki is wild and untamed." "Like yesterday." "Yes, like yesterday." "But how will coming here to relax help me?" Kagome worried her bottom lip and felt the calm pace of her reiki sputter in response to her insecurity. "Shouldn't you be teaching me something more...direct?" Abruptly, Suzume released her hands, and almost instantly Kagome felt her reiki screech to a violently sudden halt, roiling in confusion beneath her skin. She found herself gasping for breath, and when she worked past the unexpected surge of emotion and recession of peace that came with Suzume's ending of contact, the elder miko was scowling at her. There was a distinct air of disappointment about her, and her ill feelings sparkled menacingly in her usually cheerful eyes. Kagome gulped. "There are many, my lady," the miko began lowly, "who have uttered those exact words and suffered the consequences for them. You wish to learn more directly when you have absolutely no knowledge of what the power you hold is truly capable of?" She paused, narrowed her gaze. "That is an invitation to madness." She shifted, clasping her hands in her lap. "The kami are endlessly patient, and they have imbued that same quality into the power they so graciously bestow upon miko and monk alike. To hurry this process is to invite an insanity the likes of which you have never known and, should you fall to it, shall never know again." Serious gray eyes fell to the leaf littered ground. "You must progress slowly, as the kami have deemed. You will be in control before Lord Sesshomaru officiates your position, but that is all you will be." "What...do you mean?" As if hearing her voice pulled her out of the somber mood she'd fallen into, Suzume waved a hand and grinned cheerfully, every nuance of melancholy gone from her person. "Ah, nothing, my lady. Now, let's head back; Kotono will be looking to abscond you for lunch, I'm certain." Before Kagome could protest, the miko was up and walking. With a sigh—and wondering whether she would always manage to dredge up bad memories—Kagome followed.
:..:..:..:..:
"Well, well...if it isn't the little human." Kagome jumped, water sloshing loudly with the movement, and then forced herself to relax as Yuri sauntered into the spring, cupped hands smoothing water over large breasts as she waded into the pool. Kagome cleared her throat. "Hello, Yuri-sama." Even settled across from her, on the entrance side of the large pool, Yuri's yellow eyes pierced easily through the steam laden space between them, making Kagome nervous with the open malice she could see. 'This demoness...she doesn't like me, not at all.' She looked past the youkai and at the door, finding the shoji screen closed. 'I should probably leave...I don't want to stay near her for too long.' "So. Lord Sesshomaru hasn't taken you yet, has he?" Kagome snapped her attention back to the demoness, whose back was turned. "No, not yet," she responded. Yuri looked at her over one glistening shoulder, the wet ends of her short hair plastered to her neck. "Oh, what a shame." She turned, ran her hands down her front, and then lowered herself into a seated position, a smirk curling her full lips. "Mayhap he is rethinking his decision then; it most certainly would be beneficial that he get rid of you as soon as possible, don't you agree?" "No, I don't." Kagome stood, intending to leave, and for a brief, very startling instant, she thought that the condescending sneer on Yuri's face fell for just a moment and revealed something vulnerable and raw; and then it was gone and Kagome contributed it to the distorting steam. She strode forward, planning on stepping past the demoness to ascend the stairs and leave the room, but the youkai rose when she neared, skin glimmering with rivulets of water. "Where are you going, Higurashi-san? "I'm leaving." Yuri pouted. "But I was enjoying your company." "No you weren't," Kagome retorted, fighting to keep her temper under control despite the mocking light in the youkai's eyes. "You just want to berate me for—" "For what?" A claw trailed along the outside of her breast and was gone before Kagome could fully register it; Yuri smirked. "Your humanity?" Kagome pursed her lips and snagged the reins of her slipping control. She wasn't going to let this woman goad her into a fight, especially not over her race. "Pardon me, Yuri-sama." She made to go around, but Yuri stepped forward, blocking her path and forcing her back at the same time. "No, pardon me, ningen." In her low voice was the steel of self-imposed superiority, and Kagome felt a tingle of apprehension skirt up her spine. "I did not know that you had been dismissed." Kagome felt her eyes narrow. "You don't have the right to—" "To what?" Yuri took another step forward, and wanting to keep space between them, Kagome took an equal one away from the demoness, and the process continued until Kagome found her