Higher Education by SunsetMiko

Chapter 8

All prompts in this chapter indicate which challenge they are from.

Prompt: Amethyst (Stella's Shiny Challenge)

Sesshoumaru made his way to the library, hoping to get one of the more secluded study tables. He might have to text Kagome his location, but it would be worth it to be mostly alone with her. Once he claimed a spot, he tossed his bag onto the table and headed out to find more books for his research paper. He wanted to get as much done as possible before she arrived because she was such a distraction for him. If he didn't figure things out with the miko, his grades were going to start suffering and he couldn't allow that to happen.

Despite his best intentions, however, the taiyoukai spent the entire two hours thinking about that kiss. He couldn't forget how soft her lips had been, how warm against his skin. His stomach felt as if hundreds of butterflies were beating their wings inside, trying to take flight. It still did. Just the thought sent his stomach swirling. He needed her to do it again, or even better, allow him to kiss those soft, pink lips of hers.

If only he knew how to approach it. He had no idea how to kiss her. Did he just lean in and do it? Did he ask for permission first? Did he bury his fingers in her silky black hair and draw her face to his? In his wildest fantasies, that's how he kissed her, dominating and powerful. That's how he imagined he would make love to her as well, even though he knew he could never really do so. He didn't have the confidence to behave that way. Only alpha males behaved in such a fashion and he was definitely no alpha.

Prompt: Candle (Riku Ryuu's Random Prompts)

He feared that one of these days, Kagome would find someone else to pay attention to, someone else who would catch her eye and steal her away from him. She deserved a confident male, one who knew what he was doing, and that definitely did not describe the taiyoukai.

Sesshoumaru checked the time on his phone and mentally cursed. He'd wasted all his study time thinking about Kagome again. She was definitely terrible for his academics. He needed to learn how to focus on his work once more instead of thinking about a girl, even if she was the one. He wouldn't do her any good if he failed all his classes and was unable to graduate on time.

She should be arriving soon. She would be looking for him. He made sure his phone was set to vibrate and set it on the table before him, just waiting for her to text and ask for his location. Time ticked by and he tried to read one of the many books he'd gathered, failing miserably as he read the same sentence for the fifth time, still not comprehending what it said. The two hour mark came and went and Sesshoumaru began to get nervous. Wasn't she coming? She'd said she needed to go back to the dorm to change, but surely she should be finished by now.

He was just about to text, even though he didn't think it was the best idea as he didn't want to seem clingy, when he felt her enter the library. Her large, bright aura was so unique he felt her instantly. No one else's aura could hold a candle to hers. Focused entirely feeling her, he closed his eyes, following her path through the library he knew like the back of his hand. She checked the tables in the middle of the large room first before moving in his direction. The closer she got, the stronger her aura pulsed against his, until she was right beside him.

"I should have known," she said softly, watching as Sesshoumaru twitched and his eyes popped open. He'd been so focused on her aura that her voice had startled him.

"Should have known what?" he asked.

"That you would choose a remote location. You were back here hiding when I first met you."

"I was not hiding."

Kagome's eyebrows rose and Sesshoumaru sighed, knowing that she was right. He had been hiding, trying to make himself invisible. It was safer that way. He'd been bullied only a few times since he'd started at the university, nothing like it had been in middle and high school. It was a learned habit, though, to hide from possibly bullies. That's why he spent so much time in the library. The type of males that tormented him were definitely not the reading type or the studious type. They were just brutes.

"Perhaps I was hiding," he conceded. "You found me without too much trouble."

"Found you on the second guess. At first I thought you would be in the middle at the main tables so I could find you, but you weren't there, so you had to be back here. Getting much work done?"

Prompt: Lollipop (Riku Ryuu's Random Prompts)

Sesshoumaru held back a sigh and lied. "I have been productive." He had so much work to do and dwindling time to actually do it. He needed to find a way to focus!

The taiyoukai watched as she opened the smaller pocket of her backpack and pulled out a lollipop, unwrapping it and popping it into her mouth. At that moment, Sesshoumaru knew that it was a lost cause. He would be completely unable to focus on his school work, not so long as she had that lollipop in her mouth. His eyes were locked on her as she licked at it before sucking it between her lips and back into her mouth again.

Kagome pulled the red candy out of her mouth with a pop and smiled. "I'm gonna go find some books for my paper. I'll be back in a few."

Sesshoumaru let out a whoosh of breath once she was gone. He'd never seen something so erotic as the miko licking and sucking on a lollipop. It was something so simple, so completely innocent and childlike, and yet it had him aching in an instant. He was obviously a deviant to be aroused by such a thing. This woman would be his downfall. He was sure of it.

Kagome returned a few minutes later and, by then, the taiyoukai had regained some of his control over himself. He managed to contain the urge to pounce her, pull that lollipop out of her mouth, and kiss her senseless to see what flavor it was. He had not yet, however, figured out how to focus on his studies.

The miko plunked a pile of books on the table and Sesshoumaru skimmed the titles. "What, exactly, are you working on?"

