This Sesshoumaru Needs Not A Mate - ON HOLD

Disclaimer - I have not been blessed with the good fortune to own the characters depicted in Inuyasha, that auspicious right belongs to its esteemed creator Rumiko Takahashi.
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Japanese Terms Used In Part Four
Onegai-shimasu - If you please (loose translation, has variables)
Gomen nasai – I am sorry
Miko – Priestess
Inuyoukai – Dog Demon
Onna - Girl
Kami – loose interpretation Spirit or God in this usage
Hakama – balloon silk loose trousers in our terms
Obi – sash/belt for all intents and purposes
Sengoku Jidai – Warring States Period in Feudal Japan roughly 1470’s to early 1600s
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Part Four – This Sesshoumaru Needs Not A Mate

“Mmmmmmmm…,” the miko groaned. ‘This was heaven,’ she mused with half closed lids. The temperature of the water was perfect.

Finding a suitably flat rock, she sank down basking in the liquid’s warmth, only her long graceful neck met the cool air. Her now wet onyx tresses floating behind her on the water’s surface like a naiad.

Repositioning herself, revealing the rounded curves of her breasts, she raised one long well toned leg out of the water and proceeded to lather it, humming softly, oblivious to the sudden appearance of a white clad figure behind her.

Sesshoumaru stood stunned. This was ‘not’ what he had envisioned. There before him was quite possibly the single most intoxicatingly erotic sight he had ever seen.

Having finally found his voice and before he could think better of it, Sesshoumaru surprised himself for the second time that day.

“Miko….Why are you unguarded!?!” he demanded, with a harsh unintelligible roar.

The Taiyoukai had subconsciously reverted to the ancient language of the Inu.

Kagome jumped to a standing position, turning abruptly, arms raised in a defensive stance prepared for battle. With the rock’s surface being slippery and the added shock of seeing him, the priestess proceeded to fall backwards, arms flailing in an undignified and very un-warrior priestess like fashion. ‘She did not even have time to scream,’ she absently noted in her descent, hoping desperately she wasn’t going meet with a jagged rock knocking her unconscious or worse.

The Western Lord saw all this in slow motion, the abrupt retreat into the water of her long soapy limb as she rose, water cascading down her lithe curvaceous form. Droplets kissing each indentation including her soft – he thought –curls at the apex of her sex.

Sesshoumaru reached her in sufficient time to prevent her ungainly plunge, holding her firmly in his arms. They stood there for a moment. He a sodden mess, looking down into her frightened soft brown eyes and she looking up into his querulous lambent golden.

Kagome’s shock was beginning to wear off to be rapidly replaced by anger and the sudden realization that she was naked and in HIS arms.

All this Sesshoumaru saw in her soft expressive eyes, ‘She was fascinating, so many swiftly changing emotions,’ he thought without realizing it.

The miko began to push his chest frantically, however, his callused hands refused to relinquish their purchase about her small waist.

“Let me go this instant before I purify your ass!” she barked with what she hoped sounded like a threatening voice. It was rather difficult to sound threatening when one was in nothing but one’s birthday suit.

He let her go suddenly as though burnt by her words and to his mind, undue enmity.

“Such antagonism, when this Sesshoumaru merely took action to prevent you drowning due to your lack of co-ordination,” he intoned dryly then swiftly turned and leapt effortlessly out of the spring to stand above her on the bank’s mossy edge.

Her sudden surge of adrenaline having abandoned her, Kagome sat with an undignified splash as she sank to her previous depths. She was grateful for the coverage and the sudden warmth. The miko sighed audibly, wondering if this day could get any worse.

“Gomen nasai, Sesshoumaru–sama, you scared me. All I heard was a growl and I reacted,” she said in a tired defeated voice.

The Taiyoukai noted her slumped shoulders and sad countenance – it disturbed his beast.

Despite his misgivings, he crouched next to her, ignoring the discomfort of his now wet silk hakama, obi and sodden boots. He continued to stare at her blankly coming to the sudden realization that the miko, for the first time, had addressed him respectfully.

“Your stance simply requires repetition to perfect,” he said flatly.

Kagome sensed his movement behind her and turned to see what caused his sudden change in tone and position. To her surprise, he now sat in full-lotus both arms extended beyond his knees as if about to meditate.
‘Apparently,’ she thought, ‘he had no intention of leaving any time soon.’

