Author's Note: Fair warning you guys, this gets VERY explicit and could be considered kinky in a few different ways – so if intense lemony goodness is not your thing, feel free to skim or even skip. You have been warned.

They cuddled together for a while, but that buzz sitting in Kagome's chest never seemed to go away. The link between them vibrated like a pot of glowing fireflies, and she basked in the feeling of being so tightly connected to the person she loved. It was exhilarating and scary and comforting and warm and so many other things she wouldn't even know how to begin to explain the sensation.

Through their soul-deep connection, she could feel Inuyasha's conflicting feelings too, how he was chomping at the bit to get to the next stage of actual lovemaking, but at the same time was also perfectly content and happy with holding her like this. To be honest, she felt much the same way, only her emotional cocktail was still spiced with some shyness and some nerves. She knew he could feel her heart the way she felt his, so he was privy to her wedding night jitters - which to be honest was kind of a relief. Hopefully he would take his time and go slow.

To her surprise he was also a little anxious, and that helped her to ease up some as well, knowing that they were in the same boat. It made sense, though she had never really expected the bold, confident, brash, and impulsive Inuyasha to get skittish around sex, but he was a virgin too and this was kind of a big deal. They had done stuff sure, but never actually got naked together or really touched each other's most private areas directly. It seemed there was still enough new stuff to be explored tonight to make even him nervous.

So cuddling helped both of them to calm down some, being that it was something they had done many times before. It was known territory and it gave them some solid footing to go off of.

Cuddling though, brought up a few problems and discomforts, the large one being that Kagome's wedding Kimono was not made to be in the neighborhood of comfortable pajama clothes. It was unyielding, and after a few minutes one arm began to fall asleep where the sleeve was cutting off her circulation and the band around her waist had tightened enough that it was constricting her breathing just a tad.

So, the first order of business would be to remove her clothing, which wasn't too unnerving since she wore a very thin slip underneath from her time period.

To accomplish this task, she somewhat awkwardly and also carefully maneuvered her way into a kneeling position on the bed, making sure not to harm the beautiful garment in any way. The last thing she wanted was to pull out one of the meticulously resewn seams.

Inuyasha picked up on her intentions quickly as she perched on her knees and reached behind her to attempt to finagle the obi, which was a tedious job for her since she was distinctly unfamiliar with them.

After a few minutes of watching her fussing blindly and making faces he finally snorted and said, "Need some help?"

"Yeah…" She sighed in defeat, and shuffled on her knees in a circle so he had access to her back.

He didn't exactly know what was what either, but at least he had a better view of it so he could see what he was doing. It still took some time and a few cusses from her new husband, but eventually the material went slack and then slithered into her lap with a plop of silk.

"Finally! Stubborn little fucker…"

Kagome couldn't help but laugh. Always the charmer. "How romantic Inuyasha…" She snorted, teasing him lightly.

She shuffled back around in time to see his cheeks glow pink. "Well it was." He stubbornly insisted by way of explanation.

"Yeah, no kidding. I don't know how women wear this stuff on a daily basis in these times."

He shrugged. "Dunno, just glad I don't have to wear shit like that."

She grinned.

With the obi off, it was a much simpler matter to peel the heavy silk of the kimonos off, though she did find that she needed to stand to finish the process, since they got stuck under her thighs. The material had been rather thick, and so it was a relief to get them off and feel some air on her slightly sweaty skin. But now that they were off, she was left with the problem of where to put them, since she didn't just want to toss them on the floor. The answer was simple of course, and came to her within seconds. With a grin she trotted over to the entryway and carefully hung the garments on the pegs in the wall next to Inuyasha's red robe.

Now she was left in just a thin silk slip with spaghetti straps and a deep V-neck. It was short, only brushing the tops of her thighs, and was sheer enough that Inuyasha could probably see her breasts in the firelight, and she had a little bout of nerves as she turned to walk back to the bed. Still, he had seen her in something just as revealing before, she reminded herself, and so this wasn't a big deal.

His gold stare was slightly unnerving though in its intensity as he observed her on her way back, his eyes sliding up and down her form slowly as if drinking in the sight of her. He had looked at her with that particular glow in his eyes before, a mixture of anticipation, excitement, lust, and wonder, but never quite this intensely. Maybe it was due to the knowledge of what would happen tonight that had made his eyes so sharp, as if he could see right through her flimsy underthings and render her already naked.

