A Swooning Knight, a Dashing Princess by aimee_blue [oneshot#74]
Title: A Swooning Knight, a Dashing Princess
Author: aimee_blue
Prompt: First Time
Words: 1,809
Genre: Romance,Mystery, Drama
Rating: T
A/N: A future chapter of In From the Cold, however, it is not necessary to read that first.
Summary: AU. With Sesshoumaru seemingly suffering from a sudden illness, Kagome really isn't up to coping with another disaster. When the wolves are - quite literally - at her door, she soon discovers that all is not as it seems.
It was the first time she had seen a real wolf that wasn’t on the television. And though they were magnificent creatures, she would have preferred that to meet them when they weren’t growling and snapping and snarling at her. Glancing at her broken door and then at the wolves that had broken into her apartment, she wondered if she’d entered the twilight zone. Since when were there wolves in Tokyo?
In one moment, she was staring at the muzzles of the wolves and in the next; Sesshoumaru had spun her behind him defensively. She gripped the back of his kosode worriedly as she peered out from behind him. Though she was reassured by his prompt reaction and need to keep her safe, she was worried about him. The male had been acting rather woozy just before the wolves had burst in. She doubted he was feeling any better now.
Really, she didn’t want him doing much of anything except resting. No matter if he wasn’t human, he wasn’t in a fit state to take on two snarling wolves.
The two wolves advanced, their muzzles still pulled back in fearsome snarls as they prepared to attack. Kagome clung to Sesshoumaru’s kosode, at a loss as to what they should do. Would the wolves pounce if they tried to run? Even if they didn’t move, the wolves already seemed pretty rabid.
“Kagome-san.”
Kagome’s eyes grew large and round as her neighbour walked across the incapacitated door and into the apartment. She quickly threw herself out from behind Sesshoumaru, concerned for her neighbour’s safety.
“Kouga-san, you mustn’t!” she squeaked, shooing him away as she kept one wary eye on the snapping wolves.
Calmly, the dark haired male stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, pulling her so that their torsos kissed before he tucked her into his side. To Kagome’s complete astonishment, the two wolves paid them no heed; instead they focused their baleful gazes on Sesshoumaru. Kagome struggled in her neighbour’s hold as Sesshoumaru’s eyelids drooped to half mast, he was decidedly peaky-looking and she attempted to return to his side.
But Kouga’s arm around her midriff proved to be as effective as a steel band. She was unable to go back to the ethereal male. Instead she was thrashing rather ineffectually like a landed fish.
“Let me go!” she demanded as she wriggled furiously in Kouga’s grip. She whimpered when the two wolves advanced on Sesshoumaru again, terrified for the male.
“Return Kagome to me,” Sesshoumaru ordered, voice unyielding if a little rough.
Kouga boldly ignored the silver-haired male. “Keep him off of us,” Kouga appeared to be giving the two wolves orders and they appeared to be listening. Kagome squawked in outrage as Kouga picked her up and attempted to carry her from the apartment.
“No, stop! What are you doing to Sesshoumaru?” she demanded, beating her fists on Kouga’s arms furiously.
Sesshoumaru watched them, his fury bubbling even as he could feel his strength leaving him. What right did this male have to lay his hands on Kagome?
“He’s not who you think he is, Kagome-san,” Kouga murmured placating words into her ear as he attempted to contain the little hell-cat of a woman. “He’s not human.”
Kagome got in a good kidney shot with her elbow. He grunted but refused to let up his grip. “I know!” she ranted, “So just let me go, let me go!”
“Hey! Hey!” Kouga grumbled as he clung onto the squirming woman who was hell-bent on escaping his grasp. For a damsel in distress, she wasn’t taking being rescued very well.
“What are you?” Sesshoumaru asked, his breathing become laboured.
Kouga pulled his lips back off his teeth in a snarl. “I should be asking you the same question.”
Magenta eyelids fluttered, knees knocked, the world tilted on its axis. Sesshoumaru crumpled to the floor, his head making a loud crack as it came into contact with the wooden floorboards.