back pressed against the lip of the shallower side of the pool, the heated water lapping at her hips. "Well?" Yuri prompted. "Are you going to tell me what it is that I haven't the right to do?" Anger bubbled into Kagome's throat, fueled by the haughtiness that ruled Yuri's words. "Get away from me," she gritted out, realizing only after Yuri's lips slipped up into a smile that her words could be misconstrued. "Oh? Then shall I come...closer?" The demoness stepped forward as she asked, arms rising to rest on either side of Kagome's waist, effectively trapping her between them. "Get away from me," Kagome repeated, uncomfortable embarrassment pooling in her belly. She squeezed back against the wall, feeling the need to do so in spite of the fact that she knew it wouldn't help. "No, I think I'll stay where I am," Yuri commented lightly, the glint in her eyes at odds with the tone of her voice. "I am having a conversation with you, after all." "Oh, is that what this is?" Yuri ignored the sarcasm. "Now, I have something very important to tell you." She leaned closer. "Are you listening?" Kagome scowled and leaned back further. "Yes." "Good." Though Kagome hoped that she would move away, she only seemed to settle more comfortably into her position, her breasts so close that Kagome could feel the heat wafting from them; a heat that was separate from the warmth of the spring and that made her more nervous with every passing second. "Now," Yuri continued, yellow eyes bright with malicious amusement. "I must inform you of this, and please pardon my frankness, but..." She trailed off, eyes roving down and then back up. "Lord Sesshomaru is going to break you." Kagome's mind spluttered to a halt. "Wh-what?" One of Yuri's hands moved from its place by her side and placed a claw against her collarbone. "The first time he takes you," she clarified. "He will break you." Apprehension, tentative and light, began to swirl around in her belly. "Break me?" Yuri hummed, and the claw at her collarbone slipped downward and trailed against the side of her breast. "Yes." Her nostrils flared, and a fang glinted in a crooked smirk. "Is that fear I smell, Higurashi?" "What do you mean 'break me'?" Kagome asked, stolidly ignoring the youkai's taunting inquiry. With no warning, Yuri's hand closed around Kagome's throat, her eyes narrowed. The miko stilled. "I mean," Yuri hissed, obviously annoyed that she had to repeat herself, "that he will take you and make you his in a way your feeble human mind could never understand. He will take your will and crush it with his own; ball your precious independence in the palm of his hand and grind it to nothingness between his fingers." Her grip tightened momentarily around Kagome's neck, and then fell away. "He will break you." Kagome could tell, in the thick silence that followed, that Yuri honestly believed her hotly spoken words. The conviction displayed on her beautiful face and the disgust that warred with something unreadable in her bright eyes made Kagome feel as though the demoness wasn't truly angry at her, per se, but that she was definitely angry and needed to push that rage onto someone else to ease her own pain. But before Kagome could say anything in response, or give in to the urge to ask the demoness what she was so upset about, Yuri backed away, and whatever emotion she had been operating under disappeared into the steam. Yellow eyes turned dismissively away from her, and Kagome carefully, cautiously, left the spring, wrapping herself in a drying cloth before leaving the building as quickly as she could, yukata draped over one arm. Her mind spun with Yuri's words, and though she wanted nothing more than to put them out of her head and forget about the entire incident, she still found herself pondering the remembered utterances—not even the cool night air brought her out of her thoughts. She slipped into she and Kotono's shared building, distracted enough that she did not notice the dragoness call her from the receiving room; it took a touch to bring her out of her musing, and she gasped loudly as she met Kotono's curious emerald gaze, her heart pounding. "K-Kotono!" "I didn't mean to frighten you," Kotono said softly, "but I called you when you came in." Her head tilted to one side. "You were so lost in your thoughts that you didn't hear me." Flushing, Kagome ducked her head. "I'm sorry...I was..." Taking the yukata clenched in her fingers and draping it over her own arm, Kotono placed a gentle hand on Kagome's shoulder and steered her the rest of the way to her room, where the demoness switched towel and yukata without once touching Kagome's skin. "What happened?" Kagome sank to the tatami in front of her mirror, reaching for the ivory comb that Aoi had given her as one of her first gifts. For a while, she occupied herself with the task of separating and combing her damp hair, the repetitive