The Only One

Chapter 7: The Star & the Spikes

As the light of dawn welcomes a new day, a restless young girl rises to greet her lord. Sesshomaru’s little ward, Rin, skipped down the massive hallway that leads to a solitary door, the taiyoukai’s chamber. She hummed a cheerful tune as she bravely entered the room. No-one but Rin dared intrude on Sesshomaru’s slumber. It’s a pointless, not to mention painful, reason to lose one’s coveted head don’t you think? The young ningen crawled atop the foot of the gigantic king-size bed and was getting ready to pounce on the closest thing she had to a father when she noticed a dark head sleeping on Sesshomaru’s chest.

“Nani?” she questioned tilting her head to the side. When the dark head shifted under the youkai’s protective arm, she realized what and who it was. Rin jumped up excitedly.

“Kagome-sama!!!” she let out a loud, sharp shriek.

This effectively caught Sesshomaru and Kagome’s attention. They sat straight up, alarmed by the sound. It took them a few moments to adjust to the light but soon two pairs of eyes were fixed on Rin. The young girl laughed nervously and sank back down on the bed letting out a small, innocent ‘oops’ before dashing out the door in a blur of black and orange.

Sesshomaru relaxed and laid back down putting his hands onto his eyes to protect them from the light of the rising sun. He smirked and chuckled inwardly. He forgot about Rin’s ritual of coming in every morning just wanting to always be the first to greet him. It melted his cold heart that someone cared and that the little girl gave him all she had to offer. That’s the reason why Rin left his room with her tiny head between her shoulders, safely intact, everytime. It was a change he welcomed readily.

Just then, he suddenly became aware of a hint of fear in the glorious scent of the miko beside him. He opened one golden eye and peered at her form.

Kagome sat on the bed. Her breaths came in hard, ragged pants as she took in her new surroundings. A cold chill ran up and down her spine making the fine little hairs on her arms stand out on end. Still, in all her nervousness and fear, there lay a feeling of awe buried deep within her. Her eyes feasted on a scene in what can only be described as “beautifully evil”. The large comfy bed she currently occupied sat in the middle of the huge, high-ceilinged room against silver-gray walls. There was an open door to her left that led to a balcony and a dark wood double door stood at one end of the room. More doors were located all around the space but there was no way of knowing what hid behind the impressive structures. A canopy of black silk accented with some silver and white details encased the bed and large pillows littered the floor. To her right seemed to be a small sitting room which gathered around a gigantic portrait of a handsome taiyoukai. In the dark room, the picture seemed to glow. She shook her head, now was definitely not the time to appreciate the very masculine décor.

Sesshomaru stared at the magnificent specimen of beauty. Her long, straight black hair danced slightly with the morning breeze coming in from his balcony and sending more of her lovely scent his way. The miko’s tanned ivory skin seemed to shine in the dark room. Her face was turned away from him but she was just as beautiful from the back. Golden eyes roamed downwards. He could see her green undergarments through the see-through material of her dress. Groaning, he shifted to a more comfortable position as his body welcomed his arousal. This caught the onna’s attention.

Kagome whipped around when she felt a slight movement behind her to come face to face with an aroused inuyoukai. She gasped as his amber eyes darkened. Like the portrait, he glowed in the darkness. He was lying on his back, his head tilted up off the pillow to look more closely at her. This action displayed and emphasized his well-toned muscles, abs and pipes. She studied his features instantly falling in love with the dark crescent moon on his forehead and the magenta spikes on both his cheeks. It was different seeing them from afar during encounters before and seeing them now. Up close, the markings were delicate and gracefully curved around his face. This evoked a familiarity within Kagome and she wondered where she saw those spikes. Instinctively she sat back farther from the taiyoukai.

Sesshomaru loved her expression. She was definitely in awe of his body, being especially fond of his markings. This made him proud of those trademarks even more. All of a sudden, her eyes scrunched up with confusion and she shied away from him. This caused the strap of her dress to fall slightly off her shoulder. His amber orbs widened with realization as he glimpsed upon the star-shaped scar marring her complexion. He bolted straight up staring intently at the scar.

Kagome was filled with fear and curiosity when she saw the look in his eyes. Her fear rose even more when Sesshomaru suddenly sat up. The hand that was resting palm up on his forehead reached toward the scar on her shoulder. That’s when she remembered where she saw those magenta spikes. His wrists were graced with the same features, just like her dream. Kagome froze completely causing Sesshomaru to look up at her face.

Golden eyes met dark deep brown orbs, silently examining each other’s expressions. Time seemed to stand still; realization and curiosity flooded both Sesshomaru and Kagome. For a moment the taiyoukai and the miko were lost, drowning in the sensations induced from the other.

When a brisk, chilly breeze sped past the balcony door and against Kagome’s scantily dressed back, she shivered and tore her eyes away from Sesshomaru. She looked down at herself and a violent rage rose within her small figure. The moment she had briefly had with the handsome inuyoukai now forgotten, as well as the initial fear she had first felt when she realized who shared the bed with her.

“Sesshomaru, would you mind explaining me why I have this ‘thing’ on,” Kagome unmercifully jabbed at the see-through dress she now donned, “and where my usual clothes are?”

Sesshomaru smirked and sat back against the headboard. He found her anger and displeasure amusing, even enjoying the little bit of fear laced with her shock. “Do not worry, miko, this Sesshomaru does not forcefully take women; he does not need to.” He replied matter-of-factly. “I assure you nothing happened to your… coveted innocence. And as for your little slips of cloth, I found them inappropriate attire for my intended.”

Kagome was confused, not to mention enraged. This arrogant dog thought he could control what she wore? What does Sesshomaru mean by ‘intended’ and why was she in what appears to be his room? Ugh…the nerve of that guy. Now she knew that Inuyasha and him really are related. Her head reeled with unanswered questions but decided she had better tread carefully. Sesshomaru was the most feared and powerful youkai of Japan, if not the whole world, after all.

Kagome gathered up the silk covers around her form. Sesshomaru smirked even more at her useless act of modesty.

“Okay, listen. I’m trying to calm down here when I should be panicking my butts off. So you better behave, mister.” She pointed a finger at him.

Sesshomaru’s ears perked up. ‘Mister?? Butts?’ He would have to ask her about that at a more appropriate time. Now, though, she had questions that she wanted answered. Finding the scar on her was the first step, but now he was even more baffled. He needed some time alone to reflect upon things. Kami, he hated feeling so ignorant and clueless.

Kagome cleared her throat to get the distracted attention of the youkai before her. She was definitely afraid, heck, who wouldn’t be? Still she wanted answers and she wanted them now. Kagome needed to have some light shed on many aspects of her dreams and hoped against hope that Sesshomaru knew something. But somewhere deep within her, she was afraid she already knew.