Chapter Nineteen – Afterthoughts
She came out of sleep slowly, and as a forgotten dream melted away into reality, Kagome rolled over and yawned. One arm stretched in an effort to relax the oddly tired muscles, and as her fingertips just barely grazed the edge of the futon, she became aware of the fact that her futon wasn't this big. Her lids slipped upward, and she observed the shoji screen in front of her, which was decorated with a large white dog that somehow resembled—"Sesshomaru-sama…" Suddenly, the silvered edge of heat-infused memories registered, razor sharp, in her partially sleeping mind, and she jolted completely awake with a gasp. 'Last night, he—and I—oh gods!' But the mild situational embarrassment that rose up in her belly was quickly snuffed. 'He was…gentle with me,' she remembered, recalling soft fingers and equally soft lips. 'It was…nice.' She blinked, and then shifted beneath the thin silk sheet that lay over her body. Her naked body, she realized, and then she wondered if Lord Sesshomaru was still in his rooms. She took a deep breath, focused, and shivered involuntarily as the heat of his power brushed along her senses, thick and heady. She pulled her reiki back into herself and sat up, the dull ache between her legs punctuated by oozing warmth that felt entirely out of place. Suddenly mindful of the silk beneath her, she reached down and clamped a hand over her tender womanhood, struggling to get out of the futon in the same instant. It was hard work with only one arm free for use, and by the time she managed to find her footing, she was all too aware of Lord Sesshomaru's approaching footsteps. "No, wait Sesshomaru-sama!" she called out as his silhouette reached for the shoji dividing them. "I…I'm not decent," she explained quickly, reaching out to grab the sheet that she had lain under and fighting and lifting and tugging it until she could wrap it around her shoulders and still hold it closed with one hand. "O-okay." The shoji slid silently on its track, and as she looked up to meet the yukata-clad gaze of the inu lord, she found herself awed. Awed that one as beautiful and as strong as he had deigned her suitable to be his concubine; awed that she had slept with him; awed that she'd enjoyed it. A silver head tilted ever so slightly to the side, and Kagome abruptly remembered her manners. She bowed deeply. "Good morning, Sesshomaru-sama." When she rose, he inclined his head. "Good afternoon, miko." His subtle correction made her blink. "Afternoon…? I slept for so long?" "Yes." His eyes roved over her, lingering for a moment on her right side, where part of her leg showed through the spot where she'd had to gather the end of sheet in the crook of her elbow in order to hold it closed. She thought she saw something like desire flash in his gilded gaze, and his voice rumbled between them again. "Come; this one will show you to the springs." She nodded, and pushing aside her musings of whether or not she'd truly seen that small bit of heat, she shuffled forward and followed him from the room. For the first time, she noticed how unbelievably large his quarters were; his rooms must have taken up an entire wing and a half of the shiro. Everywhere she looked, there was a refined sort of masculinity that Lord Sesshomaru himself exuded in all that he did. Dark woods and simply painted shoji screens paired nicely with tan tatami mats and silvered sconces. There were windows along every available wall, and for a moment, Kagome wondered why he didn't occupy an inner set of rooms. 'Perhaps he isn't afraid of an attack,' she mused, watching his hair sway as he walked. 'I suppose it would be silly of him to fear an onslaught in the same way that a human lord would fear it.' She observed him again, taking in the deceptively lithe build of his figure. There was a lot of power trapped in his body, and she knew that he probably kept his true potential locked away from those who would seek to destroy him. 'If there are any who are foolish enough to try.' Her thoughts trailed off and Lord Sesshomaru pushed aside a wall length shoji that was thicker than the rest, just like the shoji in the bathhouse. She stepped inside at his urging, and then stopped and looked around. Though the pool wasn't as big as the bathhouse's body of water, the liquid still steamed gently, and the lacquered wood panels on the floor and walls shone gently in the sunlight that spilled in through a small window above the pool. There was a long bench for steam therapy against one wall, and a small chest of drawers sitting inconspicuously near the doorway; Lord Sesshomaru indicated the piece of furniture. "Soaps and cloths are there. You may take as long as you like." He made to step out into the hall and leave her to bathe, and then he turned toward her and reached up, forefinger and thumb capturing her chin in a firm but gentle grip. She blinked, and then his mouth was touching hers ever so gently, the feather-light brush nearly just a product of the air his movement