“Sesshoumaru!” Kagome yelled, panicked when the male who had seemed so formidable just yesterday didn’t respond to her pleading. This time, when she swatted at Kouga, a small measure of her miko ki leaked into her palms in answer to her distress and the male dropped her as if she had become molten hot.
Disregarding the two confused looking wolves, Kagome raced back across the floor and dropped to Sesshoumaru’s side, cradling his head in her lap. She stroked her fingertips over the magenta stripes on his cheeks and traced the crescent moon on his forehead with her littlest finger.
“Kagome-san?” Kouga was rubbing his arm which felt oddly like she had singed it with a mere touch. “What was that?”
Baleful eyes flicked up to Kouga and she pulled her lips off her teeth in a very human snarl. “You! You burst into my home with two wolves! You bust down my door! You try to kidnap me! And now, because of you Sesshoumaru might have a concussion!” she spit each accusation at him, hurling her words as if they were grenades.
Kouga winced at the level of noise that the small woman was capable of emitting. The two wolves looked repentant, pressing their ears to their skulls and lowering their muzzles regretfully.
“We felt the youki, it was stronger than anything we’ve ever felt,” Kouga explained calmly, “we thought you were in danger.”
“Youki?” Kagome asked in incomprehension as she stared down at Sesshoumaru’s pallid face with concern in her blue eyes. She wondered if that was the strange thing that had run down her spine before the wolves had broken her door down.
“Yeah, it was pretty immense,” a new voice intoned. Kagome let out a strangled squeak as she turned to look at the new voice. Where there had just been a wolf, there was now a naked man, his name - if Kagome recalled correctly - was Ginta and she knew him as a friend of Kouga’s. He was a nice man, a primary school teacher, who’d once helped fix a shattered pane in her window.
The other wolf cracked its neck and, in a swirl of fur and skin and teeth, she was staring at Hakkaku. She knew him as a vet friend of Kouga’s, he made amazing cupcakes and he’d brought her some last Valentine’s day.
Kagome opened her mouth only to find no sounds would form between her lips. She closed her eyes, twisting her fingers in Sesshoumaru’s hair and drew a little composure from the man in her lap. “Do you guys turn into wolves?”
They all froze, turning wide eyes on her. “You mean you didn’t know?” Ginta was the first to phrase a tentative reply.
“I knew Sesshoumaru was other,” Kagome stressed, attempting to regulate her breathing, “but what are you guys?”
Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Kouga murmured, “Werewolves?” as if it was a question.
Kagome held a hand to her head as her mind reeled. This was too much to take in all at once; she felt as though she was going to go insane. Abruptly, she stopped trying to process the situation and clapped her hands together.
The wolves jumped.
“You,” she pointed at Kouga, using her best authoritative voice, “fix my door. Ginta-san, help me take Sesshoumaru to the bed. Hakkaku-san, you need to get me some aspirin and some good coffee.”
They all stared at her in wonder for a moment. She clicked her fingers impatiently. “Hop to it!”
0-0-0
They were giving her space, the wolves. Kouga seemed abashed at his brash actions and Ginta was openly apologetic about the entire scenario. Hakkaku had stayed with her at Sesshoumaru’s bedside, the closest thing they had to a medical professional, he was also the calmest of the three... wolves.
It seemed strange, even in her own mind, to call them wolves. Bad b-rated Hollywood horror movies had turned werewolves into sinister rabid creatures that preyed on innocent people, but these men were all remarkably normal. They had jobs and paid taxes and told jokes and... apparently screwed up just like anybody else.
“Do you have any idea what is wrong with him?” Kagome asked, she couldn’t seem to stop touching Sesshoumaru, as if afraid that if she let him out of her sight for too long he’d disappear. At the present moment she had a strand of his hair wrapped around her thumb as she sat at his side on the bed.
Hakkuku frowned, rubbing his temples. “I wish I could tell you, but we aren’t even sure what he is.”
