What Your Eyes Did to Me by SunsetMiko

The Zoo

Chapter 9 - The Zoo

*Black Swan* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

Sesshoumaru had been concerned that his idea was too juvenile, but after listening to her talk about what she liked in a date, he decided to go for it. Kagome loved his suggestion, and so they found themselves at the zoo.

"This place is huge!" she exclaimed, studying the map.

"You have never been here before?" he asked.

"I've been to zoos, but never this one. The zoo back where I used to live was much smaller than this. This place looks amazing. I think if we go this way," she said while running her finger along the map for him to see, "then we'll be able to see everything without too much backtracking."

"As you wish," the taiyoukai agreed.

"Looks like we'll be hitting Africa first then." The miko was so excited it was adorable. He loved the way she bounced on her toes, her camera phone in hand, ready to document their very first real date.

"Africa it is," he said while holding out his hand to her. Kagome crammed the map in her pocket before accepting his extended hand, their fingers folding together easily. It instantly reminded Sesshoumaru of when he held her hand in the elevator that first night, the feeling of awe at how perfectly they fit together returning. He was certain she was made for him, right down to the tiny details.

He allowed her to lead, and they walked in silence, except for the miko's comments on the various animals. Before they reached the Africa exhibit, they passed several black swans at the entrance to the Australia section that caught the miko's attention. She snapped several pictures, thrilled when one of the birds spread its wings wide, showing off white feathers underneath.

He took a photo of her hand-feeding the giraffes, much to her pleasure, as the creature's long tongue tickled her hand. It was the perfect shot, her eyes sparkling with laughter, and he decided that she was the most photogenic woman he had ever seen.

After more walking in mostly silence, he realized that this wasn't working. Yes, they were having a good time together, but they were supposed to be getting to know each other, and that wasn't happening. Setting out to right the situation, he asked her a question he had been curious about for a while now.

"Tell me, how did you and Inuyasha become friends?"

*Mysterious Ability* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

Kagome looked up at him with a brilliant smile. "We were ten, and I'd just transferred into a new school. I didn't know anyone, and I saw him sitting alone during lunch. I thought maybe he needed a friend as much as I did, so I went over. I didn't even realize he was a hanyou right away, but once I did, I was curious. I'd never seen one before. I asked if I could sit with him, and he gave me attitude. He called himself a half-breed, and on impulse, I smacked him. He got milk all up his nose. It was hilarious, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. I don't think he liked me very much in the beginning, but I wouldn't leave him alone. I grew on him, I suppose, until he decided it was his job to protect me. I could certainly do with a little less of that."

"It is inu instinct to protect those we consider pack."

"Yeah, I know, but he's lucky he's not in jail right now. He’s beat up so many guys, sometimes just for looking at me. It made dating nearly impossible."

"Thus the spell you used to purify my scent from your body?"

"Yup. If I hadn't figured that one out, your brother would be in serious shit. He hates that spell with a vengeance."

"How did he feel about the wolf?" Sesshoumaru asked, feeling as if he was learning a great deal about his brother as well as his miko.

"Oh, he hated Kouga, but I think that's because he could sense that I wasn't really happy there. I moved way too quickly, jumped in too fast."

"Had you not known him long?" The taiyoukai was morbidly interested in her relationship with the wolf. When she had disappeared on him, he hadn't been able to function, let alone date. He tried to be with someone else in the hopes of getting his mind off of her, but he was unable to do it. How had she managed to be in a relationship when he couldn't?

*Regrettably* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

"Oh, I've known Kouga for years. He always wanted to date me, and when I went home after... that night... Well, I was lonely, so I said yes. He was so sweet and caring, a real romantic, and when he asked me to move in with him, I agreed. I tried to fool myself into thinking I was happy, but I couldn't stop thinking about you. I couldn't stop comparing the two of you, but I was so sure we didn't have a chance, that you didn't want more than the one night, that I stayed. It was Inuyasha who made me realize I wasn't happy. He made me leave. Kouga was such a sweetheart he even helped me pack, and he made me promise I would try to find you."

"You could always have found me. You knew where I lived."

"I know. I just didn't want to be that clingy, needy girl that wanted more from a one night stand than the guy wanted to give. I didn't mean to fall for you. I wasn't out looking for the love of my life. I just accidently found him."

Sesshoumaru smirked triumphantly at her words. She said he was the love of her life! Just the thought of it made his heart race, and he stopped their slow, lazy walk to kiss her. "And I am so glad that you did," he purred in her ear.

"So, what about you? What did you do these last two months?" she asked curiously.

"Work," he replied, unsure how to explain his attempts at dating, or rather, more anonymous sex.

"That's all you did? Work?"

"Sometimes around the clock. I did my best to keep busy in an attempt to keep my mind off of you," he confessed. "That is actually why father forced me to take a vacation. I was working far too many hours, and apparently I was also too short with the secretaries."

*Dark Shame* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

"Oh," Kagome said flatly.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, concerned that he upset her somehow.

"I was just worried that you would be a workaholic like your dad used to be."

"Trust me, that will no longer be an issue. I will clock out at five whether my work is finished or not from now on."

"Oh yeah?" the miko asked with interest.

"I have somewhere else to be now."

"And where's that?" she teased.

"With you of course," he replied with complete honesty.

Silence fell around them as guilt surrounded the miko. He hadn't done anything but throw himself into his work, while she rushed into a new relationship in an attempt to forget him. Sensing her negative emotions, Sesshoumaru pulled her gently to the side of the path, leaning against a wooden railing.

