Higher Education by SunsetMiko

Chapter 19

All prompts in this chapter are for the Language of Flowers Challenge.

Prompt: Basil (Hatred)

Sesshoumaru wished Kagome could be with him when Inuyasha showed up, but the miko had a morning class on Mondays and he couldn't expect her to skip it just to protect him from his own brother. He knew it was pathetic, fearing the hanyou, but he did. He always had. Inuyasha had been the ringleader in middle school and high school, leading the group that tormented him almost to the point of suicide. The taiyoukai thought that he'd finally escaped such torment, but no, Inuyasha had to come storming back into his life to ruin everything.

He didn't doubt for a second that if the hanyou did choose to attend this university that Inuyasha would make it his life's work to ensure that he was miserable. He'd taken such pleasure from taunting him, but even more from attacking him physically. Sesshoumaru had never fought back, fearing that doing so would only make it worse.

Sesshoumaru still couldn't understand his father's position. The foolish hanyou had gotten himself kicked out of university while he maintained an impressive G.P.A. and yet somehow he was the disappointment. His father didn't disapprove of his studious nature, but of his timid nature. He was an inu taiyoukai and he should be brimming with confidence because of his strength and power. Instead, he was a sissy who had no real connection to his youkai nature. He might as well have been human, and his father and brother had told him so many times. The hanyou had once described it as his beast shriveling away inside him, dying from neglect, from being ignored.

His instincts were so weak that they barely affected him at all, something his father had tried everything to rectify. He'd been sent to doctor after doctor, healer after healer, and no one could explain the disconnect between him and his beast. No one could tell them why his instincts were so weak or why he behaved so differently from typical inu, which left his father humiliated by his eldest son. What kind of youkai would sire such a pathetic thing as Sesshoumaru? It made him look bad!

The taiyoukai sighed, trying to remove thoughts of his father from his mind, focusing on the book in front of him. He knew Inuyasha would be arriving any time now and he was awaiting the knock on his door. When the time came, however, it was not a knock but a series of door-shaking thuds as the hanyou pounded on the door continuously until Sesshoumaru finally managed to get it open.

Inuyasha took one look at his embarrassment of an older brother and scoffed. "Where's the suits? You finally realize walking around like that drew attention to what a freak you really are?"

"I do not always wear them. This is more comfortable," he said, referring to his jeans and t-shirt, both of which Kagome had helped him choose the day before.

"Sure, that's the reason," Inuyasha said while rolling his eyes. "At least the room is big enough." He stalked towards the bed, tossing his duffle bag onto the mattress without bothering to ask who would take the bed. He would and Sesshoumaru wouldn't say a thing about it. "Well, what are you waiting for? Show me around like Pops told you to."

Sesshoumaru fought to keep his distress from showing, schooling his face into a calm mask. "We will be heading out in less than half an hour. Find a way to busy yourself until then."

Inuyasha snarled at being dismissed by his brother. The taiyoukai had never talked back to him like that before and he didn't know how to react. "Why half an hour?" he demanded.

"Because I am waiting for Kagome to get out of class," he replied flatly.

"Kagome?"

"My girlfriend," Sesshoumaru said, preparing for the backlash.

Inuyasha burst out into raucous laughter, bending down and slapping his knee in his amusement. "Girlfriend? You? You don't have a girlfriend."

"Indeed I do and you will be meeting her shortly."

"Huh, well then I bet she's hideous. She'd have to be to settle for a pathetic excuse for a demon like you."

Sesshoumaru fell silent, not wanting to fight with his brother if he could avoid it. He would see soon enough what a gorgeous female he called his own. Not that Inuyasha would buy it. He'd either outright claim it was a lie or he'd try to steal her away from him, perhaps both. He could only hope Kagome was adequately prepared for his rudeness.

Prompt: Ragged Robin (Wit)

The brothers were mostly silent as they walked across campus, Inuyasha following slightly behind Sesshoumaru, allowing him to lead the way. He didn't like not being in the dominant position at the front of the pack, but he fought down his instincts. He was far too interested in seeing this girl Sesshoumaru claimed to be dating.

