Chapter 1:

He watched her from afar.

Kagome ran to the well, unbelieving at the sight she had just taken in. InuYasha and Kikyou together, holding one another like lovers. Even after all the trouble the undead miko had given him, InuYasha was with her. Kagome had heard him promise to protect her, to repay her death with his life, to be there for her needs. It was a pact meant to be made without Kagome knowing and that hurt the most.

She gazed down into the well, unable to focus on the bottom and feeling wave after wave of nausea flow through her. She wanted to retch, to purge her body of the growing knot in her chest and then to escape somewhere he could never hurt her again. If only such a place existed.

He was able to get within striking distance of the girl and she still showed no sign of awareness. Her smell reminded him of cherry blossoms in full bloom, very unique for any being especially humans. A soft breeze combed through her hair as he moved up behind her. The shoulders of this woman-child shook with her grief and he could sense the sorrow in her. He could cure that affliction for her if she would but ask. First she would have to know he was there to offer.

SesshouMaru reached through her hair to grasp the slender column of her neck lightly from behind. She jumped at first, every muscle in her snapping to attention at the sudden realization that she was in danger, but he meant her no harm. Quite the opposite in fact. A defeated sob broke from her throat, and his brother's woman-child relaxed. She looked down into the well again then drew the Shikon-no-Tama from beneath her shirt.

She unclasped the Jewel and set it on the well's rim. Together they stood in silence, just looking at the fragments of something so powerful that no being, human or youkai, would be able to fully posses it. Daylight poured over them when a cloud shifted to reveal the sun, and he had to wonder why she didn't call for help. His bother was within hearing distance. SesshouMaru speculated that were the hanyou not dallying with a walking corpse, he would be here, defending this woman-child. The boy was truly foolish to choose the dead over a living being.

Kagome could barely see the Jewel anymore through the tears that clouded her vision. The youkai behind her was taking its time deciding how to kill her, and she only wished it would get it over with. The pain would end then and she would be at peace. She wondered if death was an eternal void of nothingness, or if there really was another level that conscious spirits went to. She would find out soon enough.

The warm sunlight that had bathed them for the moment again passed behind a cloud. She shivered in the slight change of temperature and felt the youkai respond in kind. It stepped closer to her, the hand at her throat sliding over to her shoulder and pulling her back.

It took only one step and she found herself within its embrace. A second arm circled her waist completely and Kagome wanted suddenly to lose herself in the creature's warmth. Her eyes drifted shut, the image of a calm afternoon in the forest still vibrant in her mind as she waited for her final moment to come.

It hesitated only a second more then tightened its hold, cupping her chin now and tilting her face up towards the sky. She didn't want to know if it would snap her neck in one swift twist or if it planned to tear open her throat and leave her as a bloody heap next to the well. Either way would be a release.

Warm breath at her ear was a surprise, though. It meant the youkai's head was right beside hers. Kagome almost turned towards it, as though the creature's caress wasn't deadly, but its hand at her throat prevented such.

She swallowed once when it drifted down her neck, images of her own blood pooling around her flashing into hr mind. She didn't want to die that way, for it to be so long and drawn-out; she wanted quick and easy. The sudden end.

She smelt divine, beyond the cherry blossoms he had thought of before there was subtle jasmine and a simple sweetness that was all woman. She was pure heaven.

He nuzzled her skin, the surprisingly calm beat of her heart pulsing in the vein there in her neck, and resisted the urge to pull her around and kiss her. The woman-child had offered no resistance, no attempt to either escape or call for help. It was so much easier than he had expected. The way she stood so pliant and calm in his arms defied his intentions, the battle he had imagined having to fight to attain her. This powerful and beautiful miko, his brother's most deadly tool, was his.

SesshouMaru kissed the junction of her shoulder and neck once, then bit into her. Tiny hands came up to grasp at him as her body instinctively reacted, but then she calmed again. The pounding of her now rapid heartbeat was so thrilling. It tempted him to draw more blood from her than was already flowing from the piercing wounds left by his fangs. He could drink her dry in a matter of minutes, but what then of later?

Finding out who she was had only mildly prompted his interest, but knowing what possessing her love and loyalty could mean had brought him here. Killing her would be a mistake beyond forgiveness, even by himself, for she was the final key to his survival; to his ultimate domination of the Western Lands.

No minor youkai would stand a chance against them. With her power linked to his youkai prowess, there would be nothing to stop him from ruling any domain he wanted. Granted, keeping control of just his inheritance was task enough, and SesshouMaru had no desire to attain more. He was satisfied with all fate had given him but would stop at nothing to secure it all completely. That was where the woman-child came in.

He had thought her a worthless human, not worthy of his hanyou brother's company even, but he'd come to see differently. She was written in the ancient legends of his kin, a human miko whose powers would save them all from extinction. It was a story so buried in the past, that SesshouMaru had only remembered it of recent when Rin demanded a tale to pass the time. He'd told her without realizing whom he spoke of until she had offhandedly made the comparison to InuYasha's woman.

"A miko like Kagome-chan," she'd said an innocent light of awe and fantasy twinkling in her child's eyes. He'd left them soon after to seek out more information and the girl herself.

She slumped in his arms, her head lolling back on his shoulder, and SesshouMaru turned her face towards him. Half-open eyes regarded him in confusion, as though she was waiting for something, and then finally she lost consciousness completely.

He gathered her close, the lightness of her body a pleasant surprise to him, and turned to leave. There was a moment when the Jewel caught his eye and SesshouMaru realized he could not just leave so powerful a trinket laying around.

Jaken and Rin had been told to return to the domain and await him at the castle. He would be going there directly, and had actually planned to be making his escape through a space void, but this pleasant change of events, the ease with which he'd obtained the miko negated the need for such risky travel. He could call to his brother, maybe even taunt the brat a bit for leaving something precious unprotected, and then leave, or just be on his way. He doubted InuYasha would know he'd taken the girl if they were already gone when the hanyou got to the well.

Kikyou drew back from him slightly, the embrace too intimate and too much like forgiveness. They were still enemies but she would let him die in her place if that was what he really wanted. It mattered little, she couldn't feel anything beyond the pain and hatred, and she suspected that once InuYasha was dead she would still ache inside.

He too moved away, only for far separate reasons. Kagome had seen them, he knew that because he could still smell her on the breeze. She'd no doubt go through the well, back to her own time until he came for her again. InuYasha wondered if this time she'd actually tell him `no'.

From the direction of the well they heard a faint bark. It could easily have been a dog from the village, but InuYasha knew the animals no longer ventured into the forest because of the strong demon presence here. No wolf packs roamed so close to humanity, aside from the occasional visit from Kouga, so his interest was immediately perked. He could feel the youkai at the very limits of his senses and froze to the spot, wondering if it was maybe just Shippou come looking for Kagome.

Kikyou too gazed off into the forest. She could feel the souls out there, as easily as she could taste her own dirt and bone body in every breath she took, but there was also that girl's presence. She was still linked to her reincarnation, a tiny piece of that soul residing in her being, and the undead miko sneered with disgust. She called to her soul catchers, letting their feather touch reassure her and carry her away. There would be plenty of time later for InuYasha.

He knew she was leaving behind him but still did not shift his gaze. The sound came again, more pronounced and obvious, and InuYasha focused his eyes and ears in that direction, drawing the Tetsusaiga just in case. When he searched again for the youkai's presence, it was gone.