His ears perched high on his head and tilted forwards in attention, taking in every soft pad of her feet against the cool stone of the floor, her slightly faster paced breathing, and probably even her racing heart.

Finally she made it back to the bed and eased herself down on it with a sigh, but couldn't quite bring herself to relax entirely. She would like to cuddle some more, but felt his emotions shifting, growing more intent through their new bond. He was gearing up for more than simple snuggles, that much was blatantly obvious.

She didn't lie back down, and he had sat up some, so they were now face to face sitting on the bed, looking at each other with the obvious question of 'what now?' hanging in the air between them. Kagome almost expected Inuyasha to pounce on her, given the hunger in his gaze and the lust she could feel simmering across their bond. Instead though, he eased closer to her, taking it slow, judging her reactions with a stare that had softened just a little.

The warm skin of his palm came into contact with her cheek as he lightly caressed her face, and then he softly asked, "Can I kiss you?"

It was so out of character for him really, though he had been soft and gentle with her before, that she had to process his question a few times before answering. The fact that he was going this slow made her finally relax again, and she nodded with a soft hum of approval in her throat.

The kiss was gentle, tentative, explorative, almost like a first kiss in a way. He was testing the waters, pressing light almost teasing kisses to her lips first before sealing his moth to hers in a warm soft caress. The kiss matched the previous question in its consideration for her. Kagome melted into it, kissing him back with every bit of feeling that swelled within her.

She could feel his tight restraint and how much he was holding himself back; but at the same time she could feel all the soft mushy emotions that he kept so locked up flowing across their bond as well. The tender feelings resonated with her own and made them puff up higher, lighter, and warmer like a pastry in an oven.

She felt no hesitation in parting her lips and deepening the kiss. Inuyasha tasted of sake and the food they had eaten shortly before, and she probably tasted exactly the same, but neither of them were bothered by it. It was warm and wet and slowly grew more heated as they teased and played with each other's tongues in what could be considered a game or perhaps a rhythmic dance of giving and receiving.

When they parted it was with heavy quick breaths and a line of moisture that connected the two before breaking and wetting their lips. Kagome found that ever so slightly gross, while it only seemed to excite Inuyasha further.

They stared at each other, each taking in the other's reaction.

After a moment of contemplating each other, Kagome decided that he still had on too many clothes, which she deemed as unfair. So, she reached out a hand and wrapped her fingers around the collar of his white kosode, watching him carefully for his reaction. He sucked in a breath and his eyes widened slightly, apparently surprised that she was taking the lead. When he didn't protest - not that she could imagine him protesting - she inched even closer until she was essentially sitting on his knees as she explored the garment and eventually her fingers hunted out the ties holding it together. She busied herself with undoing those, blushing just a little as she did, but found the activity of undressing him surprisingly exciting.

Inuyasha sat there, patient for once, and let her undress him, only helping when she opened up the white shirt and slid it off his shoulders, at which point he shrugged his arms out of the sleeves and tossed it to the ground somewhere. Hopefully not on the fire.

That left him in his red hakama, and she found herself quickly enthralled with exploring his upper body with her suddenly curious and slightly greedy fingers. She had touched him before of course, but she hadn't ever been given the opportunity to just feel him like this and explore all the little dips and ripples of muscle that wrapped around his lean frame. He was not bulky, not muscular like the movie stars and body builders and models back home. Instead, his relatively slender frame was laced entirely by tight tendon and undulating lean muscles that he got from being on the road and fighting for his life daily. Really, he was perhaps a bit too thin, despite the fact that he ate so much, but he used every ounce of the energy he consumed in the exhausting fights and physically demanding life he led. The muscle he possessed was not for show, it wasn't swollen from hours spent in a gym, it was for use and that gave him the same lean wiry structure as a wild animal, a predator probably. He wasn't weighed down by extra bulk that did nothing but flex.

Kagome found him utterly beautiful. He was graceful in a way that superficially muscular men back in her time were not. Every muscle that she touched tensed and quivered under her touch, in a show of muscle control she doubted a body builder would possess.

