Chapter 1

“Don’t.”

The word was so softly spoken she had almost missed it. Her foot was on the lip of the well, and her head whipped around to look at him, hair flying into her face.

“What?”

She couldn’t believe it. He of all people… demons… would be the one to ask her not to go?

“Don’t go.”

Tears sprung to her eye and her foot moved from the lip of the well to the grass and she turned herself to face him. Her large yellow backpack she had stuffed everything she could manage into was pulling heavily on her shoulder, begging her to put it down, to not go either. She had brought her bike to the well clearing earlier too. She had slowly been making plans to make her get away. She hadn’t been needed here either. Her job was done. Jewel was gone. InuYasha was happy with the gift the wished away jewel had given him.

Though the truth was, the jewel hadn’t been wished away, she had wished everything to be returned to as it was before. The jewel had apparently assumed some things, which was why Kikyo now lived. With her own soul, and not partially Kagome’s. The moment Kagome’s soul had become one again, an explosion of reiki had spread over Edo, purifying it. InuYasha’s fur had bristled, but no harm had come to any demon in the vicinity, it just was what it was. Kagome had felt pleasantly warm after that and a certain demon lord's eyes had gone unnoticed.

This was probably what was the reason for him to be here, Kagome thought to herself, swallowing as she forced out the next question. The answer to it caught her unawares.

“Why?”

The daiyoukai stared at her like the answer was obvious. That was so typical of him. She wished she could have read his mind, just to keep him from actually saying it, however.

“I need you.”

The shock had filled her body, her eyes widening. He needed her? Why? What for? Their friendship had been quick to bloom, sure. Their relationship was also quicker. Things that were more than friendship had begun to happen. Kagome couldn’t bear to think of going through that again. Not here, not another demon. This was Sesshomaru for kami’s sake! He must have had other better-suited suitors! Honestly. She was useless to him and had no reason harbouring feelings for a yokai prince of all demons. But it was happening again, and it was happening too fast… and there was this.

“You… need me?”

She swallowed the lump in her throat again and her bag did fall from her shoulder, firmly rooting her in this time again, at least for another few moments as she tried to figure out what he meant, or until he told her, in that bored, yet calm, yet seductive, baritone voice. He was suddenly in front of her, a devilish smirk on his lips which told her he knew he was slowly winning against whatever plan she had in her head. A clawed hand rested against her cheek, and slowly caressed it, her eyes fluttering closed with its soft touch. How such a deadly demon could be so gentle, it still baffled her. She licked her drying bottom lip and she saw his eyes fly to her lips. She had seen this so many times, and so many times she had wished he had acted on the impulse but had only found herself suddenly cold and alone. This time, he wasn’t moving… away. He was moving closer, leaning in. Closer, closer… she could feel his breath fan against her cheeks and she sucked in a shuddering breath.

He started the kiss slowly, a gentle press of his lips to hers, faintly, again, and again, and again, and again until her lips fell apart just slightly to allow her breath… and then he attacked. He had pressed his mouth so firmly against her she thought she would suffocate, and the only thing keeping her conscious was the feel of his fangs on her bottom lip, dragging, pulling, almost but never breaking the skin of it. He was savouring her, worshipping her. Something she had only dreamed of ever happening to her.

A shiver ran down her back as before mentioned clawed hand moved from her cheek to sweep up into her hair and said claws were now scratching gently on the back of her neck… the back of her skull and she released a sound that was nearly beastly in nature. Sesshomaru suddenly became very rigid, that clawed hand on the back of her head tightened against it, claws gently pricking her scalp. His lips had parted from her, but only barely, and her eyes opened and fell on them. His breathing was ragged like he was trying to contain something. She had a guess as to what it was.

Her hands trailed up his arms, fingertips brushing against the skin, and she looked up into his eyes. They had red bleeding into them, and she smiled. Her hands travelled from his arms to the striped on his face which were now slightly jagged instead of smooth, and she slowly brushed her fingertips against them.

“Sesshomaru.”

She spoke his name softly and his eyes flew to hers.

“It’s okay.”

His lips pulled into a smirk and suddenly, she was flying (somehow he had remembered to grab her pack), off to her future, her bike left against the well.

She didn’t go. At least not where she was originally planning.

He had won. As he always had.

 

INUYASHA © Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan • Yomiuri TV • Sunrise 2000
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