Encounter with Dangerous GamesChapter 1
Kagome looked around. Was he lying to her again?
"I put in, what are they called?" Inuyasha asked.
"Chips," Kagome answered.
"I put in this many chips," Inuyasha answered, pushing forward all his winnings.
"All in, hum?" Kagome asked, raising an eyebrow. She did the same.
"Now, lay down your cards," Miroku instructed. Kagome went first. A full house! Inuyasha's face went pale.
"Your turn," Kagome said with a smirk.
"Uh, can I exchange cards?" Inuyasha asked nervously.
"Just put down the cards, Inuyasha," Shippo told him. Reluctantly, Inuyasha put down his cards. No matches! Kagome jumped up and yelled in victory. The rest sighed. She had beaten them all.
"Oh, ok. So you're good at this stupid poking game. So what?" Inuyasha snapped, kicking the cards.
"It's called poker, and really, I'm not," Kagome told them. Sango yawned and called it quits. Miroku, Shippo, Inuyasha and Kirara did the same. But Kagome stayed up to take a bath. She was too caught up in the game to take hers. Grabbing a towel and a bar of soap, she hummed as she made her way to the bank of a spring. She unknowingly took the cards with her. She could always beat her friends at any of the card games. It was just the way things went. Kagome stripped and sank into the hot water. She sighed and rested against a rock. Oh, that night was working out to be perfect.
"I spy with my little eye-" Rin sang. Jaken covered his ears. One more game of that, her was going to burst. "I spy something green!"
"Trees," Jaken mumbled.
"Nope."
"Grass."
"Nope."
"Jaken, it is you," Sesshomaru answered coldly.
"My lord, you are correct!" Rin exclaimed. "You are so good with the riddles."
Truth was, Sesshomaru was getting sick of the game as well. "Rin," he said coldly, "get yourself something to eat. Jaken, set up camp."
"My lord, where are you going?" Jaken asked as Sesshomaru continued walking away from them.
"Can't you hear the water, Master Jaken? Our lord is going to bathe!" Rin exclaimed.
"Oh," Jaken simply said. He sighed as he started the firewood as Rin collected berries from a nearby bush.
Sesshomaru inspected the area nearby. He smelt no one, but he still did not trust nature. But he needed a bath and quickly laid his clothes in a nicely neat pile next to him on the bank as he sank into the warm water. Even he needed peace and quiet. The way the water splashed against his hard rock body was just enough to relax him. Rin always made his nerves get all tied up, even though she was just a child. And annoying at times. She was just the most innocent child of all time.
"Gosh, I should have played strip poker with Inuyasha. Maybe that would have worked out better," a female voice said behind him. He was leaning against a rock. Was there a woman on the other side? Sesshomaru wasn't one to peep, but curiosity got to him. He lifted himself silently out of the water and looked over the rock. A woman was bathing next to the rock. It was the woman that usually travelled with his half-brother. What was she doing unprotected? Women usually bathed together for protection or had their love with them, didn't they? Where was the demon slayer or Inuyasha?
Kagome suddenly stopped. The eerie feeling just crept across her. Like someone was watching her. Someone she didn't exactly want to watch her. Not like Miroku, but like, well, a strange demon. Kagome took a chance and looked behind her and up. And there was Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's half-brother, looking down at her and her naked body.
"SIT!" Kagome exclaimed, but saw no waver in Sesshomaru's stance. But a loud thud could be heard, along with many curses at Kagome. She was scared now. She had nothing to defend herself with.
Slowly, she saw his lips move the slightest. "What is this strip poker?" He asked, his cold tone washing over her, almost freezing her blood. She was too scared to respond. "I will repeat myself only once. What is this strip poker?"
"A game," Kagome forced out with a squeak. A delicate eyebrow was raised. It was silent. Not even the water moved. Kagome was still too scared to cover herself. His eyes blinked slowly.
"How do you play?" Sesshomaru asked coldly again.
"Well, there are these cards. You have to-"
"Cards?" He asked coldly again.
"Pieces of... a scroll that is cut into rectangular shapes. On them are, well, shapes and numbers," Kagome tried to explain.
"A Scroll is not to be cut at any time," Sesshomaru stated coldly. "Why would someone cut a scroll up?"
"Well, look, it's like paper in small rectangles. It's playing cards. You can play tons of games with them. Strip poker is one," Kagome explained.