And he was plainly enjoying every second of it, every tiny caress of her fingers, as his eyes slid shut and he started chewing on his bottom lip a little with one of his fangs. She could sense that it took him a great deal of control to keep himself still for her, but at the same time she could also feel the immense pleasure he took from the soft strokes of her fingers upon his skin.

She took the time to trace the few scars that had stuck around after all the battles, and as always she was amazed by how few there were. They were all faint and slightly raised, but hard to see, and she had to follow some of them more by touch than by sight. Having started at his neck and shoulders, she traveled down his body and eventually found herself grazing her fingers across his stomach. She grinned when the light touch prompted his abdominal muscles to jerk, tighten, and then quiver, almost as if she tickled him.

"Are you ticklish?" It wasn't a question that had ever occurred to her to ask, but now she was curious.

"N-no…" He stuttered, and she wasn't quite sure she believed him.

Experimentally she switched her light touches to a more firm one and gently scratched at his belly – mindful of her tiny claws – in a way that would undoubtedly cause someone who was ticklish to keel over with a howl of laughter. What she got however was not snickers or chuckles or guffaws, but rather a low gravelly moan that was distinctly not the sound of someone being tickled. His whole body jerked a little, and she felt one of his thighs twitch. Through their bond she could feel a blast of pleasure and also of shock.

It wasn't a response she had expected in the slightest, but after a moment of astonishment she considered it for a moment. Curiously, she gave him a few more belly scratches and got much the same sort of thing – some moans and twitches that looked and sounded like she was touching something significantly less innocent than his belly. With a groan he flopped back onto the bed, nearly unseating her as his legs unfolded. She was bumped up to all fours as his thighs pushed up to let his legs straiten and she caught herself with her palms on his chest. Once he had finished the position change, she cautiously sat on his thighs.

He seemed to be blushing and his ears were pinned back in embarrassment. His eyes were closed and he was still chewing on his lip, and now his fingers had tangled themselves into the furs piled high under them.

She decided to try this new thing one more time before asking about it, and so slid her hands down his chest to rub at his stomach again, thoroughly enjoying the marvelous groping of his muscles as she did so. The gentle tummy rubs got a sigh and he melted under her, but as soon as she switched back to light scratches he tensed up and bucked with a yelp, his body convulsing under her again as if she was doing something to the erection she could see clearly outlined in his pants.

It was an interesting discovery, and as she continued the experiment she noted that one thigh was spastically twitching under her butt. His head tossed to the side, and he released his lip from his teeth so he could pant and whine into the furs.

Deciding to give him a little breather, she stopped the scratching and went back to stroking instead. He instantly relaxed again with a sigh.

"So….I'm guessing that's not you being ticklish, huh?" She teased lightly, and he squinted one gold eye to give her a look.

"No. Obviously not."

"You seemed surprised. Did you not know about this?" She asked, giving a scratch in example.

The one stroke got a gasp and his neck arched back just a little, since apparently he hadn't expected it. "Guh…n-no, didn't know about that. Makes sense but…yeah, kinda a shock to the system…" He said, slightly brokenly since he was still breathing hard.

It did indeed make sense. He was a dog-demon, and dogs loved having their bellies scratched.

Moving on from the delightful discovery, Kagome trailed her fingers over his lower most abdomen and then traced the band of his hakama and explored the open sides. She had been tempted by the view of his hips every time he was only dressed in these damn pants, and so she finally allowed herself to stroke the exposed skin with a slight shiver of delight and a grin. He seemed to like it too and his hips flexed into her palms, causing her to have to brace herself with her thumbs on his hipbones and the ridge of muscle beside them.

As before, she found that touching him and watching his pleasured responses aroused her to an insane degree, in the same way she had loved playing with his ears. It seemed that her shyness had eased up a great deal and now only still kicked into effect when it was her on the other side of the situation, being touched. It was a relief to know that she had at least gotten past some of her embarrassment and bashfulness.

Still…touching the erection that she could so clearly see still prompted a blush as she contemplated it; but her curiosity and desire to explore him further won out over her slight resurgence of inhibitions. One hand lifted off his hip and moved to hover over the hard-on, but before she made contact she stalled and glanced up, flushing even hotter when she saw Inuyasha's wide, blisteringly hot eyes staring back at her.

