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To Protect the Alpha Female	By : Sylean Category: InuYasha > General Views: 10682 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I do not make a profit from this story.

Chapter List
- 31
- 32
- 33
To Protect the Alpha Female
Summary: Kagome had no idea she had been claimed from the very beginning, nor the depth of the request she made of Inuyasha. How could a human ever grasp the intricacies of pack politics and the reason why Sesshomaru was so intent on obtaining Tessaiga? The off-limits girl knew not of her situation, but soon, she would.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
Chapter 32: To Die of Embarrassment
Bond By Grooming
There are no demons you will be more vulnerable before than your mate, therefore, it is necessary to establish a bond of mutual trust before the mating rite is completed. Many methods exist, but the most expedient method is by grooming. The specifics may be enacted in the traditional sense, or via the use of implements.
Begin as soon as possible so as to smooth the path for the remaining trials; a courtship that has successfully completed Bond by Grooming rarely falters. Bathe in Ritual under the first waning crescent after consent. Ensure not only that you can trust her, but also that she can trust you.
.
Kagome's mind was reeling, trying to recall exactly what this step entailed; "to bathe in ritual," she thought it was meant metaphorically, but here he was, shedding the pristine armor she had never seen him without. "Th-that means you're g-going to…"
"I will join you," he clarified, sliding intense eyes onto her reddened cheeks. "Do you refuse?"
Whereas she still had the right to refuse, nothing said she couldn't, the book implied that once they got to this point, it was rare to break it off. In a way, this was the point of no return; if she declined his expectations would be shot, his pride would be wounded.
Kagome drew in a shuddering breath before shaking her head; his nimble fingers resumed the task of unfastening elegant knots. She wasn't completely comfortable with this, but… she didn't want to hurt him either. At least, all they would be doing was bathing together; that wasn't too bad, right? They could stay on separate sides of the spring, and she would have an opportunity to talk to him, if she could find her tongue enough to do so. Yeah, this would be alright. She could do this without making too much of a fool of herself or giving too much away.
Glancing back up after her inner pep talk, Kagome realized he had already removed his adornments and was unfastening the ties to his hakama. With a surprised squeak, she darted her eyes away just as they began to slide off his hips. Worrying her lower lip with her teeth, whatever confidence she built up flew away like the butterflies in her stomach. How could she have forgotten that very crucial detail; bathing together meant he was going to me naked! He was hard enough for her to handle clothed; how was she possibly going to come out of this with her sanity intact?
Water splashed against the rocks behind her as she waited for him to settle into the spring. If she turned too soon she might get an eyeful of something she was so not ready for. The sloshing stopped, but before she could turn to see where he'd gone, a hand on her shoulder had her jumping out of her skin and diving beneath the waist-deep water.
Sesshomaru watched the bubbles emerge at the surface curiously. She was moving beneath the water, so she had not incapacitated herself. Did his touch really frighten her so much as to risk drowning? She should emerge before too long; humans could only suspend breath for a minute or two. He would wait.
'There goes the hope of not making a fool of yourself, Kagome!' the submerged girl ranted to herself. 'What was he thinking startling me like that anyways? He should know better.' Small hands held tight to the rocks, preventing the air in her lungs from pulling her upwards; if only she could stay down here where she didn't have to face him. 'I need to breathe…'
Breaching the surface with a gasping breath and eyes squeezed shut, Kagome tried to mentally prepare herself. With a quick reminder to look upwards and not down, she peeked open, but where had he gone? He would have had to been standing right behind her to touch her shoulder, but he was no longer there; that meant she needed to look around, and risk catching an explicit sight.
A sigh of relief escaped her mouth when she saw he was seated near the edge of the spring. Whereas he still made quite the spectacle, at least he was covered; one raised knee kept the scene semi-modest. It was only after determining that she was not going to see too much of him, that she noted what he was holding. "Umm, what are you doing?" she tilted her head; he made quite the sight sniffing at her soap bottles.
"This is the substance you use on your hair," he matched the scent.
"Uh, yeah," she nodded from low in the water.