created. "When you are finished, there will be clothes set out for you, and you shall join this one for tea." She nodded. "Of course, Sesshomaru-sama." He kissed her again, firmer this time, and then straightened, inclined his head, and left. The shoji screen slid soundlessly into place, and Kagome sighed, the heated air moistening her skin. She looked toward the pool, and then dropped the sheet near the door and searched through the drawers for soap and a cloth. She found them easily, and then, remembering the reason that she was only using one hand, straightened from her crouch and carefully withdrew the appendage from between her thighs. The liquid that had collected on her fingers and palm was an odd combination of what she assumed was her own juices, Lord Sesshomaru's seed, and blood. 'My blood…a virgin's blood.' There was only a little of each substance, but mixed together as they were, they impacted her suddenly, their meanings slamming into her chest and stealing the breath from her lungs. She had been a virgin, untouched by any man. And Lord Sesshomaru had taken that away from her, had given his own essence in exchange for the tearing of what made her innocent. 'I'm not a virgin anymore,' she thought. 'It's been taken away from me.' Immediately, she corrected her wording. Her virginity had not been taken, it had been given, and in return for such a precious gift, Lord Sesshomaru had given her his seed, the most personal physical thing he could have allowed her to have. She suddenly felt very honored. Kotono's words rose to the forefront of her mind—"Because we take immense pleasure in being able to receive my lord's seed; it is a most precious gift, you see, because he will not simply give it to any who crave it."—and she wondered if she would always feel this way. Was there something in Lord Sesshomaru's essence that made his concubines crave it? The thought felt ludicrous, even to her, and she shook her head, still staring at the liquids in her hand. The notion implied deceit, and she knew that Lord Sesshomaru's honor wouldn't permit such a thing. 'Then what is it?' Another warm flood brought her out of her musings, and she hurriedly reached down to catch what dripped from her. She flushed, and was glad that she was alone. When it stopped, she looked around the intimately sized room and found a fairly large bucket near a depression in the floor. She instantly recognized it as a bathing area even though the spring in the bathhouse didn't have one—whomever designed it had decided to simply have a bathing pool separate from the soaking one—and she snatched up the bucket and filled it with water from the spring before going back to the dip and setting it down. She'd left her soap and cloth sitting atop the chest of drawers, and darted back to get it, dropping her cloth into the bucket and squatting to wash her hand. The tiny jar of soap went onto the floor beside her, and she carefully lathered the cloth before setting it between her legs. The junction was tender to the touch, and though she wondered why she was not aching more, she figured that her reiki had something to do with the lack of pain and sent up a profuse thanking to the gods. Her cloth went back into the bucket when she finished, and then she lathered and bathed the rest of her body and hair, dumping a bucket and a half of water over her head. The murky liquid swirled down the drain, and she splashed the remaining water on her feet before stepping into the soaking pool. The water was blessedly warm, and she sighed in relief as the heat soothed her tired muscles. She leaned her head back on a ledge and closed her eyes. She drifted in and out of a half-sleep, not wanting to take too long and keep Lord Sesshomaru waiting. Her thoughts drifted with her, shifting languorously from memories of the previous night to musings of what would happen next to mildly surprised thoughts of how she didn't actually feel any different than she had before. Her anxiety about the act was gone, of course, but deep down she was still Kagome, still herself despite the fact that she had given part of herself away. She wondered if Kotono had felt this way after her first time with Lord Sesshomaru. But the thought of Kotono and Sesshomaru opened another path for her thoughts to meander down, and she mused. Had Kotono felt the same way, or had she been angry with him for the death of her father? And what about Lord Sesshomaru? Kotono had told her that he was not an unfair lover, but that didn't mean that he had been a particularly gentle lover either. Kagome's gut twisted, and pulled completely out of her relaxed state, she shifted in the water, the liquid suddenly cold against her skin. Once again, she wondered about the story between the two youkai, and with a sigh borne of frustrated ignorance, she lifted herself from the spring and resolved to ask Lord Sesshomaru. She dried and put the soap back into the drawer, and the soiled cloths against one wall before peeking out into the hall. Folded neatly