What a Mess

Chapter Eight

Pretty


A little girl tugged on the sleeve of Kouga’s kimono. He jerked it out of her grubby fingers.

He knew who she was…Rin, the human ward of Sesshomaru, but that didn’t mean she got to put her sticky hands on him. “Whaddaya want, brat?”

The child seemed unfazed by the insult. “Are you Kagome’s friend?”

“Yeah. So what?”

The girl smiled. “Then you can’t be as bad as Sesshomaru-sama says! He says you’re a stinky, mannerless, ugly, dumb, wolf. But I bet you’re very nice if you have Kagome as a friend!” the child said brightly.

Kouga snorted. “Don’t count on it, kid. Kagome’s nice to everyone. Even Sesshomaru.”

Rin nodded solemnly. “Kagome is very kind and pretty. I hope Sesshomaru-sama will marry her. That way, I can have a real mommy and daddy like I used to.” Rin’s brow furrowed and she looked on the verge of tears. “But Sesshomaru-sama is mean to Kagome sometimes. He tore her pants and it made her cry.”

Kouga coughed and sputtered. What had that asshole been doing tearing Kagome’s clothes off? Wait…damn. He knew what’d he’d been doing. Lucky bastard. “Bah, don’t worry, kid. They’re called lover’s quarrels. They ain’t real fights. It actually means they like each other.”

Rin’s eyes got as big as dinner plates, her little mouth in an “o”. “So calling someone Kagome a useless, shrieking, ill-mannered, wench is Sesshomaru-sama saying he likes Kagome?”

The wolf gave her a nervous chuckle. “Somethin’ like that. Sure.”

The little girl patted his arm. “See? You are nice.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Kouga muttered, wishing Sesshomaru and Kagome would come back so that he would have better company…on second thought, the kid was a better conversationalist than the ice prince.

Rin shuffled her feet, batting her big brown eyes at him. Kouga got nervous. “Say…Kouga-sama?”

He backed up a step. “What?”

“You have very pretty hair…and I like your tail.”

Kouga narrowed his eyes.

“Would you please let Rin play with your tail and your hair? I could brush it and put ribbons in it! You would look very pretty if-“

“No way!” he shouted…instantly regretting it.

Rin’s shoulders drooped. “It’s just that…since…since…Master Jaken died…Rin hasn’t had anyone to play with,” she said, wiping her dirty hand across her cheek.

“Aw, geez, kid…don’t cry.”

She hiccupped as more tears snaked their way down her cute little face.

Kouga looked around to make sure no one was nearby to see him humiliate himself. He knelt in front of the girl, taking her by the shoulders. “Okay, okay! You can…play with my hair. Just don’t go tellin’ anybody, deal?”

The tears were gone so fast, Kouga began to wonder if she’d even been that upset. “Deal, Kouga-sama!”

Before he could protest, the child grabbed him by the hand and dragged him back to the palace, all the while extolling the virtues of his “cute” tail.

#

Kagome was about to make good on her threat to purify Sesshomaru once and for all. She had thought, foolishly of course, that he would lead her by the hand to go and have lunch with her under a cherry tree…or something picturesque. It would be a lovely lunch, they might share a kiss or he could proclaim his growing affection for her on bended knee.

But no.

He threw her over his shoulder, bruising her sternum in the process. It hurt like hell. And he didn’t seem to care at all. Typical.

They flew for a long time, until it was nearly evening. She was starving, cold, dirty, and all the blood had rushed to her head from being carried in such an undignified manner.

She’d closed her eyes to keep the rushing of the landscape beneath her from making her dizzy. She really didn’t want to puke all over Sesshomaru’s hakama.

The smell of salt and the rush of the water filled her senses. Where on earth had he dragged her to?

When her bottom collided with a sandy surface, she had her answer. Sand was now lodged inside her newly mended shorts, getting into all sorts of uncomfortable places.

Kagome stood up, rubbing her chest and sore ass. “I don’t see lunch, Sesshomaru.”

“Patience, miko,” he said. “I would recommend that you appreciate the lovely view of a…how did you put it? Ah yes, a deserted beach. I shall return shortly.”

She sputtered incoherently at his retreating figure. He zipped along the shore line, silver hair whipping behind him. He makes running look dramatic, she thought with a roll of her eyes.

Then, much to her dismay, he began stripping out of his clothes. All right, so a part of her was excited. But it was a small part. The rest of her was suitably scandalized.

