Double Entendres

"Do you honestly think it will work?" Amaterasu asked Acheron, Artemis not being around for this private meeting. The culmination of two months worth of meetings had still come down to little more than a "maybe".

The goddess of the hunt had already spoken her piece on what she thought of this idea to soften the curse, and would say no more. In Amaterasu's humble opinion, the woman was far too possessive over those she considered hers. She obviously did not understand the simple fact that the tighter one held onto anything, the more it yearned to escape. From observing the distaste with which Acheron interacted with Artemis and the ways in which Wulf talked about the goddess, she had little doubt that her hunters would rise up against her one day.

She had brought it all upon herself. Amaterasu could not find it in herself to warn the goddess about the folly of her ways, nor was she even certain Artemis would take them to heart. The woman was too cocky and conceited for her own good.

Tapping his fingers against the table between them, Acheron thought his plan over carefully again. It did not take a genius to see how much Acheron cared about the well-being of his fellow hunters, enough that he had helped cultivate the situations that lead to this meeting. The meeting that would hopefully be the last between them. "Given all you've revealed about miko, and yours most specifically, it's hard to tell. But I'm certain it'll work in nearly every aspect. Nothing like this has ever been attempted before. And definitely not with their two unique cases."

From within one of her long kimono sleeves, Amaterasu produced a small vial filled with blood. Even Acheron could sense the power that lay in it. It was Kagome's, taken with her knowledge. She was certain that Kagome would have done anything asked in order to help out her newfound friend that they all hoped turned into something more. "This Amaterasu-ōmikami has brought her miko's blood as asked, filled with her power. If this Amaterasu hands it over, she would like to be reassured no harm will come to either if it does not work."

"You have my word. As I explained before, it'll work on his blood relatives. And when it takes effect, it won't change a thing about him or her. If all your pushing works and they find themselves in a relationship, it's the only way we'll know if it works or not, given who and what they both are, as said."

She placed the vial on the table with a knowing smile. "The one thing a god cannot force is now up to them. This Amaterasu-ōmikami is most certain that when the reality of it finds that god Artemis, she will be most displeased."

He took the blood vial and slipped it into one of the pockets on his jacket. "She'll have to deal with it. She doesn't have his soul and she's not stupid enough to try anything with Kagome. And I'll deal with her before it gets to that point."

Amaterasu tilted her head in agreement. "This Amaterasu-ōmikami thanks you. It will be difficult to adjust to dwelling here in the West, though this Amaterasu-ōmikami will cope with it until the fruition of our plot."

Acheron nodded and stood. "Yeah. Hopefully it won't take too long for something to happen between them and we can test out this solution. It won't cure all, but it'll weaken it enough. Either way, I'm glad both of you came and lent a hand."

"Ties between East and West are most beneficial to cultivate with the ways that world is changing. This Amaterasu-ōmikami is most thankful for having this opportunity. More so given that you and your Wulf have been a most gracious help in more than one way."

Kagome removed her shoes as she entered his home as she always did, though he usually teased her about it. When he made no comment but carelessly removed his long black jacket, she seriousness of the situation earlier that night hit home. She had often done things that caused her to be in loads of trouble when she had been mortal, but that had been when she was mortal. Since becoming the pet of a god, she had laid low and cut off contact with most other people until recently.

It had been four-hundred years since she had last been in any troubling situation. And never with someone else's curse hanging in the balance. Then again, it was not like anything existed in Japan that could actually kill her, so the warning had fallen on deaf ears. Amaterasu, at the very least, should have known that the best way to teach her that something was dangerous was to make her experience it first-hand, like she had done that night. Yet coupled with the way the goddess had been acting the last month and all her strange sentences, she felt like Amaterasu had been hoping this would happen. And it spoke of how much trust she had in Wulf or Acheron to make sure she did not die.

