Higher Education by SunsetMiko

Chapter 25

Each prompt in this chapter is labeled with which challenge it goes to.

Prompt: Repose DDN 8-2-14

Sesshoumaru lay, holding Kagome in his arms, for over an hour, until he was certain she was deeply asleep. Then the taiyoukai carefully disentangled his body from hers, moving through the dark room silently. He still had almost two whole chapters to read before his class in the morning. He'd made his peace with not getting the work done, electing to spend his evening with the miko, but now that she was sleeping peacefully, he would do his best to finish it. He had to make sure that his new relationship with Kagome didn't begin to affect his grades.

Prompt: Dysania - The state of finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning. (Avadrea's Oddities Challenge)

He moved her desk chair towards the window and silently opened the blinds. He arranged himself comfortably and began reading his textbook by moonlight. He was glad the moon was out tonight, because otherwise he might have had to turn on a lamp and risk waking her. After everything she'd been through that day, the last thing she needed was her sleep to be interrupted. He could see perfectly well in complete darkness, but reading was a different story. He needed some amount of light to see the tiny characters on the pages as he read.

After more than an hour and a half of reading, Sesshoumaru tucked his book away and slowly climbed back into bed with the miko. She instantly curled towards him, making the taiyoukai smile. Even in her sleep she was drawn to him, wanted to be held by him. He was happy to oblige her and he settled down with Kagome in his arms, falling asleep quickly.

A few hours later, Sesshoumaru was awoken by the chiming of the alarm clock on his phone. He turned it off as quickly as he could manage, but when the miko moaned softly, he knew it hadn't been fast enough. He'd woken her from her sleep long before she needed to get up for the day.

Squinting her tired eyes at the clock, Kagome turned to Sesshoumaru in confusion. "Why in the world are you getting up so early?" she murmured sleepily.

He really didn't want to get up so early. He wanted to stay there in bed with her for as long as possible, but he had a class to go to and so he sat up and answered her question. "I must take a shower before my class. The scent of chlorine in my hair is irritating my nose."

"Oh," the miko breathed softly.

"I do not wish to leave your door open, or to wake you when I return," he started, seeing as Kagome smiled, her eyes mostly closed.

"My keys are in a bowl next to the door," she told him.

Prompt: Gamine: and urchin or mischievous girl/young woman. (Obscure Word Challenge)

"Thank you," he whispered, leaning down to press his lips to her forehead. He gathered his bathing supplies and his new clothes for the day and headed down the hall to the men's shower room on her floor. Though the dorms were co-ed, the bathrooms and showers were not. Sesshoumaru was happy to find no one else there and he set his clothing on the bench just outside the shower stall he chose and hung his towels on the nearby hook. He turned the water on and allowed it to run until it was good and hot before stripping out of his clothing and entering the small, steamy space.

The taiyoukai washed his hair first and then scrubbed his body before returning to his hair once more. When he was satisfied that the scent of chlorine no longer lingered, he rinsed thoroughly and turned off the water. The sound of soft footsteps echoing in the tiled room caught his attention and he quickly grabbed a towel to wrap tightly around his waist. Sesshoumaru peeked out of the curtain, surprised to find a female standing there holding what appeared to be bathing supplies.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said with a blush. "The girl's showers are always full this time of the morning, so I usually come and use the guy's. I've never run into someone before."

"I actually live on another floor," he explained while towel-drying his hair as quickly as possible. He was incredibly uncomfortable in front of this woman wearing nothing but a towel. It was a million times worse than the pool because Kagome wasn't by his side to protect him. "I will be finished momentarily," he sought to assure her, certain she would desire privacy for her own shower.

"There's no hurry," she said flirtatiously as she soaked in the sight of his muscled chest and abdomen. "You can stay and help me if you want."

"Help you?" he repeated in confusion.

"I have the hardest time washing my own back," she said, her tone turning seductive. "You look like just the man to help me with that little problem."

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as he realized what she was saying. She wanted him to shower with her! She was hitting on him! The taiyoukai had no idea how to respond and he looked like a deer caught in headlights as the female approached him, a sexy sway in her hips. She stopped directly in front of him and ran her fingertips teasingly down his chest. It instantly felt wrong and he backed away, feeling cornered as she took another step forward.

"I... I have a girlfriend," he stammered.

"So? She's not here helping you shower, but I am. We don't have to tell her a thing, do we?" She expected him to drop his towel and press her against a cold tiled wall to fuck her senseless. Any guy, in her mind, would take her up on such an offer, girlfriend or not, but she didn't know how loyal Sesshoumaru was. Hell, she didn't even know his name and she didn't care to. She just had an itch that needed scratching and he looked as if he had one hell of a scratcher under that towel.

The taiyoukai gently removed her hand from his chest before stepping back again and tugging on his t-shirt. "I am not interested," he said, a growl growing in his throat in irritation. This girl thought he would cheat on Kagome with her? Never! She huffed, offended by his rejection, and watched as he quickly collected his things and left the room, a towel still wrapped around his hips.

Sesshoumaru paused outside of Kagome's door, clutching her keys tightly in his hand, and calmed his breathing. She'd told him that other women would be interested in him, but he hadn't really expected them to find him attractive and he definitely wasn't ready for how aggressive that woman had been. Once he was fully in control of himself, he opened her door quietly, spotting the miko asleep, her arms curled around the pillow he'd used that night.