And…he was naked.

“Oh…oh my,” she breathed. Every part of him…save the unfortunate arm bit, was perfect. He looked like he was carved out of marble by someone who really knew and appreciated the male form. His muscle tone, the slight dip in the small of his back, his thighs…every inch of him was so beautiful it made her ache.

Kouga may have had dimples when he smiled…but she was pretty sure she liked Sesshomaru’s dimples better. That’s the best ass I’ve ever seen! Kagome marveled, watching in fascination as he walked to the edge of the ocean. He ruined her admiration of his backside by looking over his shoulder at her. It was then that Kagome took particular interest in her bare toes and the way the damp sand squished between them.

She heard a splash, and when she looked up, he was gone.

“What is he doing?” she wondered.

Unwittingly, she held her breath. When her chest grew tight, she expelled it in a puff. He’d sure been under the water for a long time. But then, he was youkai, and she betted he could hold his breath way longer than she could. He must have some stamina, she thought…which led her to thinking about the applications of said stamina.

Long minutes dragged by, and she began to actually worry. Kagome rushed to the water’s edge, her fists clenched.

“Come on, you jerk!” she said under her breath. “Stop showing off.” Panic bubbled in her chest, she hated that feeling. What in the hell was he doing? Trying to scare her to death?

Just as she peeled off her shirt and shorts and was about to leap into the water, Sesshomaru broke the surface of the waves, his long silver hair plastered to his face and down his back and chest.

Blinking the salt water out of his golden eyes, his lips curved into a smirk. His gaze trailed from the top of her head to her toes in a slow, burning sweep. He arched a brow at her. “My, my, miko. Had I any idea your methods were so effective, I would’ve brought you to the beach long ago.”

“What?” she said, puzzled. Then she looked down at herself and realized she’d removed her clothes in order to jump into the ocean to save him from drowning. Shrieking in indignity, Kagome threw her arms over her chest. His gaze settled on her crotch instead.

Hastily bending over, Kagome pulled her shorts back on. “Look,” she said, her back half-turned to him. “That was really mean! You scared me. You were under the water for a really long time.”

A clawed hand was thrust under her nose. His palm contained three perfect pearls. “I was occupied,” he said, amusement at her expense coloring his normally bland tone.

Forgetting she was just in her bra and shorts, Kagome squealed in delight. “These are for me?”

“Hn.”

“Wow,” she breathed. “Thank you.”

He turned on his heel, again presenting her with a lovely view of his backside, and jumped once again into the ocean.

“Hey! Where are you going now?” But his head dipped under the water. Clutching the pearls in her hand, she sat back on the sand and waited for him to return.

When he burst from the water again like some silver god born from the waves, he tossed some fish..minus their heads, onto the shore. He narrowly missed hitting her square between the eyes, but that was only because Kagome had been half way expecting it.

“I guess that’s lunch?” she asked with a wry grin.

He only nodded. Kagome pressed the back of her hand to her mouth to keep from giggling. He was really being awfully sweet. And while she really liked the attention…she rather missed arguing and yelling at him. There was just something about shaking your finger in a creature’s face who could melt you if he so chose. It had been exhilarating.

Kagome turned away as Sesshomaru slipped his hakama back on. When she turned back around, he was deftly gutting the fish with his claws. It amazed her that he only had one arm…because half the time she forgot. It really hadn’t seemed to affect him at all.

He then made a small fire from wood he collected along the wooded shore. He roasted one of the fish and began to eat one raw much to her horror and dismay.

“I prefer my food untouched and unspoiled,” he said, neatly dabbing at a thin trickle of fish blood seeping out of the corner of his mouth.

They ate their meal in silence as the sun set over the ocean. Sesshomaru mostly stared at the line of trees over her head, his gaze a little unfocused. Had she not know him better, she would’ve said he looked almost wistful.

“So,” she began, feeling oddly uncomfortable, “What brought all this on?”

His gaze snapped to her face. Kagome gulped. He looked annoyed. She wasn’t sure how she knew he looked annoyed as his facial features hadn’t really moved, but she swore she saw something akin to annoyance flash in the golden depths of his eyes. Then he sighed. “The moon is full, miko.”

She twisted around, looking over her shoulder. “So it is.”
Kagome really didn’t understand what he was driving at.

When she looked back at him, he was standing, his hair a bit stringy from the salt water. “You will walk with me,” he said, not offering her his hand to help her get up.