He had to know.

Creeping through the forest he quickly picked up Kagome's trail. Following it, he soon began to feel the Shikon-no-Tama the closer he got to the well, which told him it had been Shippou's aura he'd sensed. Maybe the little cub had delayed Kagome from leaving, inadvertently giving InuYasha a chance to explain about Kikyou. If it took being sat, then so be it.

The well clearing was empty and for a moment of complete confusion he thought about just turning back to the village. A reflected spark of light caught his eye though.

A look of sheer horror crossed his face as he rushed up to the Jewel. The wench had left it there on the rim of the well, where any youkai or human could have stolen it. She had never been so careless before or maybe it was she had never been so upset. InuYasha peered into the well, wondering if by leaving the Jewel, she had sealed herself in the future.

It didn't make sense to him why she would do something so foolish. Clasping the Jewel in his fist, he turned from the well and bounded easily into the forest canopy. Maybe after a few days he'd go to her and ask her to come back and help him find the rest of the Shikon-no-Tama. Perhaps he'd even apologize, though really there was nothing to apologize for. Only the truth to explain.

Kagome would understand, he thought, she always did.

TOP

Chapter 2:

"Is she going to wake up?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Soon."

"Oh…how soon?"

"Go play outside."

"But…"

"I’ll call you when she awakens."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now go play."

"Ok…thank you, SesshouMaru-sama!"

There was a soft humming coming from somewhere nearby, but it wasn’t half as soothing as the cool hand on her forehead. She turned into it, wanting it should cover her entire face if for only a moment, but there was pain. Not emotional, this time it was purely physical.

Kagome’s hand cupped the spot on her neck that was stinging. It didn’t help at all, and she tried to roll to her side, wanting to hug herself. Maybe that would help the pain go away.

He stopped her from moving, holding her shoulders to the bed, and bent over her to kiss the wound. She settled under his touch, her breathing coming in smooth takes again, as he lapped at the oozing blood. She’d broken open the scab, which was not new since she had done it a couple of times before, but SesshouMaru didn’t doctor her so much this time. He wanted her to awaken.

Tiny hands on his arm and back signaled her return to the conscious world. Kagome was frozen beneath him, whether in shock or horror he couldn’t tell, but at least she was no longer sleeping. He sat up and regained what he could of a regal bearing.

"You have slept for four days," he informed her in a factual way. There was no emotion to his face, no hint of the sea of feelings that crashed about within him. SesshouMaru regarded the woman before him with complete indifference, as though he did this sort of thing all the time. As though he had not marked her as his own.

"Why am I here?" Her voice was shaky and coarse.

What she needed in that moment was water and probably food, not an explanation. Rising from the bed, SesshouMaru held his hand out and immediately a previously unseen demon was at Kagome’s side. The creature was plain of face and dress, the only indication of its heritage in its eyes. The two almond-shaped orbs glowed a strange green, shocking Kagome the first time she looked into them. The creature bowed its head to her and offered a glass.

A growl emanated from her stomach, and Kagome blushed because of it. Hesitant that SesshouMaru would poison her she sat up slightly and took the offered glass. The demon backed away from the bed and went to sit beyond a screen set in the corner of the room. She was alone with her kidnapper again.

"What is it?" She peered into the glass and was relieved to see clear, odorless liquid.

SesshouMaru merely gazed at her. He didn’t give anything away and after a few more moments of the awkward silence, Kagome brought the drink to her lips. Water. It was heavenly to taste and she nearly moaned in satisfaction. She tossed the entire glass back in no more than four full gulps, a definite look of disappointment contorting her features when every last drop was gone.

The look almost brought a smile to his face. She was so adorable in her youth, the way her every desire was blatant in her expressions and eyes. As the servant youkai stepped from behind the screen to fill her glass, SesshouMaru came up and intercepted it, pouring her next glass of water himself. He gave it back the carafe and sent the creature to fetch some broth and bread, before sitting next to her again.

Kagome moved back against the headboard at the demon lord’s nearness, but he only gave her a blank look and offered the water to her. "Drink it slowly this time," he instructed in a more casual voice. Since she didn’t more from where was perched on the pillows, SesshouMaru went to her.

Kagome squeaked in shock when he grabbed her roughly and pulled her onto his lap. One strong arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her firmly in a sitting position, and the other held the glass in front of her.

"What are you doing? Let me go!"

"Quiet!" The soft bundle of woman, that was awakening him in ways he was not ready to deal with, complied and settled somewhat tensely on his lap. "Now drink," he brought the cup close to her and waited.

When she reached up to take it from him, SesshouMaru instead grasped the glass tighter. She acquiesced and placed her hand on his, bringing the water to her lips but letting him hold the glass. He only let her take little sips, enjoying the feel of her touch. She was holding on to his other arm around her waist, relaxing more and more in his hold with each passing minute.

When the servant returned with the meal, SesshouMaru finally loosened his hold on Kagome. Handing her glass to the strange green-eyed youkai, he pushed her to her feet, a hand at her back for balance, and then stood himself.

"Can you walk unassisted?"

She huffed once, as much to show her resistance as to the insulting nature of his question, and took a brave step towards the table. Her unused legs held her for almost a full second and Kagome toppled over.

SesshouMaru caught her immediately, opting to lean her against his body over carrying her to the table. He had to find a way to put her at ease, to win her affections from his bastard half-brother. Granted InuYasha had already scored one point for SesshouMaru by choosing the undead miko, but the demon lord also recognized the frailty of that victory. Kagome could just as easily despise both him and InuYasha, which had to be avoided at all costs. He could care less for her feelings towards the hanyou; it was how she felt about and for him that mattered.

Kagome clung to the strong form beside her. It made her wonder if she really had been in this castle for four days and if for so long, why she was still alive. Didn’t the full-blooded youkai she so precariously clung to hate her for helping InuYasha and also for being human? It was hard to believe when the creature in question was partially carrying her to a table full of food and beverage.

"Thank you," she murmured out of habit when he had helped her to sit.

It was such a human thing, those little endearments that signified gratitude and regard. He could remember InuYasha’s human mother using them all the time with him and his father. What was it the youkai lord had always replied?

"You’re welcome."

Kagome stared in shock at the SesshouMaru look alike now sitting beside her. Had he just…?

"Did you just say ‘welcome’…?"

His stern look was the first reply, then, "Was it the wrong response?"

"No, it’s just, that is…I never expected something like that from you."

He regarded her silently, a strange fury mounting inside him, but was it directed at her or his own self? "I am trying to change some aspects of myself."

"Why," she asked after taking a sip of the broth. It felt so good warming her throat and stomach, she wanted to purr.

SesshouMaru sighed, wondering if she was normally this annoying or if this was just some test to see if she wanted him. Deciding that was it, he considered the question seriously, watching her eat while doing so.

Kagome glanced at the demon lord from time to time, anticipating his response as much as she dreaded it. What reason would he have to bring her here other than to ransom her off for the Tetsusaiga from InuYasha? She was the bait that would draw her friends to this place and make the man she loved give up the heirloom his father had left him, for her. Her thoughts drifted to Kikyou then, wondering if InuYasha would even come for her now that he had the aide of the undead miko. There was no need for two shard-detectors.

A touch at her shoulder brought Kagome out of her revere. She looked up and her vision followed the arm to its shoulder then higher to the face and finally two deep, gold-colored eyes. SesshouMaru’s face actually wore an expression other than indifference, and that alone captured her attention completely.