motions helping to soothe her nerves and order her thoughts. Only when she was done with a large chunk did she found the courage to meet Kotono's eyes in the mirror. "Yuri told me that...that Lord Sesshomaru was going to..." She took a deep breath, then looked away. "Break me." "When did she tell you this?" Even without looking, Kagome could picture the frown that she heard in the dragoness' quiet question, and she toyed absently with the comb in her lap. "Just now, in the springs." "Did she tell you what she meant by that?" Kagome nibbled her lip. "She said that...said that he would crush my will and...and grind my independence to nothing." Silence met her words, and she forced herself to look up, to catch Kotono's half-troubled gaze with her own. Her throat tightened. "Is that...true?" Kotono's jaw worked, the muscles jumping minutely beneath her perfect skin. "Yes...and no." Nervous, Kagome waited, sure that the demoness had more to say; Kotono shifted and reached forward to take the comb she still held limply in her fingers, settling into a comfortable position behind her. "I did not want to broach this subject so early," she began softly, "but perhaps this is for the best; at the very least, you can prepare yourself better for it." She paused, combed out a particularly vicious tangle. "What Yuri said is partially true, because Sesshomaru-sama is a very dominant male due to his breed and his station. When he couples with another, submission from the female is especially important, almost necessary, to keep the act from becoming overly violent. In that way, yes, he will take your independence and your will away from you. "However, you mustn't think that my lord only seeks for his own pleasure. As an inu, it is in his nature to insure complete satisfaction for his partner, so long as they submit to him in the proper way." She paused for a moment, eyes thoughtful. "It is more of a give and take than it is a complete loss of yourself." Kagome felt a little of the anxiety bunched in her shoulders melt out of her system. "So as long as I submit, he won't hurt me?" "Oh he'll never intentionally hurt you, little one," Kotono responded, smoothing her claws through a section of detangled hair. "Though my lord is not perfect by any means, he is not one to purposefully harm a woman. His honor prevents it." Kagome sighed lightly in relief. 'Well if all I have to do is submit to him for a little while...it'll only be for as long as it needs to be, right? I can have my independence and my will back when it's all finished.' The thought managed to erase the doubts and fears Yuri's words had instilled into her psyche. And then a question she'd been entertaining since her acceptance shoved itself to the forefront of her mind and riled her apprehension all over again. She twirled her thumbs. 'Should I ask...? I'm not sure if I really want to know the answer...' Licking her lips, she gathered her courage. "Kotono?" "Yes?" "Umm...when Lord Sesshomaru...I mean I just want to know...what's going to—to happen?" A soft smile spread across the demoness' lips, and her eyes brightened with amusement until they shone like emeralds in sunlight. "Instead of telling you," she said conspiratorially, "I believe you should experience at least a fraction of it for yourself." She twisted and pulled Kagome's hair up on top of her head, securing the wavy locks with numerous pins. "Come with me." Confused and intrigued, Kagome climbed to her feet and followed the elegant lady from the room and then from the building, her bafflement rising as they neared the bathhouse and slipped inside. "Kotono, wha—" "My lord has given me one moon cycle to prepare you, as he has given Suzume one cycle to train you," the dragoness said, answering the question before Kagome could finish asking it, and instantly, Kagome's nerves jangled in alarm. 'That's...that's it? I thought that Lord Sesshomaru only wanted Suzume off of the grounds as soon as possible, but why give Kotono so little time?' Frowning, she followed Kotono's lead, moving from the front room into the steamed confines of the spring before removing her yukata and wading into the water. "I had hoped," Kotono said, drawing her out of her thoughts, "that I would catch you while you were in here during your bath, but you came back much earlier than you usually do." "I wanted to get away from Yuri," Kagome confessed, settling across from the dragoness on a soaking ledge. "Yes, she has a way of shunning company, doesn't she?" Kotono asked rhetorically, shifting into a more comfortable position. "At any rate, she is of no consequence at the moment. Are you ready for your lesson?" At Kagome's nod, she lifted a hand out of the water and waved it into the vast pool of water in front of them. The air distorted and the steam shifted away until a shimmering likeness of Lord Sesshomaru hovered above the water, garbed