“There you go, bossing me around again,” she grumbled. “Oh well. It really is a nice night. A walk would do me some good.”


As they walked he still remained silent. It was beginning to get on her nerves. She knew he wasn’t a chatterbox like she was, but surely he could think of something to say. Kagome wondered what he was thinking as she studied his still features.

#

Sesshomaru was mentally cheering himself and giving himself many pats on the back. He was doing so well. He had her now. She was staring longingly at his face. The miko would soon be begging him to kiss her…and more. And he would. He had but one thing left on her little list of mating requirements, and then she was his.

So far, fate had cooperated quite nicely with him…for once. He’d couldn’t have picked a better time for an impromptu get away. The moon was full, the air was warm and scented with night-blooming flowers. Now…if he could only find one of the bastard flowers, his trials would be at their end.

A soft pink on a sharp embankment caught his eye. He was so relieved to finally be able to rid himself of the ridiculous sentimental customs that he nearly knocked Kagome down to get to the blossom. With great care so that he didn’t shred it with his claws, he picked the solitary bloom and leaped down to stand in front of her.

She was sputtering, her cheeks flushed with anger. It made him smile despite himself. Raising his chin proudly, Sesshomaru placed the blossom behind her ear. At least it silenced her screeching.

The next part wasn’t quite so easy. It wasn’t that he didn’t find the wench attractive. He did…but maybe not for the reasons she would care to hear. He still found her human form lacking and somewhat plain. It was her inner fire, her lack of fear that drew him to her in the first place. That and he’d never had so much fun as he’d had while tormenting her.

He didn’t want to repeat her words directly back to her, that wouldn’t do at all. And he didn’t want to lie. But then he didn’t want to compliment the only part of her he couldn’t get out of his mind. While she did have a perfect ass, he wasn’t so sure women appreciated those types of comments.

Sesshomaru scrutinized her face. The light of the moon did give it a certain charm he supposed. He did rather like the way it made her large eyes sparkle. Yes, that would do.

He opened his mouth. And nothing. It was just humiliating! Surely she knew by now what he wanted. He’d gone to an enormous amount of trouble. But one look at her guileless face, he began to doubt that she did know. Maybe it would be easier to say if he shut his eyes.

“Miko…ah…Kagome,” yes it was better to use her name. “The moonlight shimmering in your eyes is most captivating.” It made him cringe, but at last, he’d done it. Sesshomaru opened his eyes.

The wench was grinning like a fool, her cheeks pinked, her lips moist as though she’d just licked them. Now, this part he could do with ease.

Sesshomaru grasped the back of her head and gently pulled her towards him. She didn’t even whimper in protest. Perfect.

As he bent to capture her lips in a tender kiss, the wench ruined the entire thing. By speaking, of course.

“Sesshomaru?”

He suppressed a growl of fury. “What?”

“I…I think I should tell you something.”

He shook his head. “Not necessary,” he bit out. He had to think of a way to silence her before his chance was gone.

She pushed against his chest, unable to look him in the eye, her chin tucked to her chest. Damn it!

The air was scented with the sharp salty tang of her tears. Sesshomaru wanted to kill something. Why, in the name of all that was fair and good, was the ridiculous woman crying?

She sniffled. “This is hard.”

Sesshomaru’s temples felt tight, his blood too hot. He wasn’t going to like what she had to say, he could feel it.

The miko took in a deep breath and raised her tear streaked face. “I think I’m falling in love with you!” she exclaimed softly.

#

Kagome shut her eyes, her breath shallow, her heart thundering in her ears.

She thought maybe she shouldn’t have said it, but she just had to. The night was too perfect, too romantic not to say anything.

And he had gone to all that trouble, she should be honest with him.

But he wasn’t saying anything back.

She was fairly certain she’d die if he didn’t say anything back.

Kagome opened her eyes.

The bastard was gone.

Her potential heartbreak was vanquished when she realized he’d just left her in the middle of nowhere. Kagome had no idea where she was. And he’d left her there! All alone. With no shoes. And the night air had taken a turn for the chilly. Her tank top wasn’t going to cut it.

Her tears dried in the furnace of her anger. “I’m going to kill him!” she shouted. Kagome threw back her head and gave an inarticulate scream of pure rage. “Fucking cowardly piece of crap!” She stamped her foot so hard it hurt her teeth. “Oh…oh, I’m going to hunt him down like the dog he is. Then! Then, I’m going to kill him. I mean it. I’m going to purify him until there isn’t even ash left. Oooh, that jerk! What’s the matter with him?” All the while she spoke, she stomped down the beach, up the embankment, and into the woods.