"Dress yourself and join me on the bank. We shall play. If you lose, you shall owe me for interrupting my bathing. If I shall lose, you may leave with your life and some dignity in tack," Sesshomaru told Kagome before sinking behind the rock. Kagome let out a deep breath. Well, she still had a chance to survive...
Sesshomaru smiled. Only recently had he learnt how to play, and she was wearing less than he was. Though, it confused him of her odd covering on her chest and between her legs. She shivered in the night, discarding two cards and taking two.
"Your turn," the woman stated. He looked at her. She didn't seem too scared anymore. The only thing he could sense was the desire to warm up. Fall was coming to an end, so it was no wonder she was freezing.
Taking three cards, he returned his gaze to the cards in his hands. Another royal flush. He smiled and the smell of fear came from the woman. He looked at her. Her face was pale in the moonlight and her eyes were wide.
"Reveal your cards," he demanded. She laid down her cards. She had absolutely no matches, but her highest card was an ace. His smile widened, causing the woman to gasp. He laid down his cards and a whimper was heard. He cast the woman a look. "Off," he demanded, waving two fingers in the air.
Kagome was petrified. Only 30 minutes ago had she taught him this game, and now she was revealing to him more than she had to Inuyasha! With a gulp, Kagome took her hands to her back and unclasped the bra. She let it fall to the ground and quickly threw it aside. She held her arms and looked at Sesshomaru. Gosh, it was a damn cold night to be doing strip poker!
"I'm getting cold," Kagome stated, looking around.
"Do you wish to gain an early death?" Sesshomaru asked coldly. Kagome shook her head franticly. "Then continue until all articles of clothing are off of one of us. I highly doubt that will be me."
Kagome took a deep breath. Oh, he did have a point...
Sesshomaru smirked as the woman handed out the cards. Picking up his five, he smiled again. Royal flush, AGAIN! But he did not have the feeling to kill this woman. She was being so brave. She actually was sitting down, facing him with as much dignity she had left, and playing an actual game with him. And they had not been interrupted, surprisingly.
"Any cards to discard?" The woman asked. Sesshomaru refused. The woman's eyes went wide and he heard a gulp. "Well, I take two."
She discarded two and picked up two. She looked over her cards, rearranged them and then looked up at Sesshomaru. He laid his cards down delicately and saw her eyes show worry. Also, a strong scent of worry was radiating off her. "Reveal your cards."
The woman placed her cards down. A straight. She lost. She looked up at him and blinked a few times as he put the cards back into the pile and placed them in front of her.
"Uh-"
"One last game. Whoever shall win, shall be on top," he told her. A cold wind blew by him. Even his abs rippled, but the woman shivered franticly. "If you wish, get a kimono or robe on. There will no longer be stripping involved. At least not in this way."
"On top?" The woman asked as she rearranged the cards fast. "What exactly do you mean?" He gave her a look from the corner of his eyes as he got his shirt on. "No, wait. Sesshomaru-"
"At this moment, I am only Lord Sesshomaru to you," he growled angrily. "You may call me Sesshomaru when we are done this game. I don't think you will exactly have the breath to yell out 'Lord Sesshomaru.' "
The smell of fear just flew with her scent. Was she scared of him, or what was to come? He did not care. The cold was irritating him and he just wished to get into a sheltered area and warm up.
"Distribute the cards, or I will kill you," he demanded. The woman did as he said and they both soon had five cards in their hands.
Kagome was freaked. Yes, she enjoyed that she was still alive, but what exactly was to come to her? Sesshomaru was now the one in control. On top? What the hell was that?
"Three," Sesshomaru stated coldly, snapping Kagome out of her trance, "and if you do not pay attention, I will kill you."
Kagome quickly gave him his cards and looked at hers for the first time. She removed one and exchanged it. Crap. Her highest card was a 6! She had 1,2,3,4,6. Almost a straight! She looked over at Sesshomaru as he arranged his cards. If only she could see his cards and read his mind...
He was going to lose. For once in his life, he would be the one obeying. A 7 was his highest. 1,2,3,4,7 were his numbers. He almost had a straight. He looked at the woman. She was looking at him with worry and fear. Why? She was going to be in control. What was she to be scared of?
"Together," Sesshomaru told her coldly. "On three."
"1"
"2"
"3"
The woman and him placed their cards down and a toothy smile crept across Sesshomaru's face. His fears were gone. He was now in control!
Kagome gulped and looked up at him. He won. He was going to be "on top." But, before they did anything, she wanted to know what that meant.