"C-can I…?" She asked, feeling it was only polite.

"Fuck yes, please."

She was slightly startled by the urgency and eagerness in his now very husky voice, and was also a bit shocked by just how much it turned her on. She also wasn't sure she had ever heard him say 'please' like that, if ever, and certainly not in a tone that was so close to begging.

So, she somewhat timidly placed her hand on the ridge showing through his hakama. He tensed up but didn't make any other response to her just laying her hand over him, though she noted that his flush heightened a tad. After a moment, she initiated exploration of this unknown territory, and gently curled her hand around him through the material of his pants. He was warm, and firmer than she had imagined a penis would be, and he pulsed once in her light grip. She assumed the pulsing was a rush of blood that she could feel flooding into the body part under her palm and stiffening it even further, which startled her. In her surprise, she squeezed him as her hand jerked. That got a gasp from him and caused his erection to kick in her palm.

She didn't expect him to twitch like that, didn't even know it was possible, and squeaked a little, which got a choked laugh from him.

"Hey!" she protested, blushing a little more as he snickered at her reaction. "I was just surprised! I didn't know it could…move."

That only made him laugh harder. It was funny, and she could see the humor in it, but after a second she decided to stop him, and did so by giving him a very firm squeeze. His chuckles cut off instantly on a gasp and a slight moan as his hips twitched up.

Now that they were back on the same page, she resumed her exploration, getting an idea of the size and shape of him. She was relieved that he wasn't monstrously sized, and that he wasn't too small either. Really, it was a bit larger than she had expected and felt like it must be above average – not that she had anything to compare it to – but he was certainly long and thick enough to cause a little spark of concern in her mind. If this was going to go in her, and she had trouble with two of her own fingers…this was going to hurt. He was definitely bigger than two fingers, certainly longer – but that wasn't really the problem. It was more the width that concerned her, since that would be the measure to which she would have to stretch … and she was less than stretchy. In fact, accommodating him without a good deal of tearing would be impossible.

Still, despite the worries now gnawing at her in the back of her mind, she focused on the present situation and her enjoyment of touching him. Being able to feel him like this, so intimately, sent shudders of awareness down her spine and set her pulse at a very quick rate. She knew she was flushing, and some of that was probably still a certain amount of timidity, but largely it was just from excitement now. Especially as she gripped him more firmly and gave him a few experimental squeezes and tugs.

The firmer touches got some small sounds from him, and his body rippled under hers as he rolled his hips up into the strokes. Sitting on his thighs as she was, it was kind of like riding a carrousel horse, but one that jerked around a little bit.

He let her touch him like that for a few more minutes and then with a growl his hand wrapped around her wrist in a firm grip.

"Okay…gotta stop now. If…if you keep that up, I might lose control and initiate the mating ceremony, and you're not quite ready for that yet."

With that handy-dandy bond, she could tell he was right. His control had withered somewhat, and now he was holding himself together with threads. It was a bit shocking really, now that she was paying attention to what she could sense across their mated connection instead of focusing all her attention on his dick. There was some primal stuff going on inside him that was utterly foreign to her, instincts that were fighting tooth and nail to gain dominance over him and force him into claiming her right this minute. She was stunned into releasing her grip on him and he gently removed her hand with that hold on her wrist.

How he could still treat her so gently with those wild instincts running through his blood so strongly, she didn't know.

"So, uh, what exactly should I expect during this mating ceremony thing?" She asked somewhat nervously. She knew it involved sex, but wasn't too sure about the other particulars. Was it a specific kind of sex? Were there certain position and rules and other things to follow?

He sighed, sat up again, and pulled her close. A pair of warm lips started gently pressing kisses up and down her neck and with a shudder and sigh she relaxed just a little, getting distracted.

Distracting her was precisely his intention.

As he caressed her skin with his lips and occasionally his tongue, he answered her question. "I mate with you. It's pretty simple, Kagome."

"That's it?" she said slightly unsteadily.

"Well, I'm also going to claim you again. Probably a few times."

She remembered how that felt and a shudder ran through her in excitement. But her nerves were kicking in again, because she knew that things were going to pick up quickly now.

