A Smell So Sweet by BelovedStranger

The Spice of the Gods

AUTHOR'S NOTE

This second oneshot is AU aswell. The prompt is 'Cinnamon' from Stella's Spicey Challenge. The word 'Cinnamon' is derived from the ancient Hebrew word 'kinnämön, meaning 'sweet wood'. It was so highly prized among ancient nations that it was regarded as a gift fit for monarchs and even for a god. It is of a golden-copper colour, with a very hot aromatic taste.

Stella is such a dear to agree to edit all my oneshots I have tributed to her challenge, and I thank her again most graciously for her kindness. Enjoy!

Kagome, dressed in a miko’s garb, her hair bound in the traditional fashion, walked with a regal poise from her small village with her offering held tightly in her arm as the only sign of tension in her body. The villagers bowed their heads and shoulders to her in respect and for her day long journey to the temple of the Inukami on everyone’s account. For days, they had been given words from other fleeing villagers, not from her own, carrying tales of rape and murder of entire villages. Bandits pillaged the surrounding land, and it was a matter of time before they found their way to her peaceful home.

Her mother had commissioned Kagome to go to the temple of the Inukami with a prized offering of cinnamon and told her to pray for their protection and his intervention. No one had ever laid eyes on the Inukami, but their belief in their deity was strong and unshakable. Normally such a task would have been given to her older sister, Kikyo, but she was away to a neighboring village not yet attacked to help a wounded man on his son’s behest. The man’s leg had been broken, the bone breaking through his skin for all to see.

Now the duty came to her and she was slightly nervous to be going to the temple alone, but she must not let the others become aware of her uncertainties. She was one of the few village miko, and it was her duty and privilege to be of some help in times of need. Kagome enjoyed her station, but that did not mean she did not have fears and worries as common villagers. Sucking in her courage to journey so far from home alone, she left the village without a backwards glance.  

It was late the next morning when she came into view of the Inukami’s temple, but so too did she witness a group of men on a high rise not far from her right. She could see by their movements that they had just caught sight of her too in her easy to spot red miko garb. Fear snaked down her spine as apprehension of what would happen to her if she was caught filtered through her mind and she ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the temple doors, raced inside the shadowed room, and closed the doors shut on the advancing men. She could hear their yells and screams for her to surrender and sexual innuendos that had her pulse jumping with panic.

There were no locks on the doors but there was a tall, thin candle holder near and she pushed it through the door handles to keep them out. There was a crash against the doors and it heaved against the small barrier. She jumped back in fright choking on her sobs as she turned and ran for the altar. Somehow she had kept hold of her offering of cinnamon and placed it on a low table at the top of the three steps leading to the altar before bowing low to the floor at the bottom of the stairs. Her forehead lay upon her knuckles, her eyes tightly shut as she begged and prayed for the Inukami to save her. She knew the bandits would not stay out for long. They would get her.

She trembled in fear as her mind tried not to imagine the horrors that were about to befall her when she almost screamed after she felt a large hand upon her shoulder. She raised panic stricken eyes, tears in the verge of spilling over her wide eyes when she caught sight of a beautiful man. She blinked in wonder. No, this was no man.

He was crouching at the top of the short steps, gazing down at her with bright amber eyes with slits as pupils. His hair was like a waterfall of shimmering silver, so long and soft it looked in the light of the sun pooling in from the high windows. His hair could not hide the points of his elfin ears from her rapt gaze and his kimono was made of the finest white silk embroidered in gold as his obi looked to be made from spun gold. She noticed the markings that graced his face. Elegant stripes, two on each cheek, and a crescent moon upon his forehead. When he lowered his hand from her shoulder, she saw stripes at his wrists, too.

“Inukami,” she breathed in wonder, then whimpered and hunched her shoulders at a huge cracking sound at the doors to the temple. Gazing up at him with pleading brown eyes, she begged in a quick hushed voice, “Please, I beg you to save me. These bandits have raped and killed many villages. Please, don’t let them hurt me.” Kagome was helpless to stop the tears from overflowing and running down her face, her eyes never leaving his.