"Uh, so, um, what does 'on top' mean?" Kagome asked. Sesshomaru was silent, but pushed the cards and deck aside. Kagome wanted an answer and before Sesshomaru did anything rational. "Tell me, Sesshomaru!"
"If you continue to talk, I will cut your life span," Sesshomaru threatened in a very cold tone. "Now strip!"
"Strip!" Kagome squeaked. "Oh, you got me wrong, boy! If you think I will just sit here and strip for you, you got another thing coming!"
"You'll have something coming if you continue to yap!" Sesshomaru growled, crawling towards Kagome. "Now, either you do, or I tear it off. Choose! It's the only thing you have a decision on, but not for long."
Sesshomaru was getting angry with this woman. How dare she stall him! He was allowing her to continue to survive, and all she would do was yap!
"Wait! Please, what is going on?" The woman asked desperately. "I need to know. Please."
"Look," Sesshomaru growled angrily as he stood, "will you strip or must I have the unwanted pleasure of doing it?"
The woman crawled backwards away from him, asking him again what was going on. He had given up now. She was either to shut up or his was going to kill her right there.
"I am serious, woman. Strip, lay down, or die. CHOOSE!" He yelled. The woman's eyes went wide and he knew she finally got the information she so badly desired.
He was going to take her! He was going to take her! She just couldn't believe it! She crawled backwards again and saw a tint of red flash in his eyes. Oh, he was serious.
"Before anything happens," Kagome said quietly, hoping it would also quiet his temper, "I just, well, um, want some sort of, well, guarantee that you won't kill me after you use me."
"I shall kill you if I want to. You have neither say, nor knowledge if I will or not. If you wake up tomorrow, you get your answer. Now, will you choose?" He demanded. His tone didn't seem as sharp or angry, but the tint did not die.
The woman blinked a few times and looked around before backing up again. Sesshomaru had enough. He quickly grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. A small gasp was heard as she was brought up to his face. He glared coldly at her before throwing her to the ground. She whimpered as she hit the cold ground, but was still. And quiet, for once that night. Taking his chance, Sesshomaru quickly threw his shirts off and crawled over the woman. Placing his knees next to her hips, and kneeling just over her pelvis, he sat up and grabbed her shirt roughly. She regained her surroundings and what was going on and looked at Sesshomaru before hitting his hands away from her shirt. But he felt not a thing. He ripped the shirt open to see the odd covering. With a single claw, he slashed the small material between her breasts and it fell open. The woman continued to hit his hands, but tears fell as well as she begged him to stop. He did not, though, ripping the shirt entirely off her small figure. She cried, her strength dying from the tears so much that she could no long hit him. She laid back down and sobbed as Sesshomaru suddenly stopped.
"This could go as you want it if you had just chosen," he told her coldly as she looked up at him. "Will you do the rest, or shall you cry throughout this?"
She blinked a few times before sitting up slowly. Her odd garment fell, showing her chest, but she didn't care. The way she looked at him made him suspicious of what she was thinking, but he only wanted to finish this before dawn or being interrupted.
Kagome did not under why he was acting like this. By now, she could have been dead, or being raped or many other possibilities. But he was allowing her choices. He was allowing her another chance. Her mouth went dry, and she licked her lips and regained her thoughts.
"The, um, only thing left to take off is below what you are kneeling above," Kagome told Sesshomaru with a dry voice. He blinked once before standing and backing up. Kagome watched him, gulped and quickly threw off her skirt. But as she went for her underwear, a clawed hand stopped her. It wasn't painful, but just to stop her. She looked up at him as he lowered.
"That I shall do myself," he told her almost silently. Kagome almost didn't catch it. He kneeled just in front of her and paused for a second before moving closer to her. Kagome's reaction was to move backwards, but his hand caught her ankle and she fell on her back on the ground. She clenched her eyes, but when she opened them, golden eyes were inches from hers. Neither said a word, for neither knew what to say. "Relax and this shall not hurt... Much," he whispered before his eyes disappearing. Kagome lifted her head to see him and saw him hovering over her private area. She laid her head back down and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath just before he inspected her underwear, she did as she was told. And Kagome found out he did not lie.
-----
Kagome moaned. Oh, what the hell happened to her? Her head ached, she was warmer than she ever could remember, and a very private place felt a little too raw. She shook her head and felt something really soft was her pillow. She squinted as she lifted her head and rubbed the material. What was this soft? She never felt something so divine before.