Replacing the bottle back on the boulder where the others sat, he motioned to the remaining two, "What purpose do the others serve?"
"W-well, that one is conditioner, for making my hair soft," she pointed them out, "and that one is body wash."
"Hn," he acknowledged and selected the body wash. "Kagome," just her name being called was enough to make her jump, "come here."
"W-what?" she stammered. "Why?!" Not that she didn't know why, but his intentions could potentially be anywhere across the spectrum.
"Would you prefer to attend me first instead?" he supplied an alternative while simultaneously answering her question. Her nervousness was another peculiarity he had not accounted for; a demoness would be pressing his boundaries for personal space to get a look at what he had to offer, but the priestess could barely keep eye contact without turning red in the face.
Attend him?! How could she have missed that this was what grooming was; so much for staying on opposite sides of the spring. But at least if she was washing him, as opposed to him washing her, she would be in control of the situation. Besides, she secretly did want to run her fingers through his hair. She nodded shyly and started looking around. Now if only there was a place he could recline and she could still keep her body concealed in the water. "Umm, can you sit over here?" she pointed to what looked like the best option.
Peripheral vision was how she kept tabs on his location as she stared at the tree branches leaning over the water. He may have legendary self-control, but she didn't trust that she would keep her eyes off southern regions. If she accidentally looked lower-
The bottle of body wash appeared in her vision; he was handing it to her. Taking it in shaking hands, Kagome saw he had settled down where she had suggested. Her estimation on the water depth was correct. Keeping herself behind him, where he wouldn't see her body, she retrieved the loufah strapped to her wrist and focused on the task at hand; robotically going about the motions was easier than giving her mind the chance to wander. Is she could stay busy maybe her cheeks wouldn't burst into flames.
Moments passed, but the tension never subsided. The scent of apprehension left a sour taste in Sesshomaru's mouth. This was supposed to be about building trust, but she seemed constantly on edge and defensive. Without even turning around, for which she would most certainly dive beneath the water again, he already knew her cheeks must be bright red. It was not often she held her tongue so well, "So this is what it takes to render you speechless."
"Hey! It's not my fault; you're naked!" Kagome's frazzled mind forwent the frail detachment she was trying to cling to.
"As are you," he droned smoothly.
Kagome moved onto his hair, mumbling all the while, "Don't remind me…" It was long, but it didn't take forever to wash, much to Kagome's chagrin. She had a problem; he was too broad for her short arms. How was she going to reach his chest without A) him seeing her, B) her seeing too much of him, and C) pressing her chest into his back in order to reach? None of those options elicited any amount of comfort in this situation.
"You stopped," he noted with that same apathetic tone.
Not a single solution was coming to mind, "I'm, trying to, figure out, something..."
"You are avoiding contact, and my sight," he deduced easily.
"Yeah," she murmured lowly, before firming her voice the best she could, "you never said anything about having to rub up against you."
"Do you not want to?" he challenged.
"That's not the point!" Kagome's mouth ran away with her before her mind could catch up. Her hand slapped over her agape jaw as if she was trying to keep the words from getting out. It did not work. To be honest with herself, yeah, she kind of did. He was perfect; she hardly even noticed he was missing his left arm. The raw attraction she felt, it was hard to ignore and even harder to resist. That did not mean she had any intention to act on it! "This is just a bath."
"That it is," he agreed. "If it is made into more, that is your prerogative." He certainly wouldn't refuse if she wanted to hurry through their courtship, but it had not been his goal for this night. As it was looking now, it would not be the aim next time either.
'Okay, just a bath,' Kagome chanted in her mind, 'just a bath.' She resumed moving the sudsy loufah across his shoulders and gradually, moving onto his chest. Every time he would move though, no matter how minutely, she would pull back and practically have to start over.
There was only so much distrust that he would take from her. The constant defensiveness and futile attempts to hide grated on his nerves. She had no reason to be afraid, and he would show her why. When her hand slid across his sternum for the hundredth time, he snatched up her wrist and before she could even react, pulled her over his shoulder to splash resolutely in his lap. She struggled, kicking and panicking but the arm around her shoulders kept her in place. "Still yourself; thrashing about will do you no good," his voice remained as calm as if discussing the weather.