When he reached out to cup her cheek, she took comfort from the contact and leaned into the palm of his hand. “The price for my intervention will be more than just your offering of cinnamon, little miko.”

His voice was mesmerizing in its deep bar tone, and Kagome nodded her head. “I understand.” She did not know what it was he wanted, but his eyes held kindness and she felt that she could trust him.

Just then the doors burst open and she whimpered pitifully. “If you won’t come out and play, pretty, then we’ll just come in,” hooted a crude male voice from behind.

“Close your eyes,” the Inukami whispered to her, not allowing her to turn her head to gaze at the intruders that meant her harm.

She nodded her head, her cheek still in the palm of his hand. “Alright.”

He stood and walked away from her, and she kept her back to the enemy, her eyes closed as commanded. She did not see how the Inukami dispatched her foes, but she heard their taunts turn into blood curling screams. She froze, afraid and waited for the Inukami to allow her to open her eyes and move. She did not fear him because of his actions towards the bandits as they were bad mean, evil in nature and she felt no sorrow for whatever fate the Inukami had in store for them. Still, she did not like their screams. They terrified her.

She did not see how he used his poison whip that flashed out with green brilliance from his claws to cut his opponents to ribbons or how he disintegrated their remains into a pool of his acidic gases. He did not allow his temple, however, to be marred by his noxious fumes or allow any to drift to the small form curled by the altar. He would not have her harmed.

Then all was silent, and the silence was deafening after the cries of the dying.

“Rise, little miko,” she heard from behind. She stood and turned around fast, her eyes taking in his gloriously beautiful form to make sure that he was not visibly harmed, then gazed around the temple expecting to see the corpses of the bandits, but everything was as it had been when she had entered. She could detect not one drop of blood. She fell to her knees again and bowed low to the floor respectfully and offered him heartfelt thanks of gratitude.

“Come to me,” he told her, and she lifted her head to see that he held out his clawed hand to her, but she did not fear his claws. The look in his eyes and the kindness in his voice had her rising to her feet and placing her hand in his trustingly.

He pulled her into his arms gently, and wrapped his arms around her back, his cheek resting on the crown of her head. Her hands were trapped between them, resting calmly on his hard muscular chest. She felt so small next to him. Her head did not even reach his shoulders, but she felt safe and cherished in his embrace with her cheek against his chest while hearing the steady beat of his heart.

She felt him stroke her hair. “You are safe now.”

She nodded against his chest in acknowledgement to his words.

“What is your name, little miko?” his voice was able to make shivers of delight run down her spine. He wanted to know her name?

“Higurashi, Kagome.”

She felt his arms tighten around her. “I wish you to say my name with your lips, Kagome.”

He leaned back slightly and she obligingly tipped her head back to gaze up at him with innocent eyes. He lowered his head and her eyes widened in shock when he whispered against her lips in a ghost of a kiss. “Sesshomaru.”

He raised his head only a couple inches, exchanging breath with her, her pulse erratic in her throat, but not from fear as it had been before. “Sesshomaru-sama.”

Then he kissed her forehead tenderly before stepping back, holding onto her elbows. “Return to me in three days. Then we will discuss your debt to me.”

He let her go and disappeared right before her astonished eyes, but she heard his voice faintly, “Do not be late.”

Obeying Sesshomaru, Kagome made the day’s journey to her village where she told them what had transpired, but only to her mother did she confide in the Inukami’s request. However, she told no one of the kiss they shared. Her mother was happy by her daughter’s glad tidings and after a nights rest at home, she sent her daughter off again with her blessing. She was not worried about the Inukami’s ‘debt’ as he was a kind and just kami as he had proven by answering their prayers and keeping them all safe, especially her daughter.

After her days travel, Kagome entered the temple in the early afternoon to find the temple alight with candles and burning incense that smelled of cinnamon. Kagome breathed deeply of the aromatic spicy scent but then jumped in surprise at the sound of her name.