“He’s not a werewolf, then?” she asked tentatively, eyes trained on Sesshoumaru’s angelic face.
Shaking his head solemnly, Hakkaku replied slowly, “It is said that our pack is descended from demons. Wolf demons that used to roam the earth hundreds of years ago. We possess only a fraction of the power that they once possessed before they became extinct, but it still grants us longevity and strength greater than any human’s.” Hakkaku paused, closing his eyes and inhaling wearily. “I’d say that what we felt from Sesshoumaru today, even in his weakened state, was a thousand times more powerful than any werewolf I’ve ever met.”
Kagome blinked slowly, absorbing the information. “So, following that logic, Sesshoumaru is one of those ancient demons. The forerunners of were-creatures.”
Hakkaku hummed an affirmative. “His power is staggering.”
A mug of tea was pressed into her hands and Kagome looked up at Kouga warily. The blue eyed male looked a little sheepish, but he held his head high. “You still sure you want to stay by his side?” he pressed softly, placing a comforting hand on her slight shoulder, “We could throw him out for you.”
Shrugging off Kouga’s hand, Kagome placed the untouched tea on her bedside table and crawled up the bed until she was sat against the headboard with Sesshoumaru’s head firmly in her lap once more. She met Kouga’s gaze with resolve flowing through her veins. “I may have more questions than I have answers,” Kagome began in a soft voice, “but I know that for reasons beyond my control, I trust Sesshoumaru. And I want to help him. He told me once that if I kicked him out he’d die. I don’t plan on allowing that to happen.”
Kouga considered her for a long moment and she didn’t drop her gaze or blink, her posture firm and unyielding. The werewolf smiled lopsidedly and ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I can’t say I agree, but I kind of expected you to say that. I’ve always admired your kindness, Kagome-san.”
Ginta laughed softly. “She’s as loyal as any wolf.”
Kagome smiled half-heartedly at the compliment as she pressed her face into Sesshoumaru’s hair. Was it really enough to be loyal when Sesshoumaru was like this?
Wake up, Sesshoumaru! I’m here, waiting for you.
Author: aimee_blue
Prompt: First Time
Words: 1,809
Genre: Romance,Mystery, Drama
Rating: T
A/N: A future chapter of In From the Cold, however, it is not necessary to read that first.
Summary: AU. With Sesshoumaru seemingly suffering from a sudden illness, Kagome really isn't up to coping with another disaster. When the wolves are - quite literally - at her door, she soon discovers that all is not as it seems.
It was the first time she had seen a real wolf that wasn’t on the television. And though they were magnificent creatures, she would have preferred that to meet them when they weren’t growling and snapping and snarling at her. Glancing at her broken door and then at the wolves that had broken into her apartment, she wondered if she’d entered the twilight zone. Since when were there wolves in Tokyo?
In one moment, she was staring at the muzzles of the wolves and in the next; Sesshoumaru had spun her behind him defensively. She gripped the back of his kosode worriedly as she peered out from behind him. Though she was reassured by his prompt reaction and need to keep her safe, she was worried about him. The male had been acting rather woozy just before the wolves had burst in. She doubted he was feeling any better now.
Really, she didn’t want him doing much of anything except resting. No matter if he wasn’t human, he wasn’t in a fit state to take on two snarling wolves.
The two wolves advanced, their muzzles still pulled back in fearsome snarls as they prepared to attack. Kagome clung to Sesshoumaru’s kosode, at a loss as to what they should do. Would the wolves pounce if they tried to run? Even if they didn’t move, the wolves already seemed pretty rabid.
“Kagome-san.”
Kagome’s eyes grew large and round as her neighbour walked across the incapacitated door and into the apartment. She quickly threw herself out from behind Sesshoumaru, concerned for her neighbour’s safety.
“Kouga-san, you mustn’t!” she squeaked, shooing him away as she kept one wary eye on the snapping wolves.