"You know your face scrunches up when you think too deeply," Wulf said, a dark teasing look on his face that was plain to Kagome's face. She was sure her look changed to one of confusion given the grin that stole across his face. "It's unattractive."

Those words, however, caused any expression other than ire to fade. She strode over toward him, her jaw set. "Oh, you have some nerve," she said, poking him in the chest when she was close enough. "What are you playing at? You save a girl and then insult her, I swear you make no sense." She gave him one last hard poke, which probably was not the best idea as he caught it in his hand.

"That's what they all say." He chuckled, low and sinfully enough to make her blush and try to pull her hand free. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you enjoy getting caught. Becoming slow in your old age?"

She huffed, trying to control her blushing and retrieve her captive finger. "You're older, aren't you?" Her words and the ones he had said seconds before registered in her mind a moment too late to take them back and she lost the fight with her blush. "Don't answer, but could you let me go or do I have to say please again?"

He appeared to think it over and given the look on his face, she did not entirely want to know what he was thinking. And she was also on guard as that look of his usually meant he was going to do something dirty, as she had been accustomed to during their strange friendship. She did not think he could help it, more so since she did spend too many nights with him for any normal person to consider decent. With little warning, as with most of his actions, he pulled her closer, turning her so her back was pressed to his chest. In a quick maneuver, he had her arms crossed against her chest, his much stronger arms keeping them in place.

He was entirely too close and too warm, though she would blame the strength of his arms for her shortness in breath. It really was too cruel, he knew exactly what kind of effect he had on her. He had a cruel sense of humor at times, or so she would argue. And then there were times he would back off immediately, as if he was worried she would not remember him in the morning. She could not blame him then, as it had to be depressing to be in that situation.

She could feel him hunch over in order to bring his head closer to hers, given that he was so much taller than her. "I can't deny that I enjoy it when you beg, but would it get you to say what's wrong with you?"

Her earlier blush came back tenfold at his first words, but his following words were like ice to her. If only she could disappear into a hole in the world right at that moment, yet they never appeared when she needed one. He exhaled heavily when she shrunk into herself, yet he said nothing. She was thankful for it before she felt his arms tighten around her. She was sure her eyes were twice their normal size when he straightened, lifting her off her feet at the same time. He did a half-turn quickly and once again set her on her feet, this time further in his home and with him blocking her one exit, before untangling her from his arms.

Though she spun to face him, given how he had had her trapped, she turned away quickly. Her hands came up to cover her cheeks, trying to will her heavy blush away while also trying to calm down her furiously beating heart. Though it had been frightening to be lifted and spun while held in such an unconventional manner, it had been exhilarating. Though she was more than certain Inuyasha had had more strength than Wulf, he would have never been so bold to do something like that.

Releasing a shaky breath, she still did not dare turn to face him. "You really shouldn't do such things, Wulf."

She could hear him lean against the wall next to the door. "And why is that?"

She finally lowered her hands. "You do know that Acheron is close to finding a way to soften your curse, don't you? So close in fact that it may only be a matter of days?"

"He said something along those lines yesterday." She could hear his feigned nonchalance in his voice. Much like her, he was trying his hardest to not get his hopes up about having his curse altered in a good way.

Kagome sighed and slumped her shoulders. "If it works, I will be heading back to Japan with Amaterasu... And when you act like this..." She trailed off, unwilling to finish her sentence or thought. Though they both knew what she was going to say. "I've already given Amaterasu some of my blood and power so that Acheron can do whatever he's going to do. We'll know in a couple of days, he said, to see if your blood relatives remember you."

He laughed. "For someone who knows so much about what's happening, you're still blind to the obvious. Amaterasu isn't returning permanently to Japan for a long while."

She turned to face him, confusion and shock plain on her face. "What?"

"Amaterasu has been working with Acheron to make some strong ties between the two cultures." He shook his head and headed over to her. "Have you been so worried about me that you haven't noticed it? I'm flattered."

She opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it. There was an almost certainty that whatever she was going to say was not going to come out properly given her state of shock and embarrassment. Instead she took a step back, a blush once again appearing across her cheeks. His presence had suddenly become too much, his teasing hitting a little too close to her heart. It was not entirely worry, per se, but more like she was trying to find ways to savor all the time she had with him before she went back to her lonely, self-imposed lonely existence in Japan. After all, it was too depressing to make friends with mortals as they died too soon.

Yet an immortal was entirely different. And so were gods. As a rule of thumb, she stayed out of the affairs of gods because many were callous and enjoyed causing trouble. Not to mention, Amaterasu's brothers were not the kindest gods that existed. They took sibling rivalry to new levels. And in Japan, she had never come across another immortal like her. But with Wulf... She did not really have to worry about him dying anytime soon.

The grin on his face became something entirely sinful at her continued silence, backing her up with every step he took. She felt as if he had finally realized something, and she was not sure if she liked it. She broke eye contact for not even a second to see where she had to go as she was not going to be a cliche woman and let him back her into a wall. Though, that thought had a lot of merit to it. Finding very few options open, she turned to look back at him, only to find him gone.

He moved too fast for her eyes to see most of the time, and he had to know by now how much she hated it when he pulled something like this. Even though she knew he had to be close by, she still jumped when she felt his fingers brush against her arm. "So, Kagome, am I right or am I right?"

She crossed her arms and turned around. "You're far too self-assured."

"But you're not denying it." He smirked, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her closer.

"Well... I don't... remember the question?" she said, her statement sounding more like a question than she intended. Wulf always had that ability to make her forget what she was saying or take all the anger out of her tirade with just one look or touch. She blamed it entirely on the way his thumb brushed along her spine this time.

"We're discussing how you're too oblivious to notice what's right in front of you."

He looked at her with a certain depth to his eyes that made her wonder. She knew they had been discussing what Amaterasu had been doing and how she had not noticed, but the way he said it with those eyes... It made her wonder and hope for something else, something deeper than fixing a curse. And it made her afraid; afraid that her hopes would be crushed because she was just imagining things.

Though she was more than certain she was not imagining the way he leaned in closer or how he focused on her lips. The man was too full of sex appeal, and he knew it which made it so much more alluring. There was something beyond sexy and appealing about a man who was secure in who he was, especially when he was already so attractive. And she had been trying so hard to remain distant in the fear that she would have to leave all too soon.

He paused centimeters from kissing her, his dark smirk never leaving his face as he looked at her. "Over four-hundred and never been kissed have you?"

She blushed, something she had done more that night than ever before in her life, and jerked back. It sounded quite lame when he said it which made it all the more embarrassing. His other hand brushed back her hair from her face before tracing her jawline to her chin. In that soft movement, she forgot how to breathe. "Don't worry, I know how to be gentle." His warm breath caressed her lips as he chuckled.

She hated how much he teased her, but she hated how much she loved it more. And the jerk knew it too.

His kiss was something she had not been expecting. Though his lips were firm against hers, coaxing them into moving without her permission, it was not forceful. Given everything she had heard and seen, she expected it to be a passionate kiss full of force and longing. This was passionate in another way, one she could and could not deal with.

It changed everything because had he never kissed her, she might have been able to return to her old life in Japan in some way. She knew that one day her heart may have returned to her in Japan. But after this... There was no way she could return to anything in her old life. It would break her heart in ways she never knew. Even if his cursed was lifted in some way, as it was a very near certainty, she did not want to leave. Immortality was such a lonely road, and lost companionship made it all the more lonely.