Those nerves didn't get any better when he mumbled, "And…it'll probably be a little rough."

He was still kissing her neck, his hands stroking her back and easing her tense muscles some. Right now, in this moment, he was obviously willing to go slow and wanted her to enjoy this as much as possible. But she could also feel hints of his claws pricking her through silk, and felt the tenseness of his own muscles underneath her hands, and knew he was basically a tightly coiled spring that could break at any moment. She highly doubted he was going to have the patience necessary to hold off for too much longer.

Her muscles quivered just a little with nervous energy and she frowned, ticked off with herself for being such a coward.

"What's wrong?" He murmured against her collarbone, having felt the tremor go through her.

She didn't respond right away. What she was worried about now was the upcoming pain – though really, it wasn't even the prospect of pain exactly that bothered her the most, so much as it was the idea that she might ruin the experience for them both.

"I guess…I'm just worried." She eventually muttered.

He pulled back and looked her in the face, his eyes bright with lust but also concerned and gentle. "Is it your maidenhead you're worried about?"

She grimaced, flushing a tad. "Yeah. This mating thing…once you start, you probably can't stop right?"

He cocked his head, looking thoughtful for a moment. "The actual mating ceremony? Yes, it would be impossible to stop. Is that what you're afraid of?"

"I guess…I just…I know it's going to hurt, and I'm worried I might…I dunno, ruin the ceremony or something."

"Hm. If breaking your hymen is going to hurt that bad then the whole mating bit would be pretty painful for you." He agreed. "And if I wasn't able to stop then it would be really bad for you. It would probably just hurt more and more."

She winced. "Yeah, that's what I was worried about."

He frowned, thinking hard for a moment. "There might be a way to break your maidenhead and then stop before we got too far. But it'll be tricky."

"I'm all ears."

"We'd need to do it now, while I'm still in control of myself. The longer we wait the more likely I am to lose control." He grimaced, obviously unhappy about this fact. "I hate it, but like I said, this first time is going to be rough. I'll be able to wait and go slow any other time, but the initial mating is going to be all instinct. Sorry." His ears drooped as he warned her, his eyes tormented.

She gulped and nodded. "Okay…what do we need to do?"

He took a deep breath. "I'd need to…break through your maidenhead, and only go halfway in. I think if we do it now, I'll be able to stop."

Kagome flinched, not quite ready for that just yet. She was ready, in the sense that she wanted to mate with him tonight, but it seemed like they had only just started. She hadn't expected it quite this soon, so it took her off guard. It was too rushed, and sparked her nerves back full-force.

"I'm not…ready for that yet Inuyasha…"

He nodded, being able to feel that well enough through their bond. After a bit he asked with a slight flush, "If you don't mind me asking, how did it go? You know, when I walked in on you that one time?"

She blushed a little too, but not as much as she once would have. Clearing her throat in slightly uncomfortable manner, she said, "You mean, how far did I get?" At his nod, she thought about it. "Well…not as much as I had hoped to be honest. I could only get up to two fingers. And barely at that."

They both blushed a bit more at her candidness, and Inuyasha was the one who cleared his throat this time. Licking his lips, he grabbed one hand and looked at it, obviously trying to judge the size of her fingers and probably comparing them to his own equipment.

"Well…I could try." He hesitantly offered a moment later.

It took her a second to understand. "Try…Oh! You mean with your fingers?"

He nodded and then added, "It might be too dangerous though, I could cut you." She glanced at his long claws where his hand was still wrapped around hers.

"Cutting actually might not be such a bad thing…it might hurt less."

Inuyasha gave her a stern look. "Using my claws intentionally is not an option, Kagome. I'm not a mid-wife; I wouldn't know what to cut and what not to cut."

She winced. "Good point."

"But I can still try using my fingers, just very carefully. And you'd have to stay perfectly still."

She chewed on her lip, thinking about the offer. She honestly wasn't sure she'd be able to stay perfectly still with his fingers in her. And she could feel how thin his control stretched right now. Though she trusted him completely and knew he wouldn't hurt her, undoubtedly it would put a lot of stress on him to have to do something so very, very delicate while also fighting his instincts. It would just be borrowing trouble.