Calmly, the dark haired male stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, pulling her so that their torsos kissed before he tucked her into his side. To Kagome’s complete astonishment, the two wolves paid them no heed; instead they focused their baleful gazes on Sesshoumaru. Kagome struggled in her neighbour’s hold as Sesshoumaru’s eyelids drooped to half mast, he was decidedly peaky-looking and she attempted to return to his side.
But Kouga’s arm around her midriff proved to be as effective as a steel band. She was unable to go back to the ethereal male. Instead she was thrashing rather ineffectually like a landed fish.
“Let me go!” she demanded as she wriggled furiously in Kouga’s grip. She whimpered when the two wolves advanced on Sesshoumaru again, terrified for the male.
“Return Kagome to me,” Sesshoumaru ordered, voice unyielding if a little rough.
Kouga boldly ignored the silver-haired male. “Keep him off of us,” Kouga appeared to be giving the two wolves orders and they appeared to be listening. Kagome squawked in outrage as Kouga picked her up and attempted to carry her from the apartment.
“No, stop! What are you doing to Sesshoumaru?” she demanded, beating her fists on Kouga’s arms furiously.
Sesshoumaru watched them, his fury bubbling even as he could feel his strength leaving him. What right did this male have to lay his hands on Kagome?
“He’s not who you think he is, Kagome-san,” Kouga murmured placating words into her ear as he attempted to contain the little hell-cat of a woman. “He’s not human.”
Kagome got in a good kidney shot with her elbow. He grunted but refused to let up his grip. “I know!” she ranted, “So just let me go, let me go!”
“Hey! Hey!” Kouga grumbled as he clung onto the squirming woman who was hell-bent on escaping his grasp. For a damsel in distress, she wasn’t taking being rescued very well.
“What are you?” Sesshoumaru asked, his breathing become laboured.
Kouga pulled his lips back off his teeth in a snarl. “I should be asking you the same question.”
Magenta eyelids fluttered, knees knocked, the world tilted on its axis. Sesshoumaru crumpled to the floor, his head making a loud crack as it came into contact with the wooden floorboards.
“Sesshoumaru!” Kagome yelled, panicked when the male who had seemed so formidable just yesterday didn’t respond to her pleading. This time, when she swatted at Kouga, a small measure of her miko ki leaked into her palms in answer to her distress and the male dropped her as if she had become molten hot.
Disregarding the two confused looking wolves, Kagome raced back across the floor and dropped to Sesshoumaru’s side, cradling his head in her lap. She stroked her fingertips over the magenta stripes on his cheeks and traced the crescent moon on his forehead with her littlest finger.
“Kagome-san?” Kouga was rubbing his arm which felt oddly like she had singed it with a mere touch. “What was that?”
Baleful eyes flicked up to Kouga and she pulled her lips off her teeth in a very human snarl. “You! You burst into my home with two wolves! You bust down my door! You try to kidnap me! And now, because of you Sesshoumaru might have a concussion!” she spit each accusation at him, hurling her words as if they were grenades.
Kouga winced at the level of noise that the small woman was capable of emitting. The two wolves looked repentant, pressing their ears to their skulls and lowering their muzzles regretfully.
“We felt the youki, it was stronger than anything we’ve ever felt,” Kouga explained calmly, “we thought you were in danger.”
“Youki?” Kagome asked in incomprehension as she stared down at Sesshoumaru’s pallid face with concern in her blue eyes. She wondered if that was the strange thing that had run down her spine before the wolves had broken her door down.
“Yeah, it was pretty immense,” a new voice intoned. Kagome let out a strangled squeak as she turned to look at the new voice. Where there had just been a wolf, there was now a naked man, his name - if Kagome recalled correctly - was Ginta and she knew him as a friend of Kouga’s. He was a nice man, a primary school teacher, who’d once helped fix a shattered pane in her window.
The other wolf cracked its neck and, in a swirl of fur and skin and teeth, she was staring at Hakkaku. She knew him as a vet friend of Kouga’s, he made amazing cupcakes and he’d brought her some last Valentine’s day.