Kagome flailed; mind whirling on what Sesshomaru might be planning, "What are you doing? Let go!"
"No," he pulled tighter to keep her movements contained. "How else am I to groom you?"
"Groom me?" her befuddled mind derailed. "That's all you're…"
"Have you forgotten already?" he needled into her ear. "This is just a bath." Her mantra repeated back at her seemed to bring her pulse back to normal. Arms clenched firmly over her chest, she turned to look at him; to verify his words through the only feature she could read, his eyes. Golden orbs held her gaze…
He held her gaze! Not only this time, but also each time she had looked towards him, it was always her face that he was watching, never her body. Kagome was so used to men ogling her curves; in her time, and in the past. Miroku's hand was not the only thing that wandered, and even Inuyasha; yes, she saw him look when he would "save" her from a non-threat while she was bathing. She was simply under the impression that any male would peruse her body first chance he got. It never even occurred to her how far Sesshomaru's control could reach. He never once looked. She only ever hid her body from perverted intentions, but he had none. Not today at least. Her arm fell from her chest, partially as a test, but mostly because she trusted he would not look. His gaze did not waver from her eyes only. She truly was safe with him, not just from outside threats, but from himself as well. He would not take this any further tonight.
As calming as that thought was, it also became suddenly troubling. Did he not want to look? Was she not attractive enough for his tastes? And even being naked in his lap, skin on skin, she could feel, that he was not excited. She had even been writhing around moments ago in her attempts to get free. She wasn't so naive as to be unaware of what that could do to a guy; her friends in the modern era had been quite vocal about it. So, why wasn't he?
Kagome didn't have time to speculate long, since once she stopped trying to get away, Sesshomaru took the loufah from her clenched fist and began rubbing it over her arms. Her posture went ridged, even though she knew he wouldn't do anything. A lifetime of instincts couldn't be extinguished that fast.
Shifting uncomfortably, trying to ignore just where she was placed Kagome broached, "Do we have to do grooming like this?" There was just too much skin contact in certain places like this.
"No. We do not have to use this… bathing implement," he held it up for inspection. "I could use traditional methods instead."
That wasn't what she was meaning, but his response piqued her curiosity, "And the traditional methods would be…" The book had mentioned that, but it did not spell it out for her. It must have been considered common knowledge to him.
Sesshomaru raised one eyebrow at her question; wasn't it obvious? Taking hold of her wrist, he raised her arm up until her elbow was level with his chin. Kagome's breath caught in her throat as his tongue slipped out and met the tender skin of her inner arm. She couldn't tear her wide eyes away from the sight, not even when he continued clear to the tip of her fingers. His eyes slid shut as he slipped one into his mouth and let his fangs brush across her trembling digit.
No sooner had he released her arm did Kagome clutch her heated limb to her chest protectively. That, she should have known that's what grooming was; he was a dog demon. Even more frightening, it had felt amazing; she wasn't supposed to want more, but she did, "I t-think the loufah will work just fine."
"If you insist," he retrieved the item and Kagome forgot all about her earlier discomfort about placement; she had a whole knew issue to ponder.
Sitting at the edge of the spring, glancing back and forth between her towel hanging on a branch and Sesshomaru lounging on the opposite side, she contemplated just how she was going to get it and get covered without alerting him and giving him an eyeful of her backside. Perhaps she should just wait until he left, but he didn't seem to be in any hurry. In fact, he almost looked to be asleep. "Do you wish to return?" his voice startled her; nope, definitely not asleep.
"I'll overheat if I stay in the water too much longer," she explained. Of course, his presence wasn't helping her rising temperature either.
"Hn," he debated before rising to his full height. Kagome squeaked and hurriedly turned her head away, keeping her stare on anything else until he passed. Just because he had control of his sight, didn't mean she did too. What she did not expect was to be snapped from her avoidance by him holding her towel out for her.
