Higher Education by SunsetMiko

Chapter 3

All prompts are from Riku Ryuu's Random prompts unless otherwise noted.

Prompt: Treasure

'Wow,' Kagome thought to herself as she took in the sight of the taiyoukai in a t-shirt and jeans. He looked like an entirely different person, though there were a few alterations necessary. The miko smiled as she approached. "First thing," she said, trying to speak as gently as possible. "No one tucks in their t-shirt." As she spoke, she tugged the bottom of his shirt out of his jeans.

Sesshoumaru was slightly embarrassed as the miko adjusted his clothing. He was so socially inept that he couldn't even dress himself. His embarrassment, however, was quickly overshadowed by his arousal as Kagome knelt before him.

"And second, no folding up the bottoms of your jeans," she said while unfolding the cuffs at the bottom of each leg.

"But they are too long," he protested. "I will be walking on the hems."

Kagome nodded. "That's the point."

"But the bottoms will be ruined."

"Yup. That's the look these days. Do you not have any sneakers?" she asked, studying his dress shoes.

"No," he replied hesitantly. She sounded concerned. He hadn't even considered footwear when he'd gone out earlier to purchase his new outfit. He should have known his highly shined dress shoes would be inappropriate.

"Oh well," the miko said as she rose to her feet once more. "I doubt anyone will notice your shoes." She really didn't. It was as if she'd found a diamond in the rough. His t-shirt clung to his abdominal muscles deliciously and she doubted anyone's eyes would travel away from the sight, especially not to his feet.

Prompt: Echelon (Stella's Word Prompt Game) Words: 100

"Hey, Candy," Kagome said with a grin as she approached the front door of her sorority house. Candy was in charge of the door, checking entrants, making sure that the guy to girl ratio was upheld. "This is Sesshoumaru."

The female standing at the entrance with a clip board looked him up and down before raising her nose. "This is your choice?" she asked snidely.

Kagome huffed. "Yes, he's my choice. What? You can't tell me he's not cute."

Sesshoumaru's heart fluttered at Kagome's words. She thought he was cute? He'd had no idea, had  always assumed he was unattractive.

Prompt: Rose

His cheeks flushed a light pink at Kagome's words. Not only did she think he was cute, she was defending him to one of her sorority sisters!

"He's all right, I guess," Candy replied dismissively. "Whatever. Go ahead." She gestured for the couple to enter and Kagome grasped Sesshoumaru's hand, leading him inside.

"I'm sorry about her," she said over the sound of the music pumping through the house. "She's a snooty bitch."

Sesshoumaru merely nodded, unsure of what to say. He was still completely focused on the word 'cute'. His mind kept replaying her statement over and over again, coming up with all new ideas that had never seemed possible before. If she thought he was cute, did that mean a real relationship was a possibility? Did she truly find him attractive, or was it cute in a more innocent way? He ached to question her, looking for clarification, but he knew better than to do so. If he did, he might not like the answer he received.

"So, here's the bar," Kagome started as she began showing Sesshoumaru around the sorority house. "The bathroom is upstairs, first door on the right. The DJ is over there, in case you want to request a song."

Sesshoumaru snorted. As if he knew any of the songs that they would play at a party like this. He listened strictly to classical music. No, he wouldn't be requesting any songs.

Prompt: Ice Cream

"So, what do you want to do first? You want a drink?"

Sesshoumaru quickly nodded. Last night, the alcohol had served to loosen him up and he was even tenser tonight than he had been then. Tonight, she was surrounded by her sorority sisters, who would be watching and judging. He needed a drink or five, sooner rather than later.

"You have any preference?" she asked. "We actually have liquor and beer rather than just punch."

The taiyoukai gave her an appraising look for a moment. Could he tell her he'd never drunk anything but wine before the punch the night before? He had no idea what he would like and so he shrugged. "Surprise me."

When she returned a few minutes later, during which he tried his best to appear invisible against a wall out of the way of the other partiers, Sesshoumaru accepted the cup she held out to him and took a sip.

"What is it?" he asked.

Kagome smiled. "Vanilla ice cream flavored vodka mixed with orange soda. Not too terrible, huh?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "It is not bad," he agreed. "Much better than punch," he said with a small smirk.

The miko nearly gasped at the expression on his face. He looked amazing when he smirked, so sure of himself. If only he could show that kind of confidence all the time, then everyone would see in him what she did.

Prompt: Glitter

"Did you see who Kagome brought with her?" one sorority sister asked another as she applied more glittery lip gloss. "I have no idea who he is, but he looks like a dweeb, albeit a fit one. He's wearing dress shoes... to a party!"

"Oh," the other said knowingly. "So she's found her project for the year?"

"Project?"

"Yeah, every year she finds some pathetic little thing and tries to make them normal. Last year's attempt was a mousey little girl."

"Did she succeed then?"

"Not really. As soon as Kagome stopped leading her and bringing her out to parties, she pulled back in on herself. She just wasn't one of us, you know? She was never going to fit in without Kagome forcing it to happen. She went back to her old wardrobe and everything. She stopped trying, like she needed her to hold her hand forever. It nearly killed Kagome, failing so miserably. I thought for sure she'd given up, that she wouldn't pick a new pet for this year."