They stopped outside a set of double doors and Sesshoumaru made himself comfortable leaning against the brick wall opposite the doors. Inuyasha looked around in confusion for a moment before demanding, "Well, where the hell is she?"

Sesshoumaru fought down the desire to run his hand over his face in frustration, repeating a calming mantra in his mind over and over. "Her class lets out in two minutes. Can you not control yourself that long?"

"What the fuck did you just say to me?" the hanyou yelled, raising his fist in preparation to hit the taiyoukai in the face. He was just about to swing, enjoying the fear in Sesshoumaru's eyes, when the double doors opened and people began pouring out. Inuyasha allowed his hand to fall to his side, not wanting witnesses. He turned his focus to the people exiting the lecture hall, trying to pick out which ugly girl was Sesshoumaru's.

Inuyasha swallowed hard as a beautiful female came into view, her thick black locks bouncing around her angelic face. Her small sundress accentuated her perky breasts and her perfect ass, clinging to her toned abdomen. Her heels made her legs look as if they went on forever and the hanyou knew he had to hit that before he went home.

He watched as she scanned the area and her eyes lit up as they stopped in his direction. Instantly, he was hard and ready for her. She obviously found him attractive with the way she reacted to just seeing him from a distance. The girl came closer and closer and just when he was about to make his move, she turned slightly to the side, heading into Sesshoumaru's waiting arms.

The taiyoukai couldn't help but kiss her senseless. She'd dolled herself up just for him, to put Inuyasha to shame, and she looked amazing. One hand burrowed into her hair while the other slid down her back, cupping her ass to pull her body closer to his. She moaned softly as his tongue slid over hers and they both heard a vicious growl coming from nearby. Sesshoumaru mentally winced but finished the kiss, refusing to pull away from her just because his brother was jealous and throwing a tantrum.

When they broke apart for breath, Kagome smiled brilliantly. "Thanks for meeting me. I missed you."

"And I you," he replied with complete honesty. They'd spent the entire day together yesterday, but it wasn't enough. He wanted to be with her always.

"Whoa, baby, you've gotta be confused," Inuyasha purred at her, puffing himself up, shooting a smirk in Sesshoumaru's direction. There was nothing the taiyoukai could do about his hitting on his girl. He couldn't stop him and he knew it. "What are you doing with this loser? You could do so much better."

"I could?" she asked sweetly, turning to look at the hanyou. "You really think so?"

"Of course, beautiful. You deserve more than a fucking nerd pawing at you desperately with no idea what he's doing."

"So, who do I deserve?" she inquired, her tone sickeningly sweet to Sesshoumaru's ears. If they hadn't discussed all the possible things that Inuyasha might try, he would have been nervous, but the taiyoukai trusted Kagome. She promised not to leave him for his brother. "Someone like you?"

"Hell yeah, someone like me," he growled, stepping closer to the miko.

Kagome turned her back to Inuyasha dismissively, confusing the hanyou as she focused her attention on Sesshoumaru once more. "So this is your brother?" She sounded less than impressed.

"Oh, please, forgive me. Kagome, this is Inuyasha. Inuyasha, Kagome." The taiyoukai introduced them as if this wasn't the most awkward conversation of his life.

"Kagome," the hanyou purred, accentuating every syllable of her name, drawing it out into a sensual sound. "So, you wanna ditch the zero and get yourself a hero?"

The miko actually looked as if she was considering it for a moment before running her hands down Sesshoumaru's chest, staring up into his eyes. "No, I think I'll stay right where I am. Thanks for the offer though," she said sarcastically.

"You don't want a real man?" Inuyasha asked, irritated that she wouldn't even look at him as she spoke.