"WHERE IS SHE! HER SCENT IS ALL OVER YOU AND YOUR CLOTHES!" A very angry voice could be heard yelling. Kagome sat up and the very soft material revealed her body. All of her body. She looked around before rubbing her eyes. Where was Inuyasha? Sango? Miroku? Shippo? What about even Kirara? And where in the world was her backpack? And why in hell was she in a cave, alone? With this extremely soft material as her bedding?
"I do not know the name of your wench, Inuyasha," a cold voice stated. Kagome recognized that instantly; Sesshomaru. Her eyes snapped open, realized she was naked and grabbed the soft material and covered herself. If he was nearby, she really didn't want him to have a sneak peak of her body. "I do not care where she is. She is not my concern. She is dead, and I do not associate with dead men."
"Not her, you bastard," the male hissed; Inuyasha. "Kagome."
"I told you, neither of your wenches I know the name of. If you give me a description, perhaps I could point you in the right direction. Or the wrong," Sesshomaru stated with a hint of enjoyment. A growl rattled Kagome's nerves.
"I swear that if you touched a single hair on Kagome's head, I will kill you," Inuyasha hissed. "I'll be back, you bastard."
There was a small change in the air as Inuyasha left. Kagome almost yelled out for him to return, but stopped when Sesshomaru entered the cave.
"So, you have awoken," Sesshomaru stated coldly. Kagome was speechless. Why was he so casually walking in? "How did you sleep?"
"What do you care?" Kagome screamed in an outcry.
It was silent except for a small drip of water farther in the cave. Sesshomaru could not understand why the woman was so angered or covering herself. She had quite willingly revealed herself to him. Why the sudden change?
"Why did Inuyasha leave? Where are my friends!" The woman demanded.
Sesshomaru only blinked. How was he to calm her down? And did she not remember the night before?
"Look, say something!" The woman demanded.
"Is your name Kanome?" Sesshomaru asked. The woman blinked her eyes in shock, before glaring at him.
"It's Kagome. Ka-go-me. Get it straight!" She yelled before adding, "and YES!"
"If you desired Inuyasha, why did you not scream for him to come in? And, tell me, does he care for you?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Why should I tell you?" Kagome demanded, gathering the soft material to cover her when she stood. She stood, her body covered as much as possible, glaring at Sesshomaru. "Now where are my clothes?"
"The odd garments I shredded?" Sesshomaru asked. "Buried."
"What in the world am I supposed to wear?" Kagome demanded.
"My cape looks all right for you," Sesshomaru stated. Her eyes went wide before quickly looking down at the soft material.
His cape? The fluffy thing over his shoulder all the time was a cape? It looked more like a boa or his tail. How was it a cape?
Sesshomaru moved towards her, but Kagome only backed up into a wall. She was cornered. If she was to run, any way, he would catch her.
"Don't move," he ordered, in front of her and grabbed the cape. He quickly flipped it entirely open. Kagome finally saw what he meant. It was like a cape. He just always had it rolled like it was something thin in width. He wrapped it around her small figure, underneath her arms, and quickly tied it with a small piece of material attached on the inside of the cape. "Not the most fashionable, but it shall do until we return to the castle."
The reaction he got from that comment was unforgettable. The woman, named Kagome, dropped her jaw in shock. "That is not fit for a queen. Close that jaw, or I shall use it wide open," Sesshomaru stated angrily. She needed to be taught proper manners. Couldn't have a queen without manners or one that did not follow the rules, could he?
"Qu... Queen?" Kagome asked. "What are you talking about?"
"Look at your shoulder, woman... I mean, Lady... Kagome..." Sesshomaru growled under his breath. Two things he hated; correcting himself and calling a woman, other than his mother, his superior. But she had to do the same, so he still had some control. And the women of his family always had to obey the males.
Kagome quickly looked at her shoulder. She was just so happy she was no longer holding something that covered her. On her bare shoulder was a bite mark. It was like a human one, but what shocked her was that there were four, sort of, slots into her skin. It should have been a wound that was bleeding, but it wasn't. She hadn't even noticed the difference in her shoulder. If Sesshomaru hadn't told her or if she wasn't to look in a mirror no longer, she would probably never even know.
"Who..." Kagome knew instantly. He had bitten her. "Why did you bite me!"
Sesshomaru offered Kagome his hand. "Shall we go, mate?"