‘Oh great… Now what?’

“Onegai-shimasu my lord. Aaahhh…well… you see, well would you mind?” she said with trepidation hoping he understood her current quandary.

The youkai looked beyond her head as though focused on some distant object.

“Calm yourself ningen, you may continue your ablutions. This Sesshoumaru’s presence will assure your safety,” he said with an attempt at disinterested in his tone.

“Great! Thanks! Much obliged! Now all I need is a four piece orchestra and I can do my rendition of nude synchronized swimming!” she bit out sarcastically.

‘Politeness be damned!’

‘What the hell should she do now? No way was she bathing in front of the pervert. Nor did she wish to scream for help. It wouldn’t help to have her companions coming by witnessing this less than perfect little scene. It was sure to cause an unnecessary confrontation.’

She had quite enough of drama for the day.

Maybe, another tact.

“Sesshoumaru-sama?” she said now growing progressively more irritated and flustered, her cheeks hot pink. “Where I come from people like to bathe ALONE!” Kagome placed great emphasis on the final word in hopes he would finally understand.

Sesshoumaru glanced down at her dark head in confusion, still wondering about this ‘synchronized swimming’ the miko spoke of. This onna left him bewildered at times with her strange choice of words.

“Hn…” he mused seeming to finally understand her predicament. Apparently, his ‘generous’ offer to safeguard her person brought her no comfort. Strange creatures these human females – they should be avoided. An inuyoukai female, of breeding, would have been proud of this honor.

“Hello Sesshoumaru…earth to Sesshoumaru,” she said waving an arm in his face, first making sure she was still covered by the gently lapping water.

His unfocussed eyes registered the hand so close to his face and he started, instinctively grabbing the offending wrist tightly. Kagome ‘eeped’ with fright at both his swift movement and steely grip which practically cauterized her now bloodless limb.

‘He really needs to stop that,’ she thought. He was going to give her a heart attack one of these days.

“Onna! Make no sudden movements towards this Sesshoumaru,” he hissed through gritted teeth, his fangs bared in warning, as he slackened his grip on her wrist.

The miko yanked her now reddened joint to her and rubbed. ‘This was going nowhere fast,’ she thought.

“Okay… now… I know you are being all generous - with no ulterior motives and all,” this said with quirked disbelieving brow. “But, I just want a little privacy. Please I’m having a really shitty day Sesshy,” she pleaded. “I just want to be left alone.”

‘How much plainer could she be for Kami’s sake?!’

Taking a calming breath and ignoring her breach of protocol – once again, the Taiyoukai sighed - his newfound patience growing thin.

“It should be sufficient that this Sesshoumaru assures your safety, ningen. Be assured, this Sesshoumaru has no interest in your form.”

Kagome rounded on him, her eyes blazing in anger. How dare he? Who the hell did he think he was anyway? No woman liked to be told she was so patently unattractive that she did not even merit a leer or two. ‘Okay…fine if she wasn’t going to get privacy so be it. She was a modern woman after all and had heard of co-ed situations. She watched him through her lashes furtively, he had already seen everything anyway and he clearly wasn’t going to put the moves on her…maybe she could just wash her hair grab her towel and be done with it,’ she resolved.

“Fine.” she practically hissed and reached for her shampoo just to the left of him…very slowly so as not to engage in a repeat performance of ‘squeeze the crap out of the miko’s wrist’.

The youkai merely watched passively as she retrieved the unusually shaped container.

Fully well deciding to ignore his presence, she dunked her drying hair, sighed and cupping her hand and poured the fragrant liquid. In a flash, her hand was caught –again - on its way to her wet head. Though not painful, his grip was firm. The Taiyoukai was in front of her. ‘What the hell was with the Wrist Happy Puppy today?’ she thought irritably. Jaken must have changed his kibble.

With infinite tolerance -she did not feel - she looked in his now curious eyes. She noted, he was sniffing the viscous liquid with apparent pleasure.

“What is this?” he asked in a gentle voice, while continuing to sniff her palm. The gentleness of his manner surprised her and she relaxed and despite herself, smiled up at him in amusement noting that he was now totally wet. His sudden leap into the water had effectively soaked him to the skin but for the top of his noble head.

“This,” she pointed with her other hand, “is shampoo, it cleans your hair.”
By his expression, this appeared to be a satisfactory answer. “See, you put it …,” she attempted to demonstrate but found his grip preventing her from doing so.