"For this," he said, moving his hand to cup her chin. He drew closer but she didn’t mind; it felt nice having someone be nice to her for a change. "I want to change this sadness in you."

She flinched and turned away. "I’m not sad…"

It was his turn to huff. "Had it been any other youkai in that clearing you would be dead." There was no disputing this, so she just looked guiltily down at the soup. "Was it not sadness that led you there, Kagome? Was it not because of pain caused by the callous behavior of an ignorant boy? It’s been four days already and still he hasn’t come for you. He took the Jewel off that well and went back to Kik..."

"Enough! Please…" she begged, twin tracks of glistening moisture staining her face when she looked at him. "I know." Her voice was whisper soft and it tore into SesshouMaru to see the emotional distress he had caused.

"Gomen nasai."

Kagome could only stare. Here was a being that had only ever wanted her dead, apologizing for making her cry. She sniffed, trying to put the ache away in her self – she would mourn that loss another time – and to deal with the situation at hand. With SesshouMaru.

"I don’t know if I should try to reassure you or run screaming." He looked at her, obviously confused, and the sight caused her to smile. He understood then that it was meant to be a joke.

"Either way I shall have what I want, now finish your meal. I have promised Rin that she could visit once you had awakened." She reacted to that differently than he’d hoped, a curtain falling to block out that wonderful smile she’d just given him.

Kagome felt a stab of disappointment in her heart. I am only a means to an end again, she thought. Just like InuYasha and the Shikon-no-Tama, but this time with SesshouMaru.

"Will you keep me here until InuYasha comes, then use me to get the Tetsusaiga?"

The question didn’t surprise him, but her choice of words did. ‘Use’ her, no he’d never do that, ‘keep’ her though, that was something entirely different.

He stood from the table and went to pull her up also. She was complacent, as though she knew it would be his way or none at all, but had not expected him to hold her so intimately in his arms. With one hand spread across her back and the other cupping the back of her head, SesshouMaru pressed her body along his as he kissed her softly on the lips.

Neither seeking more access nor even for her to respond, he watched from half lidded eyes as the emotions played across her face. She was shocked first, then confused, and lastly, seduced. Kagome yielded to him only slightly, tilting her head in his grasp and using her own hands to hold herself to him. He dared not deepen their embrace, too afraid that she would run from him in fright, or worse yet disbelief, and calmed the raging instincts that seemed to surface now whenever he thought of her pleasant scent or curvaceous body.

She understood now why she was here. Not for the Tetsusaiga or to get back at InuYasha, but because he wanted her. That feeling alone, of being wanted after going so long believing she was only second to a woman who was a walking corpse, opened Kagome to him just a little bit more. She let the warmth of his body engulf hers, let the tingling he caused inside her swell and become a consuming tide of such intense feelings she had no experience with, and she fostered all this once it was inside her. She wanted just as he did.

"Ahhh…SesshouMaru-sama?"

The moment ended just as she had begun to open up to him and SesshouMaru couldn’t help the threatening growl that emanated from his throat as Kagome pulled back. He hugged her to his body, not willing to let the exchange completely end, and turned a murderous eye on the source of the interruption.

Jaken and Rin stood wide-eyed in the doorway; for once both were so completely caught off guard by what they had witnessed as not to pick at one another. The little girl recovered first not at all concerned about the threatening sounds her SesshouMaru-sama was making, but rather elated that Kagome-chan was awake. That she was kissing her SesshouMaru-sama could only mean one thing.

"Kagome-chan! You’re going to be Rin’s new mother!" She bounded into the room, catching both her new parents in a hug about their knees, and smiling wide enough to split her face in two.

Still smothered in SesshouMaru’s presence, Kagome only really became aware of what was going on when the child latched on to her. She was tempted to smile, not for the first time that day, when realization of what Rin had said finally sank in.

"Mother?" Her question was directed to SesshouMaru though. Was that why she was here?

"Among other things, but yes, you will be a mother." He pulled her close again and nuzzled her neck just above the mark he’d made on her. "If you will stay…"

It was as close to a proposal as he would come, and she knew this. It would mean so many things though, and Kagome considered herself perhaps a bit young to make such a large decision on her own. She needed her own mother’s advice, which would mean chancing an encounter with InuYasha to get home. Home, what a strange word, she thought, for suddenly what awaited her through the well didn’t feel like home. It wasn’t as warm and strong as the home she was in now, nor was there that wonderful feeling of need that she had only just known in SesshouMaru’s kiss. There was love but not what she had yearned for, like the love that could develop here. If she would stay this is.

Sliding her arms around his neck, she too nuzzled into him, enjoying the captured feeling being in his arms gave her. "I need to think about it and explain certain things to you," she said, almost yelping when he tightened his hold on her.

"But for now, you will stay."

"Yes."

TOP

Chapter 3:

It had been a week since that day, when he'd held her and drawn from her lips the promise that she would stay. She'd kept from him though, never letting a time come when they were together alone. Kagome always had Rin near her, and had taken to locking the door to her chamber at night, as though she didn't trust SesshouMaru to leave her be.

Rightly so, he thought, because given the chance he would seduce her completely. He had plans for it.

The demon lord made his way through the extensive caverns of his castle home. Her scent was part of the very walls now, and as he went about the daily business of overseeing his domain, thoughts of Kagome constantly invaded his mind. Whether or not she was the miko of legend would be seen, but she had certainly developed a special place in him, just like Rin.

He'd seen her playing with Rin a few days back, the two dressing up in all of the extravagant cloths and kimonos SesshouMaru had provided for her, and he had caught the sight of her naked back. She was shrugging into another garment facing away from the door, but he thought that might have been for the best. Had he seen her from the front, or even more than just the creamy, smooth expanse from her waist to her shoulders, he might not have had the control to back away.

Dreams had plagued him since, of seeing all of her, actually having her withering in pleasure beneath him, above him, mounted before him. Always she cried his name, begging for more of the passion that only he could give her. But he never could feel his own finish for always he'd awaken, covered in a thin sheen of sweat and fully aroused, cursing the need he felt for her.

Today would be different, he thought while taking the stairs two at a time, a very un-lordly habit he'd picked up after seeing Kagome do it once. Today he planned to follow her around, corner her if need be into talking with him about their tentative agreement, and then tonight... Tonight he would finally get to finish.

SesshouMaru felt his body tingle with anticipation but his demon heritage gave him patience as well as control. He practically flew through the halls now, his nose and heart leading him to his miko bride.

Rin had gathered an amazing number of flowers for the table and Kagome could only smile at the little girl's enthusiasm for it all. She was an endless supply of energy and curiosity, more so now that Kagome had taken over watching her during the day hours. She would sleep with the child beside her if given the chance but not only to comfort Rin when she woke from nightmares. She also wanted to keep SesshouMaru at a distance for as long as possible.

Kagome was well aware of the youkai lord's brooding. He was being denied something that apparently meant quite a bit to him. She had thought at first he only wanted her to get back at InuYasha and for ransom, despite what he'd said. But if that had been the truth, then wouldn't InuYasha have been called to the castle by now?

From the very vocal and frequent grumbling of Jaken, Kagome knew that her hanyou friend had not even been mentioned by or to the demon lord since the night she'd awaken. SesshouMaru had spoke of InuYasha then and afterwards closed the subject completely, obviously not even tolerating the suggestion from Jaken who had arrived one morning with a new set of bruises courtesy of his lord.