Finally she shook her head no. "I don't think that's the best idea…I'm not sure I could stay still enough, and I know how tough it would be for you."

He blew out a relieved breath through his nose. But then he frowned. "So…what then? How do you want to…?"

She swallowed thickly, weighing her options. They could risk fooling around some more to get her as aroused as possible she supposed, which might ease the eventual mating. But if they did that, she doubted Inuyasha would be able to stop. Or they could try just breaking through her maidenhead as he had suggested … but if they did that, he had said they'd have to do it now. It might work out okay; she was still quite wet from touching him - though she didn't know how far it would go, now that she was all nervous. Still, despite the fact that it felt way too rushed, that option did seem like the better idea.

At the same time though, she had been waiting to consummate their relationship for so long that she wanted it just as badly as he did. It was just nerves and concern about the pain that was holding her back at this point.

After a moment, she confirmed, "If we…did the first thing you suggest. We'd have to do it now? Like…right now?"

He didn't even have to answer verbally; just talking about it had caused a surge in his instincts so strong that Kagome could feel it loud and clear. He was holding himself back, but his control was waning quickly. The last thing either of them wanted was for his instincts to overwhelm him and cause a forced mating.

Even though it was unnecessary, he still answered her.

"Yeah…" he mumbled softly with a pained expression. Obviously he hated the fact that he didn't have better control over himself, and she could feel a surge of guilt, regret, and anger directed at himself taint their connection.

She was quick to stop that, because though this particular part felt like it was going too fast, she didn't want it to ruin the experience for either of them. There was no way she wanted him to have all those negative emotions clouding their first time together.

"Hey…don't worry. It's not your fault." She soothed, and felt him gear up for a bit of posturing as he normally did when being called out for having a 'weak' emotion. She cut off that knee-jerk reaction too by reaching for his face and kissing the crinkle between his eyebrows. As she pressed her lips to his face, she whispered, "I want this too, remember?"

He relaxed some, and the guilt eased in their bond.

Feeling bad about rushing Kagome and the inevitability of hurting her had dampened his desire and instincts, but as soon as those negative emotions went away, the prevalent heat came back, urging him to finish the bond between them. Time was definitely growing short, so they would have to do this quickly.

In a swift move he had flipped them so that Kagome was lying beneath him. "Ready?"

Sucking in her breath, she felt her pulse pound out of control, but nodded. She was almost dizzy at the speed things were moving now, but she suppressed her discomfort and tried to just take some deep breaths and hopefully relax some.

Inuyasha didn't waste another second. Her panties were quickly removed, before she really even knew what was going on, and she flushed, grateful that he left the slip at least to give her some modesty. Not that it really mattered at this point of course, but it did ease some of the rushed nature of it.

She expected him to just go for it, knowing his personality, but surprisingly once he settled between her legs he paused and lowered his head, kissing her neck again. His hot breath and mouth made her shiver, especially since she hadn't expected the caress. His mouth worked its way up her neck and over her jaw to her lips, settling in there and stroking against hers. His tongue pressed into her mouth, successfully distracting her from his hands fumbling at the closure of his hakama.

She sighed into the kiss, relaxing somewhat and letting herself be distracted - welcoming it in fact. This was going to hurt, there was no getting around that really. She had torn as much as she could, but her hymen was going to be a pretty bad road block for them both. Undoubtedly, he could get through it easily with his demon strength, but it wasn't going to be fun in the least for her. So she was happy to not be worried about it for the brief moments before it happened.

After a moment, she felt the slightly furry material of his pants droop against her legs, and knew he had managed to successfully undo the tie at the front, sending them sliding down his legs to pool around his knees. That meant that he was exposed, and she was exposed, and now there were absolutely no barriers to prevent him from coming into direct contact with her. With that knowledge, she was expecting the pressure against her but still jumped when she felt hot skin against her lower set of lips, the touch definitely not from fingers or any part of the body she was accustomed to. She knew good and well what was nudging against her, insistently working its way in between her folds to where it could press against her maidenhead.