"Oh, thank you," she mumbled and blushed furiously as he draped it across her shoulders. "Here, I have a second towel in my bag," Kagome crouched down beside the yellow pack, rifling through its densely packed contents while keeping her towel from slipping off. He had wrapped her, so the least she could do was find one for him too. He could probably just shake himself off, she had seen Inuyasha do that before, but she would be courteous. "Found it!" She yanked the buried item free, dragging something else with it.
A folded paper fluttered towards the heated spring, but lightning reflexes saved it from a watery grave. It was colorful, brighter than the inks Sesshomaru was familiar with. Curiosity brought him to unfold the parchment; doing so he caught the scent of the young fox kit, he must have painted this.
Kagome noticed that Sesshomaru's attention was elsewhere when she tried to hand him the towel, 'What is that?' Did some homework fall out of her overstuffed bag? She wouldn't be surprised.
"I believe this is yours," he intoned, handing the paper back to her.
"Thanks, I know I should be more organize- Ahh!" Kagome's eyes shot wide. 'No! No! Oh god no! Of all the things to fall out of my bag, why did it have to be this picture that Shippo drew of Sesshomaru kissing me?!' panic surged and she tried to hide her face with her hand. 'Why didn't I get rid of it already; how could I have forgotten to burn it?' She peeked timidly through splayed fingers that did little to hide the color taking over her face. 'Ah, and now he's looking at me like I've gone crazy. He probably thinks I want that, well, actually that doesn't sound too bad, but seriously, this isn't how I wanted things to start. How embarrassing!' "It's, uhh, Shippo drew it," Kagome tried to explain why she had something like this, "and, umm, he guilt tripped me into keeping it." She glanced up when he hadn't said anything and subconsciously looked at his lips before turning away. Great, now she couldn't stop thinking about that. "Really, that's the only reason I have it." Like he would buy that, even if it were the truth; it sounded ridiculous even in her own mind.
"You needn't worry about the action portrayed; it will not occur," Sesshomaru reassured her.
'Right; today is just a bath,' something about his perpetual calm at least kept her from having an embarrassment-induced heart attack. "Oh, umm, okay," she still couldn't look at him without turning cherry red though.
Kagome was so ready to get back to camp, until two seconds in left her bombarded with questions from her companions, "Kagome, you were with Sesshomaru? What exactly happened?"
"Nobody ask me that!" she erupted before her filter could stop her. Last thing she wanted was to recall just how mortified she felt moments ago.
Sango gasped loudly, taking her outburst for something completely different. She couldn't help but ask, "Kagome, did you?"
"No!" so much for putting it behind her, not with the way they vied for information.
Inuyasha was flabbergasted that they stayed out that long. He was sure Kagome would have sent his brother packing if he interrupted her bath, 'Did she not get angry at him? How the hell did he manage that?'
The reception waiting for Sesshomaru was not much different; except instead of several companions questioning him, it was only one. Jaken squawked as if he was surprised his lord had returned, "Oh thank goodness! Where have you been, Lord Sesshomaru?"
"No where," he responded casually, in too good a mood to care about his vassal's interrogation. All in all, it had been a very pleasing day.
"Well you must have been somewhere," Jaken complained. "Don't be so vague."
Striding past Ah-Un, where Rin rested, a familiar scent caught the girl's attention. It almost smelled like… Hopping down she offered, "I think I know where you were Milord."
"You do?" he inquired.
"Uh-huh," she nodded then looked around. "Ah!" she dashed over and plucked a single flower, quickly weaving it into a tiny floral ring. Kagome had been the one to teach her that; Sesshomaru would understand her cryptic meaning.
"I'm impressed, Rin," he acknowledged, looking at the flower ring like it was the most impressive thing ever. Rin's smile grew. Not only had she just been praised, but he had been with Kagome; maybe she would have a mother before long. "Your powers of deduction are impressive, surpassing even that of most demons." His approval left Jaken appalled and left out, wanting to know what their vagaries meant. "You will keep my secret, won't you?"
Not that he needed to ask, she had already been careful of how she told him her presumption, "Of course, Milord."
"Let's go."
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To Protect the Alpha Female