“Dragging me all the way out here, that no good son of a…and you know what?” she demanded of no one in particular. “I mean, how’s a girl supposed to feel? Huh? He teases me and walks around with his hair and his ass and then he brings me out here…giving me presents, why that asshole! To think I was going to actually have sex with him!” She snorted. “Well, ha, no way! Not ever! I’d rather have sex with…with….” Kagome looked around the forest. Her noisy antics had drawn the attention of several low level youkai. They eyed her warily, probably wondering if the screeching she beast was good eating or not. Her gaze settled on a gigantic slug youkai. “Ha!” she said pointing to it. “I’d rather have sex with you than with Sesshomaru!”

The slug glowed a bright blue, then made its way over to her. It gurgled at her. Kagome blinked. It made a funny mewling sound and rubbed up against her side, coating her with slug snot. Kagome shrieked and backed away from it.

“You seem distraught, woman,” it said in a voice that sounded like it was trying to hack up phlegm.

Kagome put her hands on her hips. “Well, I am actually.”

“What’s the trouble, my lady?” the slug asked her, swiveling its eye stalks at her, a sympathetic look swirling in the pink irises.

She sighed. “Well, there’s this…um youkai I like…okay maybe love, and he brought me out here for a romantic evening. But then I told him that I loved him, and the asshole ran away like a little girl.” Only after she finished answering the slug did Kagome realize how ridiculous it was that she was talking to it in the first place.

The slug bobbed its head in the perfect parody of a nod. “Ah. He is afraid of his feelings. Typical man. I too…lost someone for fear of my feelings.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Kagome said.

“So…,” the slug drawled. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” Kagome answered weakly, her shoulders sagging, tears stinging her eyes. “I want to chase after him and give him a piece of my mind….”

“Sounds like a good idea to me.”

She sighed again. “Yeah, but…he brought me an awfully long way. It’ll take me at least a week to walk back to his palace.”

The slug gave her a gurgling chuckle. “Not necessarily!”


#

Sesshomaru busied himself for the next two days preparing for the arrival of the rest of the lords. His first order of business was to hire new servants and guards. They were a rather rag-tag group, but he could fire or kill them after his guests left, so it didn’t bother him much.

As busy as he made himself, he could not get the miko out of his mind. Nor could he rid himself of the pang of guilt he felt for leaving her.

But it was for the best.

Really.

He’d been behaving rashly, not using his common sense. His feelings were of no importance and had to be pushed aside…now.

But, oh…how he missed her.

When he was alone, with no one to see him, it was then he could admit how he truly felt about the little miko. How he loved everything about her, even the things he’d been certain he’d hated. Her loud voice. Her crude way of talking. Her lack of manners. The way she smiled at Rin. How when she’d been cleaning, doing the most disgusting drudgery he’d been able to think of, she’d still sing little songs to herself.

He loved her hair. Her skin. Her mouth, her eyes, her legs, and yes…her ass. Sesshomaru loved her so completely it was nearly killing him to deny it.

Rin had come to him, tears standing in her eyes asking him where Kagome was. He couldn’t bear to even respond. He’d simply snapped at the child to go and bother someone else.

More than anything, he wished that the miko would just come back. She’d be angry, maybe even hate him. But if he could see her once more….

Sesshomaru shook his head, and composed himself. There was no use in thinking about it. He would have to somehow rid his thoughts of the woman.

A familiar scent tickled his senses, alerting him that another guest had arrived.

He strode into the courtyard and found the wolf prince talking to a beautiful neko youkai. It was the daughter of the Lord of the South.

Sesshomaru frowned. He seemed to recall inviting the lords, not their brats. He sighed. It could not be helped. He wouldn’t risk insult by asking the whelps to go home, even if that’s what he felt like doing.

The neko youaki saw him and smiled sweetly. “Hello, Sesshomaru-sama! It is a great honor to see you again,” she purred, lowering her eyes demurely as she bowed low and gracefully, her kimono swirling about her.

Sesshomaru tapped his chin with a finger. Perhaps the best way to forget the miko…was to bed someone else.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! The next chapter is the last...and the one with the lemon. :D It will be posted soon.