Kagome opened her mouth only to find no sounds would form between her lips. She closed her eyes, twisting her fingers in Sesshoumaru’s hair and drew a little composure from the man in her lap. “Do you guys turn into wolves?”
They all froze, turning wide eyes on her. “You mean you didn’t know?” Ginta was the first to phrase a tentative reply.
“I knew Sesshoumaru was other,” Kagome stressed, attempting to regulate her breathing, “but what are you guys?”
Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Kouga murmured, “Werewolves?” as if it was a question.
Kagome held a hand to her head as her mind reeled. This was too much to take in all at once; she felt as though she was going to go insane. Abruptly, she stopped trying to process the situation and clapped her hands together.
The wolves jumped.
“You,” she pointed at Kouga, using her best authoritative voice, “fix my door. Ginta-san, help me take Sesshoumaru to the bed. Hakkaku-san, you need to get me some aspirin and some good coffee.”
They all stared at her in wonder for a moment. She clicked her fingers impatiently. “Hop to it!”
0-0-0
They were giving her space, the wolves. Kouga seemed abashed at his brash actions and Ginta was openly apologetic about the entire scenario. Hakkaku had stayed with her at Sesshoumaru’s bedside, the closest thing they had to a medical professional, he was also the calmest of the three... wolves.
It seemed strange, even in her own mind, to call them wolves. Bad b-rated Hollywood horror movies had turned werewolves into sinister rabid creatures that preyed on innocent people, but these men were all remarkably normal. They had jobs and paid taxes and told jokes and... apparently screwed up just like anybody else.
“Do you have any idea what is wrong with him?” Kagome asked, she couldn’t seem to stop touching Sesshoumaru, as if afraid that if she let him out of her sight for too long he’d disappear. At the present moment she had a strand of his hair wrapped around her thumb as she sat at his side on the bed.
Hakkuku frowned, rubbing his temples. “I wish I could tell you, but we aren’t even sure what he is.”
“He’s not a werewolf, then?” she asked tentatively, eyes trained on Sesshoumaru’s angelic face.
Shaking his head solemnly, Hakkaku replied slowly, “It is said that our pack is descended from demons. Wolf demons that used to roam the earth hundreds of years ago. We possess only a fraction of the power that they once possessed before they became extinct, but it still grants us longevity and strength greater than any human’s.” Hakkaku paused, closing his eyes and inhaling wearily. “I’d say that what we felt from Sesshoumaru today, even in his weakened state, was a thousand times more powerful than any werewolf I’ve ever met.”
Kagome blinked slowly, absorbing the information. “So, following that logic, Sesshoumaru is one of those ancient demons. The forerunners of were-creatures.”
Hakkaku hummed an affirmative. “His power is staggering.”
A mug of tea was pressed into her hands and Kagome looked up at Kouga warily. The blue eyed male looked a little sheepish, but he held his head high. “You still sure you want to stay by his side?” he pressed softly, placing a comforting hand on her slight shoulder, “We could throw him out for you.”
Shrugging off Kouga’s hand, Kagome placed the untouched tea on her bedside table and crawled up the bed until she was sat against the headboard with Sesshoumaru’s head firmly in her lap once more. She met Kouga’s gaze with resolve flowing through her veins. “I may have more questions than I have answers,” Kagome began in a soft voice, “but I know that for reasons beyond my control, I trust Sesshoumaru. And I want to help him. He told me once that if I kicked him out he’d die. I don’t plan on allowing that to happen.”
Kouga considered her for a long moment and she didn’t drop her gaze or blink, her posture firm and unyielding. The werewolf smiled lopsidedly and ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I can’t say I agree, but I kind of expected you to say that. I’ve always admired your kindness, Kagome-san.”
Ginta laughed softly. “She’s as loyal as any wolf.”
Kagome smiled half-heartedly at the compliment as she pressed her face into Sesshoumaru’s hair. Was it really enough to be loyal when Sesshoumaru was like this?
Wake up, Sesshoumaru! I’m here, waiting for you.