This behavior worried Kagome. Why would SesshouMaru take her into his home if not just to look after Rin? And when did he start to care for humans past their usefulness in matters concerning the Tetsusaiga? And...

"SesshouMaru-sama!" Rin cried as she raced across the room to hug her guardian.

Kagome turned to face him, her expression one of prey facing down a much larger predator. "And how long have you been standing there?"

He raised one graceful eyebrow to her. "And...? Something on your mind, Kagome?" He could only imagine what she was thinking with such a troubled look in her eyes.

She shook her head in dismissal and reached out to take Rin's hand as the child walked back to her, SesshouMaru in tow.

"Rin spent all morning picking flowers. Do you like them?" The child pointed to the tastefully arranged bouquets on the table as Jaken walked in.

"SesshouMaru-sama does not like weeds," he said in a snide fashion, turning his nose up at the blossoms. The glitter in Rin's eyes dimmed only slightly as she waited her 'father's' response.

SesshouMaru turned his attention from Kagome to the new centerpiece for the main dining table. He wanted more than anything to just dismiss the little girl, needing to begin satisfying his cravings for Kagome, but realized that such callousness would only cause a greater rift to develop. Rin needed his approval before he could just send her on her way and Kagome seemed to expect it.

Glancing about the room he noted a side table that was completely unadorned. There were many such pieces of furniture in the castle, being neither SesshouMaru nor his father before him particurally cared for trinkets of material wealth, and it was the perfect excuse to give to Rin. Let her pluck every flower from the gardens to be placed on tables, he thought, so long as Jaken accompanied her and Kagome didn't.

He walked with a measured pace to the side table. Looking back from it to the flowers Rin had already collected, he motioned for the child to come to him.

"Why is this table without flowers but that one is not?" He kept his voice neutral and pointed to the tables in question while addressing her.

Rin wrung her hands together, a look of total concentration coming over her face as she regarded the two tables. "Umm, because Rin has not picked flowers for it?" That she asked a question told SesshouMaru she was worrying if he approved.

He tried not to smile and turned towards where Jaken and Kagome patiently awaited the outcome. "Jaken. Take Rin to the gardens to pick more flowers."

"S-SesshouMaru-sama?" The toad demon was obviously confused.

Rin giggled with joy as she raced back to Kagome, throwing herself into the older woman's arms. "He likes them Kagome-chan! SesshouMaru-sama wants me to pick more for that other table!" She clarified by pointing, as though Kagome had not been present for the conversation.

"We should go get them then. Don't you think?"

Rin nodded quickly. "And more pink ones this time. I like the pinks best, don't you Kagome-chan?"

She nodded in response and turned to follow a sulking Jaken out the door when SesshouMaru caught her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Rin, you go ahead. Kagome and I need to speak for a minute."

He felt the jump in Kagome's pulse at this suggestion, but noticed she hid her nervousness from the child quite well. With one last look of complete happiness, Rin bounded out of the room, throwing back promises to pick Kagome's share of the flowers too.

Together they stood there, Kagome waiting for whatever it was SesshouMaru wanted to say to her and SesshouMaru really just enjoying the chaos he'd obviously caused her with his nearness. It was flattering that his proximity alone could raise her heart rate so much and by just touching her he could increase the potency of her scent to a point where it almost made him dizzy.

But this was not quite the time for that.

"What were you thinking about earlier?" He came closer behind her and slipped his arms around her waist, nuzzling in her hair while waiting for her to reply.

She tensed in his arms, apparently uncomfortable with the youkai lord of the Western Lands snuggling up behind her and asking questions she didn't want to answer. Kagome had to fight the feelings inside her, of just wanting to curl into him and lose herself to his gentle touch. He had not always been so, she reminded herself over and over. He had wanted her dead for the longest time, and such a drastic change had not something happened overnight. It was a result of something but to what she needed to find out.

"How come you're suddenly so nice to me?" It hadn't come out as eloquently as she would have hoped.

His eyes crinkled with a smile hidden in her neck. Kissing his mark on her, which he hadn't done in a full week, SesshouMaru turned her in his arms and focused his gaze straight into her eyes.

"I am using you, remember?" His tone was even more sarcastic when he continued. "To get the Tetsusaiga and then afterwards I will probably kill both you and my hanyou brother, just for fun." She stared at him, blatant horror in her eyes and her hands clenching his arms. "That's what you want to hear, right?"

She had to tear her eyes from his, from the actual hurt she saw there. Her question had stung him, but obviously deeper than the simple insult caused by her disbelief. She had touched him at the core and was now killing that frail link they'd established the previous week.

"I don't know what I want anymore." She said, trying to turn out of his embrace so he wouldn't see her cry. He let her go, reluctantly, but more concerned about driving her completely away, than over a temporary loss of contact.

"Perhaps I should not have given you so much time to 'think about it'." He sighed with defeat laced into his voice. He was questioning his own actions now, and not her indecision. "It has only seemed to put us back where we first started and that means it will take more time to get where we should be going."

When she did not turn around, instead hugging herself to replace the warmth she'd lost by moving away from him, SesshouMaru lost a tiny bit of his control. It felt to him as though she had already quit.

"Do you know what I want?" He asked, a thread of impatience finally weaving its way into his voice.

"No."

"You, Kagome." She turned around quickly to face him, and he understood that she needed to see him say it to her without any other distraction. "I want you," he said, coming to take her in his arms again. "More than I want my father's fang or InuYasha's demise, I want you."

"But I'm human!" She yelled, jerking away from him only to be held firm. He pulled her back and caught her wrists when she began hitting his chest with tiny fists. "You hate me, remember?" she croaked and collapsed against his hold.

Rage poured through him finally as SesshouMaru pulled her up in his arms and kissed her hard. He forced his way into her mouth, running his tongue over her teeth then adjusted to suck on her lower lip. How dare she disbelieve him and his intentions towards her. She was his, marked and ready, and if he had to banish any previous memory of his former self from her by force of passion, then so be it.

The salty taint of her tears melded into the sweet taste of her mouth as Kagome responded. She stiffened but then hesitantly relaxed when he gentled the pressure on her mouth, finding the control to subdue his own inner demons. Her own tongue found its way into his mouth and he tightened his hold around her lithe body, reveling in the feel of her arms at his neck and shoulder.

This was beyond simple lust, he thought, finally releasing her when she gasped for air. "Does that feel like hate to you?"

Kagome couldn't feel her own feet let alone the sensations necessary to hate. She shook her head slightly and then buried her face in the fine silk at his shoulder. What was happening to her?

"I have changed, Kagome," he said, cupping her head in one hand and clasping her to him with the other. "Rin has taught me much, but only the little bit a child can teach. I want you to show me the rest." She looked up to meet his gaze again and SesshouMaru came nose to nose with her, only a couple inches of space separating the two.

"Love me Kagome, so I can know how to love you. Can we have that?"

"I..." don't know if I can love, she thought, her eyes tracing every line and feature of his beautiful face. I want to though...

"I will ask this again, and please don't run from me for it. Will you stay?"

She looked torn, suspended between what she considered a responsibility and all the things he was offering her. Was it selfish to enjoy the way it felt to be held, or the taste of a lover's offer on her lips? Could she afford turn from him and still know love another time, with another man? Would that be possible?