Prompt: Gregarious (Stella's Word Prompt Game) Words: 200

Sesshoumaru's shoulders fell as he overheard the conversation between two party girls. He'd suspected that he was just a project of Kagome's, but he'd hoped he was wrong, that she truly desired to be his friend. Now, though, he knew the truth. He apparently had her for a portion of the school year, but then he would be on his own. He knew he would do the same as last year's selection. No matter what changes she made in him, without Kagome there, he would see no point in going to parties and socializing. He would completely revert to his old self.

He knew he didn't belong with her. She was of an entirely different social circle. She was a sorority girl! He had literally zero chance of genuinely attracting her attention. Still, he would allow it to continue. He had to. She was the only friend he had and he was enjoying his time with her. He would savor every second, knowing he would never have another opportunity like this one. She was an angel, even more so for trying to help him out of the kindness of her heart, and he would follow her lead to the end.

Prompt: World

This revelation didn't change a thing. She'd pulled him out into a world he'd never experienced before and he would be eternally grateful for her efforts. He just had to make sure he didn't fall for her. That was going to be a tall order, as he already had begun to develop feelings for Kagome. How could he not when she was the only person to actually see him?

He couldn't figure out what she was getting out of this. Why would she go out of her way to pull a shy, isolated person out into the social world? Did it give her a sense of pride and accomplishment, that she'd helped some pathetic introvert? The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became. Did he want to be Kagome's pet project? At first he thought he could be all right with it, but as he continued to consider it from all sides, the less attractive it seemed.

Prompt: Sword

Sesshoumaru chugged what was left in his glass, which surprised Kagome. "Do you want more?" she asked. "Or are you ready to dance? You did pretty good last night. Was that really the first time you danced?"

"Am I the first nerd you have taken under your wing, Kagome?" he asked.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Am I merely your pet project for the semester?"

Kagome sighed heavily, his tone like a sword through her heart. "You overhear that?" she asked him. "Come on; let's find somewhere quieter to talk. I'll explain."

Needing to hear her explanation, Sesshoumaru followed Kagome up the stairs, past several closed doors. Finally she found an open one and led him inside.

"These girls, they don't understand me," the miko said with a sigh.

"Pity for you," he said snidely.

"Don't be like that. You were having fun with me, weren't you? Why does it matter what someone else said?"

"I am not a pet project to be groomed into something more socially acceptable." Even if he was an introvert with no social skills, he still had his pride, and he would rather remain as he was than be a part of an experiment.

"You're not a pet project. That's just how they see it. They can't fathom why I might want to be friends with someone who isn't popular. Last year, I tried to make friends with Sara. She was so quiet and shy and she really needed a friend. I didn't try to turn her into someone else, but she did start dressing more like me as time went on and she gained confidence.

"Her parents found out, though, that she was going to parties and they were really strict. They told her she couldn't anymore, and that she couldn't be friends with me either. I was devastated because she'd become a very close friend. There was nothing I could do about it, though. She chose to let her parents dictate her behavior and decide whom she could be friends with and I had to respect that. She was never a project. These shallow girls in my sorority, however, have their own version of what happened. They assume I'm like them, but I'm not."

Prompt: Llama

Sesshoumaru sat in silence for several long moments, soaking in her story. Could he believe her? "Why did you befriend this Sesshoumaru?" he asked her. Unable to look her in the eyes, afraid of what he would see, he stared at the poster of a llama hanging on the wall amidst many other posters in the room they were currently sitting in. At any other time, he would have questioned her on its meaning, but at the moment, they were having a far more important conversation.

"Because you looked like you could use one," she said softly.

"Is that all?" he demanded, unimpressed with her answer.

Kagome fought not to sigh once more. She wished she could tell him the whole truth, that she was instantly attracted to him, but she doubted he would believe her if she did.

"Because you intrigued me. You're not like everyone else. You had this sadness in your eyes, like you were searching for someone that you just couldn't find. I wanted to make that sadness go away, and it did last night. You had fun. You let loose. You relaxed. Do you regret it now, because of some gossiping girls that have no clue what they're talking about?"

Prompt: Wings

The taiyoukai considered her words, breathing in her scent and finding no deception there, only sadness. He instantly felt guilty for upsetting her, for questioning her. He should have known better. This angel, she took him under her wing, and he accused her of terrible things all because of gossiping vapid air-heads he happened to overhear.

"You are certain I am not merely a project?"

"Sesshoumaru, I danced with you, with your hands on me. Would I do that for just anyone?"

"I do not know," he replied honestly. Considering what he'd seen at the last party, it appeared that touching was the norm in their dancing style.

"The only person I've ever danced like that with was Hojo, my ex. I don't let strangers paw at me."

"I did not know I was pawing at you," he said with a blush.

Kagome laughed. "You weren't and you're not a stranger. You're my friend. You were just learning to dance. You've seen it, though. The groping gets a little out of hand sometimes. I don't like it, in general, but I did it with you."

"To teach me to dance."

"And because I wanted to. Now, are we okay? Because I really did want to dance tonight."

Sesshoumaru nodded, rising first and offering her his hand. She accepted it easily and allowed him to lead her back downstairs to where the music was loudest and the bodies moved like a swarm against one another. He could do this now, he knew it. He only hoped that she would allow him to touch her once more. He really needed the comfort of his hands on her body right now after all they'd just gone through. He'd nearly pushed her away over gossip, the only person to ever see him. She was right. He had been looking for someone and she'd been the one to find him instead. He never wanted to lose her.