near the door was a plain, light blue yukata and a white inner layer, and she donned it as quickly as she could, plaiting her damp hair into a braid and slinging it over her shoulder, hoping that it would stay secure despite the lack of tie at the end. She licked her lips and squared her shoulders, and then began the fairly straightforward walk back to the main room. She tucked her hands into her sleeves as she went, wondering, very briefly, if things would be awkward between her and the inu lord. She hoped not. She turned the corner, and then stopped short at the sight that met her. Two sets of golden eyes rooted her to the spot, and the more feminine of the two sparkled with muted amusement as Kagome stared into them. "Chiyoko-sama…" The shock of seeing the elegant demoness after so long sent her mind into a tizzy, her eyes darting from a brilliant orange outer kimono to ornaments that dazzled brightly in her sleek silver hair, which was pulled up into a traditional style. Jewels of various shades of orange and red and yellow dotted her ears, and from her lobes hung a beautiful set of earrings that shone a bright magenta the same shade as the stripe on each of her cheeks. She was painfully, perfectly beautiful, and Kagome found herself understanding why Lord Sesshomaru only chose the most beautiful women to become his concubines—he had his mother to model them after. "Have you forgotten your manners already, little human?" It was a mildly toned question, but Kagome felt sharply rebuked; she flushed and bowed deeply. "Forgive me, Chiyoko-sama. I'm only surprised to see you, that's all." The lady hummed in dismissal, and then motioned to a cushion beside her and across from Lord Sesshomaru. "Come, ningen. We have something to speak of." Kagome bowed again and crossed the floor, chancing a shy glance at Lord Sesshomaru only to be met with a blank stare. She flushed and settled on the proffered cushion. She noticed that the demoness smelled of flowers and wild grasses, and though she wondered if that was just her natural scent or the scent of where the lady had been, her attention was caught as the inuyoukai poured her a cup of tea. She murmured her thanks and took a sip. "There have been a few things called to my attention since I returned that involve you, Higurashi-san," the demoness began quietly, "the first being that the Lady of the South has invited both you and I to a late summer gathering." She turned, and fixed Kagome with an assessing gaze. "It is in one week, and we shall begin preparing for it on the morrow." Kagome nodded, nibbling her lip. 'Wonderful, more lessons.' "Secondly," Lady Chiyoko continued, "you have sparked quite a bit of gossip amongst both youkai and human circles, and I must do something to dispel a few of the more…unappealing notions." She inclined her head toward his son. "To that degree, my lord has agreed to host the Festival of the Winter Solstice. We have precisely four months until the day, and shall begin those preparations after the gathering in the South." Kagome nodded again. The lady drained her cup, and held her hand over the opening as Lord Sesshomaru reached to serve her. "I shall take my leave; there are other matters that require this Chiyoko's attention as well." Cat-like eyes swiveled to Kagome. "And the Lady Kotono has asked for you, little human. I suppose she is eager to check on your well-being." Kagome remembered the dragoness' assurances that she would come for her in the morning, and recalled with a bit of trepidation that it was already afternoon. "Erm…Lady Chiyoko?" The youkai, who had stood and was turning away, looked down at her, clawed fingers toying with the pearl handle of the fan she held in her hands. "Yes?" "Do you think…I mean would it be too much trouble if you—" "This Chiyoko has not the time to be wasted on your ramblings, onna," the youkai interrupted haughtily. "If there is something you wish to say, then speak it." Kagome thought briefly to be angry at the inu's tone, but she swallowed and straightened her back instead, staring steadily into the amber gaze above her. "Can you tell Kotono that I'll come find her? I would like to have tea with Sesshomaru-sama." If the request caught the lady off guard, she didn't show it. "It is a reasonable request." Her claws clicked along her fan. "Very well. Now, if that is all?" Kagome nodded, and Chiyoko bowed lightly to her son and turned, leaving the room in a flurry of orange silk. Kagome sighed. The light scrape of a cup sliding across the wooden surface of the table jerked her attention back to the silent inu lord, and she tore her eyes from the way Chiyoko had gone, finding that Lord Sesshomaru had refilled her cup and slid it to her. She smiled, and he inclined his head.
Author's Note: Alright, the chapters will be coming quicker now (literally back-to-back). I have to get all of this uploaded tonight so that I can work on and upload the new chapter on time tomorrow.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!
~Aubrey