"Kagome?"

No. This would not come again.

"Yes, SesshouMaru," she said on a whisper, tipping her chin to his kiss again and giving in to it all.

TOP

Chapter 4:

It was becoming more and more difficult to keep InuYasha at bay. In the week since he'd taken Kagome, the hanyou had finally realized her absence and begun searching with the others of their little group. Too much time had passed for InuYasha to properly track SesshouMaru, but rumors abounded among his servants. He knew it was only a matter of time until his brother was able to catch wind of the human miko's whereabouts.

Scanning the scroll one last time, SesshouMaru committed the words to memory before replacing it on the shelf. Jaken had been hard at work bringing every book, scroll, or piece of parchment that contained information about Kagome to his master. There were even interview accounts taken by the toad youkai, tangible proof of the creature's devotion to his lord. SesshouMaru wrinkled his nose at a thought to the extents Jaken was going in fulfilling his duty.

Through it all though, SesshouMaru was still no closer to understanding the woman than he had been at first. She was from another place totally unknown to everyone, her style of dress [before he had provided her with suitable clothes] was so far beyond acceptable that it bordered on reprehensible, and the way she spoke...

He could hear Kagome's accent in his mind as clearly as though she were standing right next to him. Her dialect was slightly different from that of even the high born human classes, more pronounced in places and consisting of a slightly amended vocabulary. There were words that SesshouMaru, with all his experience and travels, had never heard spoken, and she told Rin of places sometimes, huge cities where so many people lived that the buildings had to touch the sky. Fairy tails he'd thought but now he was not so sure.

It was time to talk with her and discover everything she had promised to tell him but had yet to say. It was time also, SesshouMaru qualified with a small smile, to seal the pact between them.

The mark was fading but she would always have a scar. Kagome ran her hand over the place on her neck where SesshouMaru had bitten her. She was still unclear as to why he had done such a thing, but was pleased he had at least chosen a spot easily hidden by her collar and hair.

She finished dressing for bed and was leisurely brushing her hair when a knock sounded rather faintly at the door. Thinking it was Rin she was instantly concerned that the child was distressed. Kagome forgot to set down the brush in her rush to the door, pulling it wide-open, ready to receive the tiny body that would seek a hug first thing. She had not expected him.

"Oh, SesshouMaru... I wasn't expecting you," she said, glancing up and down the hall to make sure Rin was not about.

His eyes smoldered with the anger he felt that she was waiting for another. "And who are you expecting, Kagome," he bit out, grasping her arm and pushing them both into the room. With his tail he slammed the door shut behind them, its echo reverberating down the cavernous halls and possibly waking every occupant of the keep, but he didn't care.

"Let me go," she cried while attempting to wrench herself from his grasp, but he swung her around to face him. A strong arm caught her close and Kagome was immediately aware of the heat he gave off, her own body finally registering the tension and rage in his.

"Who is he?" The gold of his eyes was glittering intensely, and microscopic hints of red were beginning to bleed into them. "Tell me!"

She whimpered in fright, her head bent to weather the storm of his rage, but still Kagome held silent. He saw this and pulled back from the complete loss of control that had almost overtaken him. It was like a disease spreading through his youkai blood, something that lessened his temper and increased his taste for violence.

By secluding himself behind emotional walls of cruelty and cold indifference, SesshouMaru could keep his sanity and surroundings in check. It was a way of life now, more than just a fail-safe precaution, but she had gotten past that somehow. Rin had begun the process that Kagome would finish. Together they brought to the surface so many feelings he had thought buried away, like jealously, affection, concern, protectiveness, and others.

The miko had piqued his curiosity too. This slip of a human female, no more than soft flesh and fragile bones, was even now subduing the hate in his blood and turning the tides of his very existence, and yet had awakened an interest in life SesshouMaru could have sworn died with his father.

He gentled his hold on her when the red haze of fury finally cleared from his eyes. With a calm mind he realized what had happened, what had almost happened, and that Kagome was beginning to shiver. He cuddled her to him, nuzzling the spot on her neck that had finally healed over completely, and letting her scent fill his every cell.

So what if there was some other male she fancied, she belonged to him and he was here with her now. SesshouMaru cupped her face in his hand and kissed her.

They had become very proficient at pleasing one another in this manner, learning a little more each time about what the other enjoyed most. Kagome hesitated at first, which she had been doing less and less, but then let him explore her mouth fully.

It was just as her blood began to heat that he pulled back, settling tiny kisses along her jaw and neck until he was again hovering over the spot where he had bitten her.

"Rin," she whispered into his ear and he tensed slightly in her arms. "I was expecting Rin."

He hugged her fiercely; joy in the fact that she wasn't awaiting a lover filled him completely, but then began to flow out slowly. If the child were coming to see Kagome then they would not have enough time together. He needed many things from her tonight, information and answers for starters, but he had planned more intimate things as well.

"She sometimes has nightmares and comes here." Kagome clarified, worried that the powerful demon in her arms might become angry again if she did not set him straight.

His anger had not terrified her, as it would have when she first came here, but instead only frightened her in its intensity. It was different now, maybe because of the 'relationship' they seemed to be developing, or maybe it was the Kagome felt she knew him. The second he'd said 'Who is he?' she had known how to calm him. When he'd kissed her, she'd known how to respond. And now that she'd told him whom it was she might expect, Kagome reveled in the feeling of his strength and possession.

He pulled back from her shoulder only enough to look into her face, and then realized she still held the hairbrush in one hand. "Not tonight," he said, taking the brush from her hand gently and tossing it to the floor. "Tonight I will be here and she will have to fight her night demons alone."

Kagome's eyes went wide and she felt his roaming hands belatedly as he began exploring her body. "SesshouMaru... I don't, I mean, I'm not sure if I'm ready for..." He took her mouth before she could finish, wanting to begin their loving before she could scare herself away from it.

Gathering her in his arms, SesshouMaru settled them on the bed, laying full length beside her. He continued to occupy her mouth while his hands roamed. The heat of her skin came through her light nightgown to burn his fingers. He wanted to feel the softness of it and not the gown's fabricated texture. Reaching the length of her thigh, he touched the bare skin at her knee and began ascending her body once again, his hand beneath the gown.

One of her own arms was captured beneath his body as he lay next to her, the other grasping his shoulder. Kagome felt the hem of her nightgown begin to gather as he lifted it higher but a strange urgency had overtaken her doubt.

The pressure of his touch was driving her towards something she had only once before, when they'd shared their first kiss. Then it had been as a promise between lovers of the pleasures to come, but now she felt far different. Now it was happening, he was kissing her with such passion and exploring parts of her body that had never been touched in such a way.

When SesshouMaru ended the kiss and began nibbling his way own her throat, Kagome arched up to him. His body was warm and with her nightgown now up around her hips, the cool evening air was a poignant contrast on her exposed flesh. He finally tossed a leg over her two, pinning her to the bed but sheltering her from the night as well.

He couldn't think with her withering so wonderfully beneath him, the way her hand on his back grasped his silk kimono and urged him on. He could hear the excited beat of her heart as it echoed through her chest and settled a searing kiss on the scar at her neck, his fang gracing the spot again only lightly.

