Higher Education by SunsetMiko

Chapter 31

Each prompt is labeled with the challenge it goes with.

Prompt: Ablution: the washing of the body or some part of it. (Obscure Word Challenge)

As soon as the security guard walked away, choosing to hover over the injured hanyou, Kagome caught Sesshoumaru's face in her hands.

"How do you feel?"

The taiyoukai took a moment to evaluate his feelings, taking in everything that had just happened. It all went by so fast. So much had changed in the blink of an eye. He'd actually hit his brother, had caused him some pretty severe looking injuries, and he felt damn proud of himself for doing so. It wouldn't take the bruises from Kagome's arms, but he made sure that his brother felt a hell of a lot worse.

Something else had happened in that short period of time as well, something he had never experienced before. He'd heard his beast speak in his mind, egging him on, telling him to hit the hanyou again and again. He'd never heard that voice in his head before, had never felt his presence, but now it remained in the back of his mind. He could feel his beast pacing back and forth. He wanted more, more hitting, more bloodshed, but Sesshoumaru had held himself back, had kept control of his beast like a pro even though it was his first time.

Adrenaline was still running through his veins and every time he looked in his brother's direction, the urge to hurt him further made itself known. His pulse pounded in his head and the feel of Kagome's small hands clutching his arm felt like a lifeline. She was holding him there. She was the reason he hadn't beaten his brother within an inch of his life. He'd controlled himself and his beast for her and it felt wonderful, knowing that he could do it.

"I feel incredible," he said with a smirk, catching Kagome's waist and lifting her off the ground, holding her body close to his just as he had in the pool. She looked down into his eyes as he looked up at her, their noses touching, and he spun in a circle, making her giggle happily. He pressed his lips to hers, kissing her with more heat and passion than she had ever experienced before and Kagome moaned softly. Finally, he set her back on her feet and she looked up at him in amazement.

"Maybe we shouldn't celebrate right in front of him," the miko said with a grin, seeing how Inuyasha was glaring in their direction. "Let's go upstairs." She carefully took hold of his right hand, his knuckles still covered with blood. "We'll have to get you washed up and see if you hurt yourself."

"Hurt myself?" he asked in confusion.

"You might have hurt your hand on his teeth. It looked like he lost a few. It happens, and if it gets infected it can get really nasty."

"Youkai do not get infections," he told her, a hint of arrogance in his tone, which made her smile.

"Okay, then how about I don't want Inuyasha's blood all over my room. Is that a good enough reason to clean you up?"

"I suppose," he conceded, wanting nothing more than for her to be happy. As the couple began walking up the stairs, he glanced to the side, taking in her beauty. It not for her, none of this would be happening. If not for her, he would still be a weakling, frightened of his own shadow, instead of a man that finally stood up to his lifelong bully. "I heard him," he said softly.

"What?" Kagome asked, not sure if she heard him correctly.

"I heard him, my beast, speaking in my mind. I can still feel him. He is actually there."

The miko smiled widely. "I think he was always there, maybe asleep for some reason, dormant, but always there."

"He has a great deal to say about you," he told her.

"Oh? Like what?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened. He should have known she would ask that question. He couldn't tell her the things his beast was whispering about her, the naughty suggestions, the things he could do to her. His beast had a filthy mind and the taiyoukai told him so, told him to stop speaking on the subject. Obeying its master, the beast changes lanes, switching to another topic regarding the miko: claiming.

Scent marking wasn't enough. Sesshoumaru needed to do more. He needed to make sure everyone knew that Kagome was his, that she was permanently off the market. He needed to ask permission to court her. He needed to give her a courting gift. Suddenly, inu traditions he'd had no clue about minutes before filled his mind, explaining some of his instincts while raising other questions.

Still, Sesshoumaru had to find an answer to her question, and he scrambled for one, finally settling on, "He likes you a great deal."

Kagome giggled. "I figured that out on the roof," she replied. Finally, they reached Kagome's floor and the miko led him to the girl's bathroom. She peeked inside, making sure it was empty, before leading him to the sinks. "This might hurt a bit," she told him. The last thing she wanted was to cause her knight in shining armor pain, but the blood had to be washed away and any wounds dealt with.

Sesshoumaru didn't even flinch as she pulled his knuckles under the running water. She collected some hand soap in one hand and began scrubbing the already drying blood away. She ran her fingertips over each knuckle, feeling where the skin was torn in places, and rinsed thoroughly to remove any remaining soap and blood. She looked it over appraisingly.

"It could definitely be worse," she said. "Does it hurt?"

"No," he replied. He studied the wounds for a moment, admiring his bruised and torn knuckles. "It will be healed within the hour. Shall we return to your room? I believe I was promised body shots."

Kagome laughed. "That's what's on your mind right now?" she asked.

"That is only the beginning."

Prompt: Yew (Sorrow) (The Language of Flowers Challenge)

Inuyasha groaned as he climbed into a taxi, demanding to be taken to the nearest motel. He snarled at the driver as he was told not to get blood on the seat. Turning to the side to look out the window, he pulled out his phone and called his father. It rang several times before the line was answered.

"You are not leaving until Sesshoumaru's transformation is complete. I do not care what you have to do or where you sleep."

"Gee, thanks, Pops," the hanyou muttered, his words slurred by his shattered jaw.

"Are you drunk?" his father demanded.

"No, your loser son broke my fucking face," he growled angrily. "I'm done. I'm getting a motel room for the night and tomorrow I'm coming home."

"He broke your face?" the old dog repeated. "What did you do? Didn't I tell you to watch your mouth?"

"What did I do? That's what you ask?"

"He would not have hit you if you did not do something to deserve it," his father said matter-of-factly.