Given that there had been no direct skin to skin contact between either of their private parts before, the realization that he was touching her sexual bits,and that correspondingly she was touching his, sent her pulse through the roof and she sucked in a sharp, deep breath. The darkest flush to date spread from her face to her neck. Her air got stuck in her lungs and she unknowingly held it there, trapped, as he found where he was supposed to go in. With the slight give in that spot, he was able to wedge himself into place, which allowed the hand that she realized must have been guiding him to come back up and fist into the furs beside her head.

She didn't realize she was holding her breath until his head dipped and he gave her a sharp nip under her jaw, making her release her breath with a puff of air.

"Breathe, Kagome." He murmured into her ear and she sucked in more air, nodding silently.

She felt him press in a little more and clenched her teeth at the unpleasant pinching, stretching sensation. It was bordering on pain now and he wasn't anywhere close to entering her fully. She could very distinctly feel where her hymen was still intact and was blocking him, like a tight rubber band encircling the entrance, making it way too small.

He rocked a little against her, and she felt more than heard the deep growl in his chest. She didn't know whether the sound was out of aggravation or arousal, or some mix of the two. He was stalled some by a slight lack of wetness now, her arousal from earlier only having gone so far and now getting more sticky than slippery. She wasn't the only one to realize that though, and she jerked, nearly dislodging him as his hands settled over her still clothed chest. His thumbs found her nipples and stroked them, making them hard through the silky thin slip.

Back arching into the caress, she gasped almost forgetting about the discomfort for a brief moment. His mouth found hers again and she sighed into the kiss, the heat and wetness of it also serving to divert her from what was going on. The feeling of his lips against hers was a pleasurable distraction, and along with his fingers on her breasts she felt moisture once more gathering where he was pressed up against her. That helped ease his way a little more, and he pressed forwards some, reminding her sharply of the purpose of this whole exercise.

She winced at a severe pinching feeling that signaled she tore a little. He paused as well and she felt and heard him take a deep breath through his nose, and realized that he must smell her blood. After a brief moment he inched forwards again and she flinched as she felt another sharp twinge. He froze and another rumble escaped him.

She was beginning to feel like the best way to do this would be in one clean stroke, because they weren't getting anywhere like this, and judging by the way Inuyasha's muscles were quivering he was reaching the end of his rope. So, with a deep fortifying breath, she murmured, "Just do it Inuyasha."

He froze and pulled back to look her square in the eyes, a question in the golden depths. Eye contact during this particular activity only worsened the already quite hot blush staining her face, neck, and chest now, but she somehow met his gaze and repeated the request.

Taking a deep breath, he dipped his head back down once again, this time burying his face in her neck. After a second he nodded, one fuzzy ear-tip tickling her cheek as it stroked up and down, and he whispered, "…okay."

She didn't even have the time to tense up because he did exactly what she told him to right then and there. Her hand slapped over her mouth and she bit her palm to muffle the loud cry that escaped her throat at the sudden tearing sensation. As expected, his demon strength had forced his way past the barrier as if it was tissue paper, and the sensation had been akin to being stabbed. It was more painful than she had expected really, though she had certainly dealt with worse. But it was a different sort of pain and was very, very invasive.

Inuyasha froze as soon as he broke past the barrier. That didn't sit well with her, because she really wanted him out now. This invasive deep aching and sharp stinging was like nothing she had ever experienced before, and she wasn't certain how to handle it. She desperately needed to not have anything inside her at the moment.

Her heels dug into the mattress and her thighs quivered at how hard she was trying to force herself to stillness, given that her first urge was to try and shove herself back and away from the thing piercing her. Every inch of her cringed, and she did her very, very best not to cry, though her eyes were full of moisture ready to spill over her eyelashes. Crying was the last thing she wanted to do because she knew it would affect him so deeply.

He undoubtedly could feel her pain through their connection, and knew how much she wanted him to withdraw.

"Hold on, just a little longer. Don't want your maidenhead to heal solid again…" He grated, his voice tight and coming from behind gritted teeth.

It made sense, with her enhanced demon healing abilities, if he withdrew too fast her hymen might just heal over again the way it was before and then they'd have to do this all over again. So, she took some deep breaths and tried to focus on something other than the pain in her groin. After a moment that seemed to last forever, he very slowly withdrew, pulling a pained groan from her. The movement caused a similar sound to come from him, but for a different reason.