Sipping her blood, he could taste the arousal in it, how she craved him with every part of her being. Quick to keep her interested, SesshouMaru drew above her enough to look at her entire form before him. With her eyes on him, he undid the tiny bone buttons at her throat, careful to slow when she showed signs of hesitation. Kagome had said she was not ready, and he wanted to respect that, but he also believed she didn't know what it was that she was postponing. If he could just get her started, SesshouMaru guessed they would go all the way.

She blushed prettily when he began peeling back the lapels of the gown. Before her breasts were completely exposed, Kagome turned her head and looked away. His gaze was too intense, making her uncomfortable and worst of all she didn't want to see the disappointment when he finally discovered how small she really was. It would be too painful.

He stopped when she shied and reached to bring her face back to his. "Kagome..." Leaning close and kissing her again he drew a hand gently down her throat and rested it in the center of her chest. "I want to taste you here," he said in a husky voice and pressed slightly so she knew what he was talking about.

She nodded in response, too overtaken by the look in his eyes, not lust but rather something else, to verbally respond. Her gaze followed his progress down her neck and shoulder to the spot he had indicated, breathing in deeply when he laid a single, open-mouthed kiss on her chest.
Beside his mouth, SesshouMaru shifted his hand slightly to the side, brushing over her already taunt nipple in the process. She moaned then, and began pushing him off her, her distress obviously caused by something to do with her breasts.

"Don't hide from me," he growled. She had grasped the two lapels of the gown and was holding them closed over her body, looking sheepishly off into the room. He again turned her to face him, the sight of her passion still evident in her twinkling eyes made his libido react of its own accord.

"What is it," he asked, gently combing her hair out over the pillow.

The blush intensified, and she mumbled something too low for even his demon hearing to pick up.

"What? I didn't hear..."

"I'm small." She had barely put any more effort into being clear the second time but he heard her just the same.

Placing a soft kiss on her cheek, he stroked her body once, enjoying more than words could say the way her curves fit his palm perfectly and that she was muscular while still being soft. "I know, I think about it every time I hold you."

Her brows raised in an expression of perverse horror but SesshouMaru only smiled. "I worry about being too rough and bruising you, or that we won't fit." At her confused look he gently pried one of her hands from the nightgown and brought it down to his groin.

Something hard, large, and cylindrical met her touch and Kagome knew instantly what he meant by 'fit'. How could she have been so stupid otherwise? She gasped when his pressed her hand down, his glorious eyes closing when he rested his head on the pillow next to hers and breathed deeply, as though in pain.

"You are perfect." SesshouMaru didn't recognize his own voice but kept whispering reassuring endearments into her ear, lest he lose a grasp on the instincts that suddenly surged through him. She was worried that her breasts were too small, a justified concern he supposed [though was not really sure why it mattered], but what he wanted went far beyond her physical body. It came from her heart.

Kagome turned her head and sought his mouth with her own. He seemed more concerned about the pain he might cause her than the actual appearance of her body, and that fact put most of her self-conscious worries to rest. The others could only be soothed afterwards.

The female beneath him slanted her mouth over his time and again, conveying the same urgency he felt building in the pit of his belly. Now pulling him forward rather than holding him back, Kagome offered herself up to him, and SesshouMaru didn't wait for the invitation to come again.

He rose above her and pulled the gown up over her head, swooping down again to continue their kiss while helping her to untie his own robes. It was the first contact of skin on skin that shocked him back a little, wanting to see her as he had in his dreams so often.

Her perfect skin was marred in two places only, one the mark on her throat and the other a strange star-shaped scar on her hip. His gaze drawn to it immediately, SesshouMaru touched her lightly, the question in his expression.

"The Shikon-no-Tama," was her answer and when the confusion in his face only intensified, Kagome forgot her growing embarrassment at being naked before him and reached to cup his face, drawing him over her again. "It was inside me when I first came here."

His brows shot up in shock. It looked as thought the jewel had been ripped from her body, but, by whom then... "InuYasha?"

"No," she said immediately, caressing his cheek and calming the anger that had suddenly jumped to his eyes. "He destroyed the youkai that did though. He didn't even know I had it."

"How did you get it inside you?"

Kagome shook her head, feeling the mood begin to slip, and looked up to him with pleading eyes. She had come too far to let him leave her, shown him too much for it to just stop, and was having trouble keeping the image of InuYasha and Kikyou from returning to the front of her mind. This moment was not supposed to concern them; it was for her and SesshouMaru only.

"Please, I don't...want to talk about all that right now... please."

She was shivering and a sparkling curtain of tears was building in her eyes. SesshouMaru cursed himself once for losing his focus and twice for making it so difficult on her. Kagome was beneath him, probably ready to give him anything he might want, and he was bringing up his retched half-brother.

He kissed her mouth, her cheek, the bridge of her nose, then began his way down her body. In the shifting candlelight, Kagome moved against him, recapturing the excitement they'd almost let slip away. It was made easy by SesshouMaru, as he nibbled at her hips and tickled the sensitive skin along her inner thigh. She moaned and laughed and almost protested when he began working his way down from her navel to the cleft between her legs.

With each inch closer he came to her the more a strange tension built inside her. He was teasing her, she thought somewhat brokenly, creating a want in her that he do something, through she didn't know what. And she felt heated inside but fluid at the same time. Kagome moaned and arched her back towards him when SesshouMaru loomed over her and kissed close but not quite at the junction of her legs. When would he get to it and stop this torture?

The scent was intoxicating and when he finally tasted her core, the sweet juice caused his own sex to tingle with near ejaculation. She withered in ecstasy, her legs beginning to close around his head but he held them open. Licking her time and again, making sure to touch that little nub at the top each time with the end of his tongue, he finally delved deeper into her heated center when Kagome began pressing her hips up for each stroke.

She would be ready soon enough, he thought, though how a single clear thought made its way into his tattered mind was a wonder. He had done all this before, had sex with others whenever the urge took him, but with this human it was a new experience. She was encouraging where a demon female usually snarled and scratched, and Kagome was softer, easier to touch. She was enjoying his affections too, something SesshouMaru had never known before in any partner.

He lifted his head and kissed a path back up to her face, letting her taste the near climatic flavor of her own body on his breath. Kagome drew every ounce of it from him, wondering if he would be as sweet on her tongue if she were to go down on him. The thought was nearly lost when his hand cupped her and a single clawed finger eased inside.

She was too tight for him, SesshouMaru realized while savoring the heat and slick wetness that engulfed his finger. He gently thrust that one privileged digit in and out of her, each time seeking farther inside his miko lover's body. The fingertip met her virgin sheath, a physical barrier that proved her innocence to him, and SesshouMaru cringed.

It was a cause of great elation and despair. He would be her first, the only male, human or otherwise, to experience the heavenly feel of her body, but it would come at a cost. The pain he'd cause her would be immense, doubly so because of his size and hers. Cursing his virility, SesshouMaru stopped his amorous ministrations, much to Kagome's disappointment, and braced himself above her momentarily.

"What? Why have you stopped," she whispered, her own voice also thick with passion.

Bowing his head, SesshouMaru kissed her throat and shoulders, a shudder of impatience indicating his own body's wish to continue coursed down his spine. "You are so tiny," he began, stroking her between the legs. "It will hurt beyond anything you've known before if I do this to you, even though you are so ready." His eyes, when they connected with hers, shown with concern and a plea of understanding. "I can break the skin first, with my claw," he said, bringing the finger he'd used to probe her up into view. "It might hurt less then..."