Just the sight of her relaxed him and he quickly tugged on his boxers and jeans, keeping his back to her just in case she was to wake. He finished dressing, brushed his hair, and collected his things, ready for class. Sesshoumaru took one long look at Kagome, soaking in her beauty, before dropping her keys back in the bowl by the door and heading out. He ached to whisper words of his devotion to her, but held back, not wanting to wake her. He would be seeing her soon anyway. It wasn't as if they were parting for days or weeks, just mere hours, even though it would feel like eternity.

Sesshoumaru didn't bother heading up to his dorm room to tell Inuyasha where he was going or when he would return. The lazy hanyou would likely sleep for hours more before wondering where he was. Besides, he didn't owe his brother anything. Inuyasha could sit and wait for him or wander campus alone. He couldn't care less.

Prompt: Pecuniary: Consisting of or relating to money. (The Obscure Word Challenge)

Sesshoumaru was walking across campus with Inuyasha by his side, texting as he went. Today was Kagome's weekly Philosophy lunch study date with Miroku and so the couple was trying to arrange when and where they would meet up afterwards. The last thing Sesshoumaru wanted Inuyasha to know was that Kagome was alone in her room with a known womanizer at that very moment. The hanyou would not see things the way he did and the taiyoukai simply didn't want to hear it.

Curious about what his brother was texting, the hanyou leaned in close, hoping to see the screen. Sesshoumaru pulled his phone away, but not before Inuyasha noticed the distinct lack of claws on his right hand. "What the fuck happened to your claws?" the hanyou demanded. "Did you fucking cut them or something?"

Sesshoumaru shot him a wary look. There was no way he was explaining why he'd cut off his claws. No way in hell. Inuyasha immediately sensed that the taiyoukai was hiding something and after a moment of intense thought, something he didn't do very often, it struck him. The hanyou caught Sesshoumaru's hand and yanked it towards his nose, scenting his fingers. His eyes widened and he stared at his brother in shock.

"You finger banged the bitch last night, didn't you?" he exclaimed loudly, catching the attention of several people walking nearby.

The embarrassed look in Sesshoumaru's eyes was more than enough confirmation for him and the hanyou continued his diatribe. The taiyoukai couldn't figure out how the scent of her arousal could possibly remain after his shower, but a quick sniff confirmed it. Her sweet scent remained, as if it had soaked into his skin. If he hadn't just been caught because of it, he wouldn't have minded the reminder of their time together, but now it had opened him up to some seriously embarrassing comments from his brother, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Damn, you permanently ruined that pussy. The loser has soaked in deep. There's no getting it out. Don't get me wrong, I'd still fuck her, but I can't believe she really let you touch her! Or is she the girl all the nerds pass around? She have a thing for pathetic losers? She must since she's dating you."

Sesshoumaru's snarl caused Inuyasha's jaw to snap shut. He wasn't used to the whole watching his mouth around his brother thing and he kept forgetting that he needed to censor himself if he didn't want the taiyoukai's beast coming out for a visit, especially when it pertained to Kagome.

"What I do or do not do with my girlfriend is none of your business and it would do you well to remember that," Sesshoumaru said threateningly.

"Just tell me you ate her out," Inuyasha demanded, an idea forming in his mind. This was all happening because Kagome had given him the confidence to stand up to him. If he didn't have that confidence, things could go back to the way they were before, the way he liked it.

"Why do you even care?" Sesshoumaru asked in frustration.

"Because that's what inu do. It's what we're best at! It's why the girls all want to be with inu, because no one can lick pussy better than us. You didn't, did you?"

Sesshoumaru refused to respond and Inuyasha sighed. "You're a pathetic excuse for an inu. Did you at least taste her or do you really have no instincts at all? That bitch smells sweet and tangy. I wouldn't have been able to resist, but you... it didn't even come to mind, did it?"

The taiyoukai mentally sighed. He'd had every intention of tasting Kagome's sweet smelling arousal, of licking his fingers clean once he'd finished bringing her to climax, but she'd burst into tears and he'd forgotten all about it. He was not, however, explaining that to Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru's silence said it all and Inuyasha laughed. "I was right. You might as well be a fucking human. You let that bitch down big time. There's no way she wasn't expecting a mind blowing session of pussy licking, knowing that you're inu. She must have been so disappointed." The hanyou knew his brother had no sexual experience whatsoever and he knew he was hitting a sore spot. Sesshoumaru was definitely afraid to disappoint the miko. The taiyoukai tried to hide it, but his expression said it for him.

He had already been worried about letting her down in the bedroom because of his lack of experience and now his brother had confirmed it. Sure, he hated Inuyasha, but his words rang true in the taiyoukai's mind. Sesshoumaru's confidence began crumbling inside of him, dissolving into nothing, and the hanyou could see it in his eyes. He knew that without that confidence, his older brother wouldn't have the strength to stand up to him, let alone hurt him, and so the hanyou was satisfied with his success. Kagome might have built Sesshoumaru up, but Inuyasha tore him back down with just a few well chosen words.

"Now, I think you should take me shopping. I'm obviously going to need some souvenirs to take home with me. You're paying."

"You have your own money, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said meekly.

"Yeah, but I don't wanna waste my monthly allowance on this shit."

The taiyoukai fought down the desire to sigh. After all the new clothing he'd bought, he was already halfway through his money for the month and he wouldn't be getting more for several weeks. How was he supposed to take care of Kagome if Inuyasha spent all of his money? Still, he didn't want to make the hanyou angry and so he nodded.

"Where do you want to go?"