“Kagome.”

Gazing quickly to her right, Kagome caught sight of Sesshomaru and went to her knees to bow deeply to him out of respect.

“Rise, Kagome.”

She did and gifted him with a bright smile that made her beautiful face outshine the sun in Sesshomaru’s eyes. “Thank you again for saving me, for saving all of us from those vile men, Sesshomaru-sama.”

She watched him approach her. He raised his clawed hand to finger a hoop of her long black tresses. His actions made her suck in her breathe at the intimacy the gesture seemed to convey.

“I fell in love with your crying visage, but I find I am most entranced by your smile, Kagome,” Sesshomaru told her with a husky undertone, gazing deeply into her startled brown orbs. She blushed a becoming pink and lowered her eyes shyly.

He tilted her chin up with a finger under her jaw as he lowered his head close to hers. “I would ask you to honor your promise given to me three days ago and become my bride.” Before she could form a reply, he kissed her. This time it was no small chaste kiss, but one filled with leashed passion. His tongue stroked across her lips seeking entrance, and she opened with a gasp of surprise before his tongue plundered her mouth not unpleasantly. In fact his kiss ignited a fire in her blood causing her to cling to the fabric of his haori at his shoulders.

When he released her mouth to trail kisses along her jaw and then nipping her ear lobe softly between his sharp teeth, she gasped at the pleasure the small action caused her.

“Sesshomaru-sama! Wait, I’m ningen—“ she tried to explain only to moan when his lips latched onto her neck, sucking gently, but his mouth caused little sparks of pleasure to snake down to the nerves between her thighs.

“You’re a kami…” she again attempted to speak reasonably, but he grabbed onto her breast then, kneading the plump flesh before pinching the hardened nipple, and her words ended in small cries.

He lightly kissed her lips chastely breathing heavily, saying, “Yes, I am amongst the kami’s and becoming my bride, you will not die. No one will take you from me, not even death.”

“My family—“ she whispered, arching her back as he pinched her nipple again.

“I became your family when you promised to repay your debt,” then he forced his tongue in her mouth to silence her.

His hands lowered to her obi, untied the length of cloth, and they both felt her red pants fall to the temple floor and her top to flap open. She gasped at his actions and pushed at his arms for she was afraid. Never before had a man kiss or touch her as intimately as Sesshomaru did now. The pleasurable sensations were new to her as well and they frightened her by their intensity.

“Sesshomaru-sama,” she entreated, but he lifted her off her feet and settled her upon the ground. “This is madness!” she panted, her face flushed.

His eyes met hers and he kissed her with such tenderness it stole her will. He kissed her jaw, down her neck, nipping as he went, flaring her passions even more. His hands fondled her milky white breasts while his hot mouth devouring a protruding nipple, causing her back to arch and liquid fire to pool between her thighs.

So caught up in pleasurable sensations, Kagome did not notice when he quickly discarded his haori and came back to her, spreading the sides of her kimono around her otherwise naked form. He trailed his lips between the valley of her breasts, his tongue separating the two globes before trailing more hot moist kisses down her ribs to her belly button. Here he dipped his tongue to swirl inside the small hole, her womb clenching in reaction and her hands gripping the edges of her kimono as she squirmed in pleasure beneath him.

He played special attention to the indent of her right hip, his hands stroking high on her thighs before he gripped them, parting them wide. She gasped embarrassed and tried to keep her thighs closed, but his knees kept them open wide. “Don’t look. It’s embarrassing,” she panted at him, her eyes darker almost black glazed over in passion.

“I am going to do much more than merely look, my Kagome,” he told her. She was not the only one whose heart was threatening to burst from her chest. He was hot, and his cock pulsed hard with need and his balls were tight aching for release, but he held on, wanting to prepare her for his envision.