Kagome looked at his hand, the deadly claws that she knew could and had ripped the life from humans and youkai alike, shimmered wet with the love he had stirred in her. He would use them to ease her suffering in this action, something she had been prepared to go through though not to the degree he was hinting at, but it would steal the true moment from them. Her pain was part of the conquest and she wouldn't deny either of them that single truth, which needed to exist if they were to succeed.

Drawing his hand towards her face, Kagome licked his finger once then pulled it into her mouth and sucked. He moaned and kissed her hard on the neck, sipping a little more blood from the mark on her throat and settling his body on top of hers.

His cock probed at the heated opening below him, pressing in only enough to cover the tip. She was so tight his every movement stirred electric currents through them both. Kagome let go of his finger and threw her head back, the pressure finally building to a peak and then washing through her body in waves.

Liquid flowed over him and SesshouMaru knew he couldn't hold back anymore. Even as her body convulsed from the orgasm he pushed into her. The passage was made even smaller by her squeezing muscles but was well lubricated. His entrance heightened her pleasure causing Kagome to grip his back almost painfully, pressing into him in an unspoken plea to continue. Grasping her hips, SesshouMaru drew back once then thrust himself to the hilt inside her.

Kagome screamed, its horrific sound reverberating in the room loud enough to wake the dead. He could feel his own completion coming on quick but instead SesshouMaru held to her fast. The strength she'd thought lost when her body was drained in the orgasm returned full force as she tried to push him from her. Her stomach muscles bunched and curled, the instinct to draw herself into a fetal position was powerful, but he held her flat.

The tears would come if she let them. He held her in strong arms, whispering words of comfort and forgiveness to her and not trusting himself enough to move yet. Even the slightest shift would set him off, send him spiraling down that path of pure joy and carnal ecstasy and filling her with the seed that would someday bring them pups. His brave miko would cry then he knew, and so used only his voice to soother her.

It was that deep, soft tone that brought her peace and escape. Kagome concentrated on it, the words meaning little, only the fact that he was still waiting for her, regretting having to hurt her. She pulled herself together, the tears never fully able to come and snuggled into the junction at his shoulder and neck.

SesshouMaru felt her recovery and cradled her head. "I'm sorry, love." She shook her head and drew back enough to look at him. Standing tears threatened to spill so he kissed her once and began to draw out.

"No," she winced; a slight tingling of muscles stretched too far was pricking her inner belly and coaxing her to squeeze her legs shut. "Don't leave me yet, please..."

"I will do only as you ask, Kagome-love."

Stretch up to him she began sucking on his lower lip, and then dipped her tongue into his mouth, trying to pull him back into the moment. The pain was still there, but it was more of a soreness now. The pricking sensation was lessening, being replaced by a sense of fulfillment and slight throbbing. Kagome pressed down on his lower spine, rewarded when he settled on her again, his full length encased in her now accepting body.

The muscles on his back jumped as she stroked him, her tongue mirroring the motion in his mouth. SesshouMaru shuddered, gently running his one hand over her body and leg, the other still cradling her head. He delved into her mouth as she offered up to him, his body rocking back and forth slightly on top of hers, in and out of her.

It was not a full thrust but rather a soft slide of skin on skin in the most intimate of ways. She could feel the sensations compound on one another, sending her beyond the point of her last peak and higher still. If he would just push deeper, she would reach the pinnacle of this feeling, she was sure of it. But maybe he couldn't reach; maybe he needed her to press up as he delved down.

When Kagome first circled her hips up, he moaned. When she did it while grasping his buttocks and pressing down, SesshouMaru felt what remained of his restraint disappear and the instinct to rut take over. He pressed into her deeply, moving his hands to both cup her behind and turn her hips up more. Her body straightened itself and he could feel her womb opening with each thrust.

Sitting up more, he tilted his head back, a silver waterfall of hair tumbling over both shoulders and far enough down his back to pool in the bed behind them. Her hands flowed over him as he moved, coming to rest on his forearms, captive and preventative when SesshouMaru tried leaning any further back.

She was wild before him, bucking to reach her own finish with each motion he made. It was an image from his dreams, this powerful woman at his mercy, begging with her body for the drug-like satisfaction only he could provide. His eyes slid shut as the swelling pulse that preceded ejaculation consumed him and SesshouMaru tumbled over his edge.

His body jerked once, causing Kagome to gasp, but it was the feeling of molten fire swirling into her that brought her end. For the second time, but far more glorious now, Kagome's body tightened around him. She milked him of the last little bit of potency before he collapsed forward unto her.

Both his and her bodies were slick with sweat, the smell of lovemaking easily distinguishable to anyone who might come into the room, but neither cared. They took large breaths of air, gulping it down to calm rapid heart rates and heated souls. Even after it all there was attraction, the possibility to start again and experience it all one more time. When his sex twitched at the thought, SesshouMaru tightened his hold on her, still buried as he was the overall position was more comfortable than he had expected.

"I want you again already," he breathed into her throat, taking another sweet sip of her blood from the love mark. She was sated, he could taste that in the blood, but also she was exhausted.

Remembering how his father and InuYasha's mother had seemingly been able to go all night, SesshouMaru felt a sudden alarm at Kagome's catharsis. Was she ill or had he maybe hurt her worse than he'd originally thought? Was there something about him, his body or seed that caused her body to shun more attention? He rolled off her but kept close, stroking her softly.

She winced in pain when he withdrew, but figured he had missed the expression when SesshouMaru began running his hand over her length. She was half way to sleep when his husky words came back to her. He was ready again? So soon?

Cracking an eye, Kagome surveyed his form where he lounged on the bed. SesshouMaru smiled down at her and leaned over for a deep yet chaste kiss.

"You're really ready to go again," she asked when he drew back for breath.

Chuckling slightly, SesshouMaru reached behind and pulled the bedding loose. He covered them both, settling Kagome close on his shoulder with one heavy leg over her hip. "I will be when you are, but that does not limit my want." He snuggled her body close, reveling in the feel of her trust and nearness.

"Was it not...I mean, were you d-disappointed," she whispered.

He chuckle again and kissed her temple. "I was not unsatisfied, though I do wish it had been less painful for you." She nodded, understanding and relieved that he had enjoyed himself, but didn't relax completely. Not quite yet.

"What is it? What keeps your mind from me?"

She blushed which he felt more than saw. "We didn't use protection," Kagome muttered, squishing her face into the crook of his neck.

"Protection?"

"Against pregnancy." He could just make out her words and hugged her close when she drew a shuddering breath.

Did she fear carrying his pup? Was that it? "I would have it no other way, love." He stroked her hair and tilted her face to look at his. "You might not conceive this time," he qualified and was strangely hurt when relief flashed into her eyes. "But we will have pups together, Kagome. I told you motherhood was one of the things I expected."

"But half-breeds?" The worry in her was that he would not love them because of their human heritage. She knew how poorly SesshouMaru got along with InuYasha and dreaded more than anything for that same rift to develop between him and his yet unborn children because of her race. "I don't want them if you'll hate them for being hanyou."

He hugged her when the tears came now, suppressing his own relief and hiding it from her as well. She was the miko of legend and would never bear him half-breeds; all their children would be full youkai and be capable more power than even SesshouMaru's sire had attained.

Cooing to her softly, he reassured her that any life they created he would cherish fully and until his death. She didn't need to know at this point that there was another reason why he'd chosen her. Though in the legends she was specifically named to be mortal, SesshouMaru would have never thought to take a human lover.