"I have a real man right here," Kagome replied, moving one hand lower, running her palm over his half-hard length through his jeans. Sesshoumaru swallowed hard. She'd never touched him like that before and it felt incredible, even through a thick layer of denim. He caught her lips one final time, a short but sweet exchange, before turning his attention to his absolutely seething brother. Inuyasha wasn't one to be ignored. He very rarely heard the word 'no' in his life, especially not coming from a girl he desired, and it was obvious he had no idea how to respond.

Prompt: Plum Blossom (Luckiness)

"So, we'll show you the school bookstore and the cafe," Sesshoumaru said as if nothing at all had occurred between Kagome and Inuyasha.

"I don't wanna see the damn bookstore," he snapped out.

"Well, I need scantrons, so you can come or you can wander around alone," the miko said dismissively. "And I need a coffee, bad"

"We need to get you a coffee maker for your room," Sesshoumaru suggested as the couple began their walk towards the bookstore and cafe in the center of the campus. Kagome slipped her hand into the taiyoukai's as they walked, neither looking back to see if Inuyasha was following.

The hanyou stood staring in awe for a long moment before hurrying after the pair. He had no idea where anything was on campus and he refused to look like an idiot begging for directions from strangers. "Fine, I'll check out the bookstore and the cafe," he muttered, making Sesshoumaru grin from ahead of him. Things weren't going too badly so far.

After a quick stop in the bookstore, all three of them made their way into the busy cafe. Kagome found a table and told Sesshoumaru what she would like. The taiyoukai had expected Inuyasha to come with him, but instead, the hanyou plunked himself down at the table with the miko. "Coffee, black," he ordered without glancing at his brother. He knew Sesshoumaru would do as he was told or face the consequences.

As soon as Sesshoumaru was out of sight, Inuyasha leaned across the table, staring into bright blue eyes. "So how much is he paying you to pretend to be his girl? I sure as hell hope it's a lot to make up for the embarrassment of being seen with him in public."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "He's not paying me anything. We are in a real relationship."

"Oh yeah? For how long?"

Without missing a beat, Kagome responded, "We have been seeing each other for a few weeks now." Technically it was the truth. Yes, they'd just made it official the day before, but they'd been dating and flirting ever since the toga party.

"What can you possibly see in him?" Inuyasha demanded. He just couldn't figure it out. Why would a gorgeous piece of ass like her date a loser like Sesshoumaru? It just didn't make sense.

"You mean besides the incredible body? I'm not the only girl chasing after him, you know. I'm just the one that was lucky enough to catch him."

"You want him for his body?" the hanyou asked in confusion.

"Well, duh," she said snidely. "Of course, because I'm that shallow. No, his body is a perk to me, not the main prize. He's a wonderful guy, treats me well, and makes me feel good about myself."

"Well, sure he does if you're comparing you to him. It's a guaranteed ego boost."

Kagome's eyes narrowed dangerously but she kept control of herself. "He makes me feel good about myself because he's kind and caring, and he only has eyes for me."

"No, you're the only girl stupid enough to date him. Man, did he get fucking lucky, and on his first shot too. You know that you're the first girl to ever even think about going out with him, right? It's not something to be proud of."

"You really are a jerk, aren't you. Well, this is going to be tons of fun. Anywhere in particular you want to go? What do you want to see here?"

Inuyasha ignored the insult, only hearing the part about her wanting to spend more time with him. His ego didn't need any stroking. He stroked it enough himself. "I wanna see Greek Row," he replied. "Wanna see if my frat has a branch here."

"Oh? Which fraternity are you a part of?" Inuyasha told the miko and she smirked. "Oh, that's right across the street from my sorority."

"Sorority?" Inuyasha repeated in shock. Sesshoumaru caught himself a sorority girl? Well, that could be either good news or bad. The taiyoukai could have just gotten lucky or it was a sorority stunt that Kagome had to do, going out with him, meaning it was all just an act. He would love to be there when the truth came out and Sesshoumaru discovered he was the punch line of yet another joke. Being a member of a sorority, in the hanyou's mind, meant that she was easy, so he might be able to fuck her right under his brother's nose. The nerdy loser definitely didn't deserve a sorority girl. That much was certain.