"Fine, I was trying to find him and I saw Kagome instead. I wanted her to tell me where he was, but she wouldn't so I shook the bitch. He said I left bruises."

"You laid your hands on his woman? That was unwise."

"Apparent-fucking-ly," Inuyasha grumbled. "He did a number on my face. I can only see out of one eye, he busted my jaw, and messed up my nose."

InuTaisho smirked in his study. Finally, Sesshoumaru had stood up to Inuyasha. He was growing into himself, all thanks to a girl. He couldn't help but wonder if his son's beast had finally shown his face. "I will arrange for your flight," he told the hanyou.

"Thanks," Inuyasha mumbled, offended that his father wasn't concerned about his injuries. He glared at the phone, realizing that the old dog had already hung up. This night royally sucked. At least the motel would have an ice machine. He needed something to bring down the swelling.

Prompt:  Bibulous: of, pertaining to, marked by, or given to the consumption of alcoholic drink. (Obscure Worde Challenge)

"You changed your clothes," Sesshoumaru noticed.

"Yeah, after my shower."

"So you are no longer wearing what you were this morning?" He sounded almost as if he was pouting and the miko grinned.

"I know you wanted to take them off, but I wasn't putting dirty clothes back on. It's not so bad though. I'm wearing the same style, just a different color. That doesn't ruin your fantasy, does it?"

"I suppose not," he murmured, watching as she sliced the limes into wedges and produced a shot glass from one of her drawers. When she turned her attention to him, he looked her over, finding the new skirt and blouse just as attractive as what she'd had on that morning. Her underwear, well, the color didn't really matter so much as the way those panties clung to her ass, though he couldn't help but wonder what shade she'd chosen. "So, if I remember correctly," he started, taking the shot glass from her hand. "I lick salt from your skin and then pick up the shot glass from here," he said, slipping the tiny glass between her breasts, "and then bite into a lime wedge held in your mouth."

Kagome grinned. "Exactly! We can try it without the tequila at first if you want."

"After today, I could use a drink," he confessed. "Will you be drinking with me?" He didn't want to get drunk while she was completely sober. That didn't sound like any fun.

"I'll match you shot for shot," she replied. "All right. Here," the miko said while handing him a plastic salt shaker. She poured the shot, placed it carefully between her breasts, and grabbed a lime wedge.

"Where?" he asked, not sure where to place the salt.

"Wherever you want," she replied, her tone seductive.

The miko held completely still as Sesshoumaru sprinkled salt on her shoulder, right at the base of her neck. His tongue was hot as it slid across her skin and she bit her lip to keep silent. She watched with amusement as the taiyoukai tried to pick up the full shot glass with only his lips. His nose was buried in her cleavage and every time he lost his grip on the glass, tequila sloshed out to run down her abdomen. Finally, he did it and the miko quickly placed the lime in her mouth. He looked somewhat embarrassed when his eyes met hers and he bit into the lime as he'd been instructed.

"That wasn't too bad," Kagome said. "You did it."

"It took me several tries," he replied, his disappointment with himself obvious.

"Trust me, I know," the miko told him, lifting the bottom of her shirt. "My belly is covered in liquor." She was surprised when the taiyoukai dropped to his knees to lick her abdomen clean. She giggled as he hit a ticklish spot and he looked up at her in amusement. She was just happy to see the disappointment gone from his eyes. When he decided she was clean enough, he rose to his feet and watched as Kagome downed a shot of the tequila. "What do you think of it? It's kinda strong."

"The punch was far worse," he joked, watching as Kagome set him up for another body shot. This time he did better, succeeding after only two failed attempts. By the third time, he picked the shot glass up like a pro, confidence in his eyes as she cheered him on.

"You've got it! Now, my turn. Clothes off," she instructed.

"You are going to..."

"Do a body shot off you," she finished for him. She watched as he dropped his jeans to the floor and tugged his shirt over his head, warmth pooling in her lower abdomen at the sight of his well-defined body. If she hadn't already been turned on by his lips and tongue on her breasts, she sure as hell was now. "Lay on the bed."

Incredibly curious how this would work considering he didn't have cleavage to hold the glass, he did as she asked, lying flat on his back. The miko handed him a lime wedge, a wicked smirk on her face as she looked him over, salt shaker in hand. The expression on her face sent a shiver down his spine. She climbed onto the bed, kneeling by his side, and his body tensed as she yanked the waistband of his boxers down on one side. He felt her sprinkling salt on him and he nearly moaned aloud. She hadn't even touched him yet and he was turned on!

Kagome set a full shot glass on his muscled abdomen, balancing it carefully. "Be careful you don't make it spill," she instructed, smirking as he tried to control his breathing to keep the small glass from moving. Then she leaned down and dragged her tongue along his hot flesh in her favorite dip of definition on his right side, just above his hip. She licked him starting from the side of his body moving towards his hard cock and he had to hold his breath to keep from moaning and dumping the shot glass. Her tongue had been so close he could almost feel it where he wanted it the most.

Her wicked smirk remained as she turned and picked up the shot glass like an expert, tilting her head back to down the liquor. Then she threw one leg over his body, straddling his abdomen, and leaned down to claim the lime from his mouth.

Instantly his beast was demanding that he roll her beneath him, that he take the dominant position, but the taiyoukai ignored the new voice in his mind. She looked beautiful sitting over him and he adored the slight weight of her on his body. He didn't need to be dominant, not all the time. His beast would get over it.

He jumped in shock as Kagome reached behind her and wrapped her hand around his erection through his boxers. She laughed softly at the expression on his face before squeezing firmly. "So, you deserve a big reward for what you did tonight. What do you want?" Sesshoumaru's mind moved faster than it ever had before, evaluating his options.

The miko squealed as she quickly found herself on her back, with an eager taiyoukai gazing down at her. "I want my taste."