Moving down to the cleft between her thighs, guarded by a small patch of dark curls, his breath ghosted along her flesh causing her to jump in surprise. She sat up, her hands prepared to push against his shoulders, words of denial on her lips but only a harsh gasp left her parted mouth. She felt his lips against her most secret place, and his tongue separated her wet folds touching the bundle of nerves at the top.

She fell back, arching into his touch, her hands in his silver locks, holding on for dear life as pleasure more intense hit her. She should be stopping him from this scandalous act, but she was unable to form the elusive thought let alone the will to stop him. Then she felt a long elegant finger enter her and she bucked into his hand and mouth. He thrust his finger repeatedly going deeper with ever thrust and soon another finger was added. She felt stretched but it did not hurt. How could it with his tongue wreaking havoc on her nerves? She climbed up some invisible ladder and her breath caught on the verge of falling over, afraid. Then she was hurtling into her first release when his fangs nipped at the bud of nerves at the top of her clit. She came screaming, pulling at his hair.

He rose above her, between her thighs, gazing down at her as she watched him lick his fingers clean of her juices. The sight should have shocked her, but it only made her womb clench once more in need. She felt empty somehow. He undid his obi and she watched his rod break free of its confines. The sight intimidated her. He was so large; she was afraid he would hurt her.

She lifted to her elbows and tried to turn her body, her left thigh and hip impeded by his own, stopping her retreat. “Let’s stop here for today,” she panted, begged.

Her eyes widened and she watched him in shock as he grabbed her right hand, forcing her body gently to lay back under him and spread her hand, palm down, on his rapidly beating heart. She was unable to break his heated gaze as he lowered himself, grabbed onto his hard flesh, and entered her with one hard thrust.

Her scream ripped through the temple as she felt as if she had been ripped in two. She shoved at his shoulder when he lowered himself over her. “It hurts. Stop!”

“Kagome,” he said softly.

“Get out!” she demanded on a sob, pushing at him.

“Relax! Don’t move and the pain will stop, I promise,” he told her kissing her tears away.

“I’m sorry, my love, but I swear to you it only hurts the first time.” He flexed his hips slightly, eliciting a gasp of pain from her. “Hold on to me.”

Unable to do anything else, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he buried his face in her hair, her kimono sleeves bunched up to her shoulders as her arms were still through the sleeves.

His movements were gentle even though all he wanted to do was pound into her tight sheath. She was wet and hot, gripping his member so tightly he was sure she could milk him without him even moving if he allowed. He played with her clit, circling his thumb around the nub and soon her cries changed to ones of pleasure, her nails digging into him. Going faster, his hips forced hers into the ground before he lifted away from her and placed a forearm beneath her lower back to keep her from hitting the unforgiving ground beneath her. His arm also angled her hips, allowing him to sink deeper into her tight passage.

She came, screaming his name and her contracting muscles almost pulled him into his own release, but he held on, not moving, and not wanting the pleasure to end just yet. Lifting her legs, he placed them over his shoulders and cupped her ass cheeks in his hands. The new position had him sinking inside her deeper still sheathing him to the hilt, making her feel unimaginably full.

His thrust were no longer gentle as he forced her to take all of him over and over, her juices coating his way, making his entry and retreat easy. His balls slapped at her ass and they both heard their wet coupling from their combined juices, the sound erotic to their ears.

Kagome felt herself again climb higher as another orgasm threatened. The pleasure was too intense almost painful and she tried to deny her bodies demands, but Sesshomaru would not let her. He bent over her and sucked on a nipple hard, her cries music to her ears. “You will come for me again, Kagome.” His words catapulted her into another release, and her walls clamped down on him making him groan in response, his seed shooting out of him and he yowled as he allowed himself to finally find oblivion.

He was breathing heavily, perched on his forearms that caged her in, still buried deep inside her. “Kagome, please choose me. Never leave me,” he entreated, gazing into her chocolate brown eyes as they opened to meet his gaze.

She nodded and whispered, “Yes, forever.”

Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead in a gesture of love and tenderness, a crescent moon like his own graced her flesh where his lips were.