in a loosely tied yukata of what looked to be black silk. Like the pictures Kotono had used to tell the story of her race, Lord Sesshomaru's elegant features were lit from within with a red light, making the amber of his gaze shimmer with ruby intent. As Kagome watched, his arm rose, and his claws shifted through the heavy looking fall of his red tinted hair, his eyes falling to half-mast and his lips parting just slightly. Something in his expression sparked a tentative embarrassment in her chest, and just when she decided that she didn't want to look at his image any longer—his hand was now hovering dangerously close to the tie of his obi—Kotono's voice traveled softly through the steam laden air. "Don't. Watch, Kagome." The human swallowed and nodded. Lord Sesshomaru took a slow step forward, and his lower body disappeared into the water, as though he were truly in the pool and not just an image that Kotono had conjured. His gaze was locked on Kagome's face, and she felt a strange thrill shoot down her spine—'Dear gods, he's beautiful'—as he came closer and closer, the red tinge bringing out the markings on his cheeks and the blue crescent moon on his forehead. He reached forward, and she caught her breath. His touch ghosted along her cheek, warm and soft. Though she knew it wasn't real, she felt an odd tingle travel from her cheek down to the base of her spine, where it wound around her waist and tickled at her hips. Sesshomaru's proximity made her hyperaware of her nakedness; no matter the knowledge that her logical mind held, her emotional one was overloading on the sense of nearness that his illusion gave off. "Kagome," Kotono beckoned softly, jarring her out of the mesmerizing staring contest she was having with Lord Sesshomaru's likeness. She focused her attention past the illusion, where Kotono's unreadable gaze shone brilliantly green through the steam. "I want you to do something for me." Kagome nodded, and Lord Sesshomaru's image retreated back to the center of the pool, where he now stood in front of Kagome's own likeness, red-tinged and seemingly flushed. "Touch yourself where Lord Sesshomaru touches your image. Pretend that his hands are your own." Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, Kagome looked from Kotono back to Sesshomaru, whose hand hadn't left her apparition's cheek. 'What harm could it do?' she wondered, feeling a growing curiosity blossom in her chest. 'Kotono wouldn't ask me to do it if it wasn't going to serve a purpose, and…and I want to know what she's trying to show me.' Hesitantly, Kagome nodded and lifted her hand, placing her fingers where Lord Sesshomaru's rested against her likeness' cheek. "Very good. Now, do as he does." Kagome nodded, and her fingers trailed down her cheek, the movement painstakingly slow. She could see the graceful swoop of Sesshomaru's wrist stripes, and the sight seemed to intensify the sudden compulsion to follow his movements. She could imagine the color of his skin without the scarlet tint, could remember the way his markings contrasted with the pale perfection of his face. Her heart sped up. Her hand trailed slowly across from one side of her face to the other, thumb skipping across the skin of her lower lip, and then ghosted over her eyes and down to the side of her throat. She could feel her pulse fluttering at the curve of her shoulder, and as she moved her hand down her arm, something soft and warm began to settle in her belly. Without giving herself time to hesitate, she slid her fingers to her hand, lacing her own digits together before reversing her direction and touching her shoulder once more. She allowed her mind to phase outward, forcing her rational mind away and letting the small bit of her that craved touches consume the most of her attention. She concentrated on the feel of her fingers slipping wetly along her collarbone; welcomed the moist slide as they traveled slowly between her breasts and down to her belly before tracing back upward to glide along the underside of one wet globe of flesh. Tiny sparks of sensation shot through her body as she followed the curve around and around, watching Lord Sesshomaru's hand as it spiraled closer and closer to the taut peak perched on top, anticipation and that same soft warmth warring for attention. In the instant that her fingers came in contact with her nipple, she gasped at the lightening-like sensation and dropped her hand back into the water, splashing the warm liquid up onto her face. Her eyes immediately swiveled to find Kotono, and she swallowed thickly. "I-I don't—" "It's fine, Kagome," the dragoness said quietly. Kagome took that reassurance and fed it to her courage, and then she caught her breath, reached up, and forced herself to place her fingers back against her still tingling nipple. "Remember," Kotono murmured softly, "it is Sesshomaru-sama who touches you, who