All that he knew or had ever known were weak of heart and mind, dirty, and always seemed to display a general lack of common sense. Kagome was different just based on who she was, her personality, but also because of what she meant to him.

When her breathing evened and the tears stopped, SesshouMaru too settled himself for a night of rest. It was near midnight, not that he had been sleeping well of late anyways, but something inside him said the rest of tonight would different. He had tasted that fantasy of his dreams, held her still in his arms even now, and SesshouMaru was willing to wager that the images that came to him this eve would be far different than before.

Tonight he would dream of their future, of that he was sure.

TOP

Chapter 5:

Jaken made his way through the thick underbrush on the outskirts of InuYasha's Forest. He detested having to ask the half-breed bastard son of his former lord for help, but the miko witch's magic was too powerful for the lower youkai to combat. He needed more powerful assistance to free his master from the woman's grasp.

Though the night was moonless he could see well enough to find the well near which SesshouMaru had taken the witch. Pausing only long enough to cringe at the hovering aura of the spot, he hurried on towards the nearby human village, unaware of the eyes that followed his movement.

InuYasha was sure to be around, he had heard tale that if the hanyou wasn't out adventuring for the Shikon-no-Tama he was within the boundaries of this very forest, so now it was only a matter of finding the brat. Sniffing about at the base of an enormous tree, Jaken only faintly heard the whistling arrow before it struck into the trunk next to his head.

"Ah!" He jumped back from the shadowed figure that was notching another arrow and taking aim, this time at his heart. "Wait! I am seeking InuYasha!"

His attacker didn't move and kept the arrow poised to strike. It was a surprise to hear a woman's voice drift to him on the night's breeze. "What do you want with him?"

"I seek his aide and that is all you need to know, wench!"

The bow creaked in complaint as she drew the arrow tighter. His bulbous eyes widened even more as he realized it would go all the way through him and into the trunk beyond, pinning him there for any wild animal to come by and devour. Such a humbling death for the loyal servant of a powerful lord.

"NO!" There was no choice.

"My master has been trapped in a spell cast by InuYasha's miko witch; I need him to come for her and release SesshouMaru-sama," he finished in a defeated tone. As though asking the help of any other being was more than he could stand, he had to endure this woman while she made up his mind whether or not to kill him. Definitely humbling.

"InuYasha will not help you," she said at last, the bow relaxing in her hand. Though she kept it at ready the weapon was no longer pointed to kill Jaken.

The youkai thumped his staff in frustration on the ground. "I will take it up with him, woman! Now show me to the hanyou," he growled a noteworthy feat for a toad.

"Silence, or you will draw his attention to us!"

She listened for a second to the forest, searching the night's whispers for any indication that their dealings had been discovered. Finally satisfied, she put her bow and arrow away and came close enough to Jaken for him to sense the undead quality of her aura.

"I will help you deal with this witch, but it must not involve InuYasha. He is incapable of such a thing."

Jaken studied the woman, the darkness not completely able to hide her own miko garb. "And why are you willing to help? Of what cost is this girl to you?"

She smiled and he could see the snide glint of her eyes as the creature studied his sudden change of mind. "Let's just say we share a spirit on this matter."

He didn't quite understand but it was good enough. Jaken would never share a spirit with anyone except his SesshouMaru-sama.

~*~*~*~*~

His dreams swirled and lifted in the morning hours. It was not so early as he usually woke, but considering what it was that had kept him up, SesshouMaru was surprised he hadn't slept past dawn. At his side, Kagome sighed in her sleep.

The demon lord watched her silently for a moment, his highly tuned mind reviewing all the information that had come to him since he'd first sought out this woman. Demon legends were sometimes fantastical, much like the one that foretold of Kagome's existence, but SesshouMaru knew that even the most unbelievable were based on a single kernel of truth. Such was the case now.

His sire had told him the story once at a young age, knowing that SesshouMaru admired and idolized his father at such times and had taken every word to heart. He could still feel the warmth from the great demon lord as his deep voice wove a story about a young mortal from a near- distant land that would save all of youkai-kind. Her abilities were amazing, able to dispel the strongest of magic with a flick of her hand or magnify any being's power through her love and trust.

SesshouMaru had been skeptical until his father had said one such human had already existed, a miko that was killed and her soul given into the creation of the Shikon-no-Tama. She had not been the one though, for this perfect miko would not be susceptible to the plagues of mankind, she was above it, almost divine in her wisdom and power.

Kagome mumbled in her sleep and rolled away from him. He smiled and curled his body behind hers, satisfied when she softly said him name.

"I did not mean to wake you." He nuzzled into her hair, both arms tightening about her and drawing their bodies flush.

She was snoozing still, caught in that landscape between dreams and life, and every so often he felt her return to the present. "What time is it?" She groaned lightly at his whispered reply of 'early' but did not push him away. Kagome was still caught in her memories of last night.

He could smell the arousal on her and took advantage of it. Using his hands on the front of her body and his mouth to tease and caress the sensitive skin at her nape, SesshouMaru slowly blended reality with passion, bringing them both to a quick and heated peak. He wanted her instantly, had since the moment of his awakening, and pushed her to return the desire and need.

When Kagome reached for him, SesshouMaru rolled her forward to her stomach and came to his knees behind her. He placed soft kisses along the length of her spine to the dimples just above her bottom. The form beneath him quivered from his ministrations and she moaned low in her throat. The sound had him lifting her to hands and knees before him. Covering her body with his, SesshouMaru separated her legs and came into her from behind.

She accepted him fully, pressing back and arching her back in the same motion. It was a wonderful fullness that met her action, and Kagome moaned again.

It sounded like heaven, as she felt. He mounted her twice fully, enjoying immensely the little sighs of pleasure she gave when he penetrated. She was a silent lover though, which SesshouMaru's sensitive ears appreciated, so the high-pitched squeak she gave when he reached around to grasp one nipple gave him pause. If she'd been facing him, Kagome would have seen his expression contort briefly into a wince.

"Don't do that," he intoned while massaging her breast. Soft laughter was the only answer she gave.

Confused and immensely interested as to what she found humorous in the situation, he drew out and rolled her over. Capturing a quick kiss SesshouMaru settled on top of her, using his body to increase her arousal without entering her quite yet. He would have some answers first.

"What is so entertaining," he asked, amusement in his own voice.

Sparkling eyes heavily laden with passion gazed deep into him. It was silly, he told himself, but it felt as though she touched his soul.

A slight smile curved her lips and she drew breath to speak. "The same could be said to you". Kagome had to hold in her giggles as the confusion in his eyes increased. "I was 'encouraged' to make that noise, you could say."

"Ah, I see. And can you be 'encouraged' to make other sounds too?" He began trailing a light claw down her side. Kagome squirmed beneath him; her smile increasing the lower he drew his hand.

With a look of coy female mischief, she dropped her gaze to focus on his chest. "I suppose," she mused, not quite able to contain the teasing turn of her lips. "What would you like to hear?"

He was bringing his hand back up her body. "My name," he said, enjoying how she licked her lips when he leaned closer. "Over and over and over, Kagome."

With one hand on his shoulder and the other at his neck, she pulled him down to the kiss. "I can manage that," she sighed into his mouth before letting the morning finish itself off. Completely.

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Chapter 6:

To be continued...