"Are you all right? Something is troubling you."

Kagome looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I... I tried to move on. I slept with Kouga I don't know how many times. I feel like I betrayed you and you... you didn't do anything but work."

Guilt overwhelmed Sesshoumaru at her devastated expression. "I tried," he confessed softly. "I tried to date. I tried to sleep with other women. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I would compare them with you and find them lacking."

"So you dated?"

"On a few occasions. I also picked up women in bars. I brought two different women back to my apartment, but I could not bring myself to touch them."

"Oh," Kagome whispered.

*Restoration to 0* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

"You have nothing to feel guilty over, Kagome," he told her, pulling her into his arms. "Neither of us knew how the other felt. I should have told you that night, but you were so tired. I did not expect you to sneak out of my bed before I woke. I still cannot understand how you did so without waking me."

The miko laughed softly. "You were sleeping like the dead. I think a marching band could have tromped through your room, and you wouldn't have heard. I wasn't really all that quiet. I think a part of me hoped that you would wake up and stop me, but you didn't, so I wrote my note and left."

"Why did you not leave me your phone number?"

"So I wouldn't be disappointed when you didn't call."

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "From now on, we tell each other what we are thinking when we are thinking it. We are starting our lives together, and I do not want any more misunderstandings."

Kagome nodded her agreement. "That sounds like a good idea."

-

*Float* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

Once the awkward part of the conversation was out of the way, the ice was broken and Kagome was sharing stories of her and Inuyasha, a bright smile on her face as they sat beside a koi pond, with water lilies floating on the surface of the water. Sesshoumaru was soaking it all in. He wanted to know more about his brother, and he doubted the hanyou would be in the mood to share with him for a while still. They needed to get along for Kagome's sake, but beyond that, he didn't know. Would the hanyou wish to have a relationship with him, or would he prefer that they keep their distance from one another?

"Oh, and in high school, there was this geeky little guy named Hojo. He had a major crush on me, and he was always asking me out and bringing me gifts. I wasn't really interested, and I turned him down as nicely as I could. I made Inuyasha promise to stay out of it, because Hojo was harmless, but eventually he got frustrated and tried to confront him. Hojo stared him straight in the eye, said "You're the reason she keeps telling me no," and slugged him. It caught Inuyasha off guard so much that he fell flat on his ass. He was stunned. It was hilarious.

The principal wanted to expel Inuyasha for the fight. He was certain he had to have started it because he'd started so many other fights, and Inu was tempted to let him. He was so embarrassed he wouldn't defend himself. I had to get people that saw it to tell the principal what happened so he wouldn't be expelled.

"He was taken down by a human boy?" Sesshoumaru asked with a chuckle.

The sound shot right to Kagome's core, as it always had, and she let out a little moan that instantly sent fire through Sesshoumaru's veins. He pulled her close, purring seductively in her ear.

*Merry-go-round of Life* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

"You have to stop laughing," the miko said, her tone pained. "It's not fair."

"As if I were not aroused by the sound of your moan?" he replied. Instantly his mind was coming up with options of where they might be able to be alone for a few minutes.

"I think we need to get away from each other for a little while," Kagome said, as if she could read his mind and see all the dirty things that were happening there at the moment. "I know. Let's ride the carousel!" When he lifted a brow at her, she laughed. "Okay, I'll ride it, and you can take the time to calm down," she said with an obvious glance at the bulge in the front of his pants.

Sesshoumaru watched as she waited in the short line before choosing a horse to ride. He tried not to find her rising and lowering rhythmically seductive as he took a photo. Really, he was a master of self-control under usual circumstances, but this was rather unusual as things go. He had fallen in love, and everything about her turned him on. The decision not to have sex for a while was a challenge he wasn't sure he could manage to succeed in.

By the time she returned, he was once again in control of himself, but barely. The realization that if anyone had spotted his erection he would likely be labeled a pervert helped a great deal. He couldn't believe how hard this deal seemed to be. At first he thought he would be able to manage without much difficulty, but as time went on, it seemed more and more impossible, and it had only been less than a day since he had been with her!

- *Shake the Fake* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

"Is that monkey doing what I think he is?" Kagome asked slowly, a light blush staining her cheeks.

"I believe he is," Sesshoumaru replied with a grin.

A wicked smirk slowly spread across the miko's face as she turned her focus to the taiyoukai. "So, is that what you look like when you do that?" she inquired while tilting her head towards the monkey who was masturbating almost violently.

Sesshoumaru raised a brow at her. This was another perfect example of how she could seem so completely innocent and yet so seductively naughty at the same time. "I assure you I do not."

"No, of course not. I'm sure you look much more elegant," she teased.

"I would be willing to show you, if, of course, you would be willing to reciprocate."

Kagome's blush darkened. "That wouldn't count, right? As having sex?"

"I do not believe it would violate our agreement," he answered hopefully.

The miko thought about it for a moment. "But... it would probably be a bad idea anyway. You know, it might lead to more. It'll be hard enough as it is, and we're doing okay so far."

Sesshoumaru pulled Kagome's back to his chest, alerting her to his current situation. He was unable to control himself after the thought of seeing her touching herself. "This Sesshoumaru can wait," he purred in her ear, "but it will be incredibly difficult."

"Mommy," a child said loudly, startling them out of their moment. "What's that monkey doing?"

Kagome stifled a laugh with her hand. She was glad she didn't have to be the one to answer that question!