“It cleanses,” he mused out loud and dipped two long fingers in her palm – mindful of his claws - testing the liquid’s smooth texture by rubbing his fingers together then delicately lifting said tapered digits to his nose closing his eyes, sniffing in renewed ecstasy.

Something about that particular motion and his gentle un-intentioned grazing with his claws caused the miko to inhale shakily and rip her hand out of his defensively. This simple motion inadvertently plunging said hand, with force, into the water.

His eyes opened abruptly in annoyance.

‘How dare she!’ was evident in his expression.

Retrieving her hand, he lifted it to her head gently as though requesting a demonstration of its use. Kagome realized this was her cue.

Since most of it had been lost in the ‘scratch and sniff’ segment, Kagome turned reaching for the bottle once more.

“You will cleanse this Sesshoumaru,” came a commanding baritone just below her shoulder.

Kagome jumped, almost giving a repeat performance of the earlier mishap that had gotten her in this ticklish mess in the first place. She turned to see a Sesshoumaru, who had not only decided to hog her rock, but who was apparently able to break the land speed record for disarming, disrobing and not break a sweat – yeah, she could hate him - easily.

The miko by this time was practically strangling the neck of the bottle with one hand and tapping it rhythmically in the other with a decidedly violent intent towards his youkai.

Sesshoumaru appeared oblivious, not even deigning to look at her now strained features.

No true to form, his lordship was once again staring at that intriguing spot on the horizon. Kagome’s eyes narrowed to barely perceptible glimmering pools of blinding rage.

“Now look here you arrogant self important dog! This is my bath time. I have it every opportunity I can get in this Kami forsaken era of yours without hot and cold running water. All I was asking for was some privacy. I am having a less than spectacular day because of your half-wit brother who can’t seem to keep it in his hakama because of that faithless soul-sucking bitch. I tried to do something nice for my friends and it backfired! I am tired, angry, NAKED, and miserable. So don’t you dare get all high and mighty with me right now or I will take that moon kissed silk you call hair and strangle you with it!” She hissed venomously at the side of his patrician head – his ear twitched.

Suddenly, her small shoulders slumped.

‘What was the use?’ she thought, and with a barely audible whisper, “and tomorrow is my birthday... if anyone cares.”

Sesshoumaru rose from his perch on ‘her’ rock and extended a lithe well-muscled arm beckoning her to take the few steps towards him.

Though instinct told her otherwise, Kagome moved forward mesmerized by the vision before her.

There stood quite possibly the most sensual male creature she had ever laid eyes on.

His hair, mostly wet, cascading over his shoulders fanning the water like tendrils of molten silver, his upper body glistening in the morning sun, his exquisite maroon markings further emphasizing his pallor and refined bone structure.

The taiyoukai’s broad well-muscled chest captivated the priestess. She had only ever seen such a vision of male perfection in magazines she kept well hidden under her bed.

Kagome’s mouth went dry as she watched with growing jealousy the path of water droplets meandering languidly down his torso to end their appetizing journey below his slim enticingly stripped hips. Her eyes – after a few false starts - glided back up his chest to his strong elegant neck, over his stubborn chin and kissable lips.

Her heart was not the only part of her that was throbbing Kagome now discovered.

The miko couldn’t breathe, and blushed with the sudden realization her body was once again betraying her as she felt trickles of moisture escaping her sex and the added dull ache she could not reconcile that needed to be filled.

She chose not to meet his eyes, which she knew regarded her intently.

‘Oh Kami, what was wrong with her?’ she licked her lips anxiously flushing with renewed embarrassment, but still she approached him.

He was probably going to kill her for the ill-timed outburst.

The miko took this final opportunity, before her pending demise, to look into his amber depths. He wore a peculiar unreadable hooded expression there.

As though drugged, she stood before him, awaiting the end. The priestess closed her eyes, hoping desperately he would be humane, and put her out of her misery quickly.

“Sit, Miko. You will show this Sesshoumaru the proper application of this shampoo.”

There were defining moments in a life, those events that mark near apocalyptic change in a person’s perspective on reality. This was one such for the Shikon-No-Miko of the Sengoku Jidai.
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Author's Note

Any form of touch in the right hands, is a sensual experience…*Bows Reverently*

Until next time, reviews are fuel.

ElegantPaws