#seshoumaru

It had been the monk that had found her, ragged and disoriented on the outskirts of a village not far from where she’d died. He’d been called to vanquish a furious spirit threatening the local merchants and their routes, and instead he’d found Kagura―who hadn’t been happy to see him. 

They’d fought, mostly with words because even a weakened Kagura was far too powerful for him, until she’d finally given up, too tired and confused to continue, and he’d convinced her to come with him.  

So she’d gone, and had been living in the human village ever since.

Well, “living” was one way to put it. Really all she’d done was wander, dazed, while that little band of humans and hanyou poked and prodded at her, asking questions she didn’t have answers for and eyeing her suspiciously while she tried to find her footing. Inuyasha gave her long sniffs, as if trying to smell any hint of a lie, Sango trusted her but only so far as her presence didn’t jeopardize the monk, Kagome was glad she lived, and Kohaku had the guilt lifted from his shoulders…

And Kagura tolerated all of this, if only because it helped her come back to herself. Irritation certainly had been a cornerstone of her personality before she’d died, so the constant barrage of noses sticking themselves into her business was enough to have her snapping and threatening to roll heads. Just like the good old days.

But then― 

There was Sesshoumaru. 

And maybe he had the greatest influence over her recovery―his presence certainly brought those old feelings of rage and yearning, that burning desire for freedom―his presence seemed to have the greatest impact on her, and yet his visits weren’t often nor were they heartfelt or touching. The first time he’d come strolling in through the village she’d thought that her heart might tear itself free from her ribs from the shock. Rin had been the one to explain everything to him, and he’d looked Kagura over as impassively as if she was just another human, and then he’d gone on his way. 

Hurt hadn’t been the right word to describe the feeling. Insulted suited it better, but he hadn’t done any different the other handful of times he’d come through. He’d barely thrown more than ten words in her direction whenever she’d snapped a few hellos at him, several veiled insults, a backhanded threat, but all he’d done was look her over with that chilly stare of his, leaving her with a shiver running down her spine and a twist in her belly.

And sure, she could wave off his behavior with thinking that maybe she’d remembered things wrong, that that soft look in his eyes in her last moments had been nothing more than her own delirium… and she’d settled for that, until Kagome had convinced her to attend the village’s little summer festival. 

She’d reluctantly agreed, if only because she had nothing better to do―freedom meant she was often bored―and maybe she’d drank too much, because she’d been the first to open her mouth when Sesshoumaru had deigned to show himself, her insults a little louder, her threats a little more pointed, until even Inuyasha had stopped laughing and started looking worried. But he’d just stared at her without a word, golden eyes warm like molten honey in the light of the bonfire―had they gone red? She couldn’t tell―  

Still, none of that explained why Sesshoumaru’s lips were on her throat.

Maybe she’d started feeling uneasy, maybe she’d just gotten tired of all of it―of them―and had wandered off, not realizing that she’d been followed until it was too late― 

“Sesshoumaru…” The sound of her voice was embarrassing.

He hummed something in response, but it could have been a growl, she wouldn’t have recognized the difference if she cared to decipher it. Kagura leaned back into the bark of the tree he’d pressed her up against, feeling truly alive for the first time in months, with his hands roving over her, leaving scalding hot trails over her still clothed skin.

“I didn’t know I could piss you off this badly.” 

Her voice was still a little breathy, but she still felt compelled to keep pushing him where she could, especially when his presence was nearly overwhelming―the prick of his fangs against her pulse and the weight of him as he pressed deeper into her.

“Don’t tell me,” she breathed, “that you’ve been bottling it up all this time?”

There was a pause, he pulled back―and she regretted her words before they’d fully left her lips, she wanted to pull him back, to feel his heat―but he looked down at her, golden eyes almost black for the size of his pupils. His hand moved from her hip so that he could cup her jaw, the tips of his claws tickling her neck as he lifted her chin to look up at him.

“Do you want me to stop?” His voice was rough, low and raw. 

A shiver ran through her. She shook her head.

“That’s not what I―” His lips were on hers before she could finish. His tongue delved into her mouth while one hand held her jaw and the other worked at her belt―she canted her hips towards him without thinking, her legs widened on their own accord and let him in to the cradle of her thighs, his claws tickled when he reach down to lift her―She felt the press of him against her thigh and wondered when he’d pushed his armor to the side. 

Maybe the alcohol had affected her more than she’d thought, she felt dizzy, too warm, but she couldn’t recall a reason why that would be a bad thing. That anger that had fueled her earlier had cooled, simmered down to something much headier, and with his mouth and hands on her she couldn’t remember much besides the feel of him, fangs and claws and warmth overwhelming her. She leaned into it, trailed her hands through his hair, across his chest, every inch of skin she could reach… and maybe she would have been embarrassed at the noises coming from her lips, but in the moment she didn’t much care. 

She just wanted him closer. 

Behind him, off through the trees, she could still see the flickering light of the bonfire glowing red hot, casting its warm light through the forest, it reflected off his hair, cut through the gold of his eyes… and Kagura, seeing all of this, smiled, and let herself enjoy it.

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