Kagome had to fight not to blush. "It's a psychology paper on, well, sex."

Unable to resist asking the question, Sesshoumaru spoke. "Did you choose the topic?"

"No!" the miko exclaimed before covering her mouth as she realized that she had just yelled in the library. "The teacher randomly assigned the topics and just my luck; I get the most embarrassing one. Not only do I have to write a paper, I have to do a presentation with a slideshow and everything!"

Sesshoumaru couldn't restrain his smirk as her cheeks flushed pink. She looked so beautiful like that, rosy cheeked.

"Are you learning anything?" he asked her.

"More than I ever wanted to know about fetishes and sexual quirks. Did you know there are people that get turned on by watching a woman sitting on food? Crushing perfectly good cakes?" Sesshoumaru's eyes met with Kagome's and she broke down into nearly silent giggles. "I would never waste cake like that."

Prompt: Coriander (Stella's Spicy Challenge)

"I shall remember that," he replied. Perhaps the next time he surprised her with coffee, a cupcake should accompany it. Of course a cupcake isn't exactly breakfast food, so maybe a muffin. He could get her a smoothie and a cupcake though! Maybe she would like to join him at the campus cafe once they finished at the library. He didn't know how to ask her, though. A trip to the cafe sounded like a real date to him, albeit a lame one and he had no idea how to invite a woman on a date, his first date at that.

Eventually he decided against it. If he was going to take her on a real date, he could do much better than that. He would make sure it was the best date she'd ever gone on, a date worthy of such a wonderful woman. He would impress her so that she would know that he was the male she desired, that he could and would take excellent care of her. His mind floated off, thinking of all the possibilities, the best restaurants and the like, but he was called back to reality by her voice.

"And you wouldn't believe the stuff people believe is an aphrodisiac. Some of them are just disgusting!"

"I can imagine," he agreed. "What, exactly, about sex are you writing about?" It was hard for him to say the word 'sex' in front of her, knowing how badly he wanted to be intimate with her, but he managed to get it out, though his voice sounded a little strained.

Prompt: Thyme (Stella's Spicy Challenge)

"I wasn't sure at first. I mean, there are so many possible topics that would fall under sex, you know? I did some reading, some searches online, and I decided that the fetishes were the most interesting. There's so many and they're all so unique. Some are just utterly confusing. The whole thing intrigues me."

Sesshoumaru raised a brow at the miko. She was intrigued by fetishes? Perhaps she wasn't as innocent as she seemed. Of course, he'd never researched the topic before. Her example did leave him with additional questions. What was it about crushing food? Why sitting on it? What else did they crush besides baked goods? The taiyoukai realized that Kagome was right. It was intriguing.

"What will you do for your slideshow?" he asked. Surely it couldn't be too graphic.

A wicked smirk spread across Kagome's face. "I'm going to have a field day with it. Teach that professor a thing or two about assigning embarrassing topics."

"Presenting it in front of the class will take a great deal of courage."

"I know. I'm going to be the color of a tomato the entire time!"

"Then why choose such a... colorful topic?"

"I'm not one to back down from a challenge," she said with a smirk. "Now, don't you have some work to do?"

Prompt: Nutmeg (Stella's Spicy Challenge)

Sesshoumaru nodded and turned back to his own books, doing his best to focus, ignoring the fact that she still had that damn lollipop in her mouth and the knowledge that she was reading about sex right beside him. It didn't help that she kept making little noises as she found interesting facts. He turned and watched as she scribbled down notes, admiring her flowery handwriting before forcing his attention back to his own text. He mentally chastised himself for being so easily distracted. He'd never been this way before! Only Kagome could distract him so effectively.

Finally he managed to get into the book he was reading and began taking notes of his own. Time passed quickly as he studied; the feel of her aura beside him and his scent surrounding him lulling him into a comfortable, calm state. The sound of a book closing hard caught his attention and he turned to look at the miko beside him.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

"I'm done," she declared. "Giving myself a headache."

Sesshoumaru looked over her large pile of notes before glancing back at his own. He'd actually gotten a great deal of work done once he managed to get focused, more so than he would have if he'd been alone. It was something about her scent. It made him more productive and he wondered if she would like to do this again. Perhaps they could meet in one of their rooms to study together again. How he wished they shared classes so that he would have a better reason to study with her. He didn't think he could explain that he did better in her presence than without her, once she stopped distracting him that was.

He closed the book in front of him and began gathering his things as Kagome did the same. "You don't have to leave," she said. "I just can't read anymore right now."

"I have gotten a great deal of work done," he said. "Are you hungry? It is lunchtime."

Kagome smiled. "I could eat."

Suddenly he forgot all about his fears regarding asking her on a date, as the words flowed easily from his lips. "I am tired of cafeteria food. Would you, perhaps, like to join me elsewhere? My treat, of course. I know of a small deli nearby that has amazing sandwiches."

"Are you asking me out?" she asked teasingly, laughing as Sesshoumaru sputtered, unable to formulate an answer. "Yes, I'd love to join you."