She barely noticed when both of his hands rested on her hips, though she could feel the roughness of his calloused palms and their warmth. They slid down just a little further, his long fingers wrapping around her thighs, and he pulled back. With half-closed eyes, she followed him before catching herself. He had to have been bent at an uncomfortable angle, given the difference in their height. And much like earlier, he used his grip on her thighs to hoist her up. Caught off-guard for the briefest of moments, she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

This time she could definitely feel where his hands were, as he had slipped them under her shirt and rested them in the dip of her waist. She was more than sure that her face was stuck forever in a blush from the way this night had turned. All thoughts of daimons, Artemis' dirty looks, Japan, and lectures were far from her mind. "Much better," he said, before burying his face against her neck.

If she was not imagining anything, she could feel his fangs brush against her skin. It had to be deliberate as she had not felt them when he kissed her. She found her breath stolen from her once again, it could not be healthy at all. "Do you know how long I've wanted to do this to you? You're such an oblivious little spitfire."

"And you talk too much." Her breath came out more breathy than she would have liked. Though from the way his arms tightened around her, and how one hand feathered its way across her back, he had to enjoy the sound. And it would just figure it fed his lasciviousness.

His tongue licked across her collarbone in response. "Someone has to, Kagome." The way he said her name sent a jolt down her spine, that husky tone would be her undoing.

He readjusted his grip on her, turning them towards the couch. Her grip on him never lessened, but tightened as he sat down. She was just glad he did not toss her onto it, though she knew it had to have crossed his mind. It took only a moment for him to have her on her back, her legs still wrapped around his waist. With exaggerated slowness to her eyes, he pulled off his black sweater. For the first time, she noticed his necklace, a crucifix and a hammer, when he leaned over her. Had circumstances been different, she would have asked about the meaning.

All his heat and muscle and strength surrounded her, however, and such details were quickly forgotten. As he placed open-mouthed kisses across her jaw and neck, one of his hands pulling down the neckline of her shirt in order to touch more of her skin with his mouth, her hands gripped the back of his head, her nails lightly scratching his scalp and fingers threading through his dark hair. His tongue just caressed her cleavage before he pulled away, sitting back.

She resisted the urge to sigh in aggravation.

His hands played with the hem of her shirt, lifting it just enough to grab her attention. "Don't get pissy with me, you're the one wearing too much."

The reality of the situation began to pierce the fog of lust in her mind. Swallowing thickly as she tried to cover her chest. "Amaterasu..."

He caught her hands and pinned them over her head, smirking down at her with a certain knowledge, "I don't think she's going to save you this time. So don't think."

She tugged her hands free before sitting up. "You're still talking too much." And she pulled her shirt over her head. Before it landed on the ground in an unitdy heap, Wulf was back to kissing his way across the swell of her breasts, one of the few moments he was quiet that night as they made love on his couch. The bed was too far away for them to make it to for the rest of the night.

Amaterasu finally stood from the table, ready to leave and head back to the place she shared with her miko. Her business was done with Acheron for the moment, it was up to him to work his power over Kagome's blood and ability and mix it with those of Wulf's blood relatives. She could feel the shifting of power in her miko and hid a secretive smile behind her hand. Though she had not aided Artemis in this situation with the intention of building such ties with the West, it was most beneficial.

And though she would miss spending most of her time in Nippon, she had to admit that this side of the world had enough interesting situations and people that she could be kept occupied for a very long time. After all, her miko could never be far from her home, whether main or temporary, for long, and she was not a god who enjoyed imposing constricting chains upon her miko. Kagome had served her well for many centuries, living a lonely life, this small sacrifice was something she could give him.

She met Acheron's curious stare with a knowing one of her own. "This Amaterasu-ōmikami must say that you shall see results very soon. Fate may have had a hand in their early meeting, it had little to do with what is happening." She gave him a very slight bow before turning to leave, her golden sleeves dragging as they began to fade. "You shall need to speak to Artemis much sooner than you had planned."

Acheron shook his head and could not help his laugh as she faded. He had to hand it to Wulf though, he did manage to last two months in the continued presence of the only human woman who had managed to remember him. It was much longer than some of the other Dark Hunters would have been able to last.

Fin.