gives you this pleasure." Kagome opened her mouth to respond, but as her mind—already telling her body to mimic what she saw Lord Sesshomaru doing—demanded that her fingers pinch the hard little bunch of flesh, a gasp escaped instead, sharp-edged pleasure sending a burst of fire to join the warmth in her belly. Skin tingling and the juncture of her thighs beginning to pulse gently, Kagome followed Sesshomaru's lead and began to roll the little nub between her fingers, breath coming faster and heavier from her lips. Her mind was a jumble, a riotous mess that was made up of sensation and rationality, madness and sanity, all caught in a war where the only solution was a complete surrender on her part; a surrender she was both eager and reluctant to see made into a reality. She was panting, gasping, losing herself to feelings she had never before thought possible, and as she copied Lord Sesshomaru's addition of another hand into the fray, she nearly told Kotono that she didn't want to do this anymore. What could the end result of something like this be when the beginning stages were so overwhelmingly potent? But still, she continued, feeling as though she would be missing something incredibly remarkable if she stopped. She didn't want to stop anyway, she realized as she slipped one hand down her convulsing belly. She didn't want to lose these sensations, not before she found out where they were leading her. The nest of curls at the apex of her thighs were wet with water, but as she slipped her fingers lower, touching in a place where she only touched to bathe, a slick wetness that was thicker than the water met her questing contact. She pressed her fingers tentatively against the spot where the liquid seemed to be coming from, and felt a small jolt of a deeper, more complete pleasure shoot toward her belly. Absently, she wondered about the spot, but was so occupied with doing as Lord Sesshomaru did that she deigned to ignore her curiosity. And then she raised her fingers, just a little, and encountered a hard bundle of nerves that made her gasp. Breathing deeply now, she forced herself to swirl her finger around and around that stiff bud, white-hot lances of pure ecstasy shooting up to burst behind her eyes and tingle in her toes, and she bit her bottom lip to keep the whimper that threatened the tip of her tongue inside of her mouth. Her senses heightened, and her heart thundered in her ears, the only thing louder being the sloshing of the water from her movements and the hard pants of breath that huffed from her nose. A bead of sweat trickled from her temple and down her cheek, dripping into the pool even as her hands continued their movements, quickening their pace as Lord Sesshomaru began to move faster and faster. She wondered what it would be like if it really were Lord Sesshomaru touching her; would his fingers be rough from swordplay? Would he use his claws to tickle her, or would he be careful of them because he didn't want to cut her? She wanted very badly to feel that silky hair falling against her bare skin, to feel his full lips pressed against her face, her shoulder. The sensations intensified, and she lifted her hips from the seat just so. 'Oh…oh something is happening…something is—' The nub between her legs was pulsing now, a heat spreading from the point of contact. Her belly tightened. 'I don't want it to…oh don't…Lord Sesshomaru, don't stop…' Her hips arched higher, her hand moved faster. 'I…I'm going to break apart…I'm going to—' And then her awareness narrowed to her hands and the spots they were touching and she burst apart at the seams. Breathing ceased to matter, and the sudden tightness of her throat was ignored in favor of the elation that was coursing through her veins. Her body felt like it had spread outward, the muscles trembling with joy at the pleasure firing off in every nerve. Thoughts tripped and stumbled over one another, and when she finally managed to stop her fingers from moving, they picked themselves up again, swaying on their feet as they formed some semblance of order in her mind. "K-Kotono…?" Her tongue felt thick and clumsy in her mouth, and she was far too spent—suddenly, viciously spent—to open the eyes she didn't know she'd closed. "What…?" "It was your release," the dragoness responded, her voice sounding close and far away all at once. "The ocean, remember?" Kagome nodded, or thought she did, allowing her hands to fall to her sides and her head to loll toward her shoulder. "That was…" A soft, understanding laugh echoed around the room. "Yes, it was, wasn't it?" "Will it always be like that?" Kagome realized that she was falling asleep, indulgently lethargic in the haze of her release. "Oh no, little one," Kotono responded, "it will be so much better." Kagome slipped into slumber before she could respond.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!
~Aubrey