She felt a wave of relief from the lack of pressure inside her and heaved a sigh, lying still and lifeless. Up until she felt her slip being lifted and her limp legs spread. She struggled to raise her head - wondering what the hell Inuyasha was doing - and then flinched and yelped at the sensation of his tongue and the sight of his head between her legs. Abruptly forgetting her pain, she started struggling to free her legs and shove his head away at the same time.

"Wh-What are you doing!? Inu-Inuyasha! Stop that right now!"

Mainly it was shock and embarrassment that fueled her reaction. At a snarl from him though she froze, which wasn't entirely her choice since it was also his clawed hands holding her down that partially forced her stillness.

"Hold still! I'm healing you damn it!" He barked from his place between her legs and then proceeded to lick her torn opening.

She winced, the sensation rather painful in fact. She couldn't decide if it was better or worse that she wasn't getting pleasure form the act. On the one hand, writhing around, producing fluids, and moaning would have been more embarrassing. But on the other hand, she felt like if she was going to go through this discomfiture she should at least get something out of it. The point was moot anyways. The pain started fading finally and she sighed, relaxing some simply from relief.

Inuyasha pulled away, blood and other things smearing his chin and lips. Kagome scowled and flushed, embarrassed all over again. Inuyasha noticed her expression and snorted, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "You are so freaking dramatic Kagome."

The fact that he still had an attitude when he was shivering with barely held control was impressive, and Kagome gave him a look. She then proceeded to say the first thing that popped into her head, "Oh please, it's not like you wouldn't have flipped out if I suddenly went down on you with no warning."

His eyes flashed. Apparently the picture that her words painted triggered something within him and she had a split second to realize that maybe she should have kept her mouth shut before she was being flipped onto her stomach and yanked onto all fours by a harsh grip on her hips. His control had finally snapped and she couldn't help but tense in fear as his body landed over hers. A harsh ripping sound split the air in their den. She had a brief moment of shock when she felt his bare skin come into contact with the suddenly bare skin of her back, but she didn't have long to wonder how it was possible because soon the shreds of her slip were fluttering to either side of her on the bed. Well…that explained the ripping sound.

The whole front of her undergarment flopped down to lay useless beneath her, held up by nothing anymore. She only had enough time to suck in a sharp breath of air before his mouth was on her neck. Out of instinct she scrambled to get a little space between them, overwhelmed by the speed of everything, but she didn't get anywhere fast. All her brief struggle managed to get her was a growl and claws lightly digging into her skin as his hands clamped down tight on her hips.

Before she could do much else his teeth had buried themselves into the mark on her neck and she froze as a bolt of lightning seemed to strike her from the inside out. As always the sharp sting hit her first and she cried out in both shock and pain. But then the other sensations flashed through her and she nearly went limp as arousal set to burning within her. An intense heat quickly built up inside her recently very sore bits, until she almost forgot about the pain she had just been through. The throbbing she remembered instantly started up, sending rhythmic pulses in tune with her own fast heart beat thrumming through her from the bite all the way down to her groin, over and over.

Still, despite the sudden melty, whimpering state she found herself in, she wasn't mentally prepared for him to thrust back inside her. When she felt him line up she tensed, the memory of the recent pain zinging through her and making her stiffen, her inside muscles all instinctively tightening. She sputtered a brief protest, but it seemed to go unheard and her words broke off with a squeak as he bit harder into her claim mark and simultaneously pushed inside.

It was still uncomfortable, but the pain from before wasn't there anymore and she breathed out a sigh of relief as she realized the pain she was expecting wasn't coming. She wasn't given too much time to adjust though, because he was already moving. She hissed at the odd, full, stretching feeling as he hit all the way home to the base, the discomfort threaded with pleasure as well. The feelings spreading through her were confusing. The uncomfortable fullness and nearly stingy soreness at the entrance were combined with a pleasurable friction as he rubbed and woke all the previous unknown nerves inside of her. The throbbing heat from his bite never let up either, and the pulses of pleasure made her shudder and clench tighter on him, which in turn made her more aware of him inside.

She found herself panting for breath as the pleasure outweighed the discomfort. It was all she could do to stay on hands and knees as her arms and legs began to tremble.

In a brief moment of absurd clarity she realized, this is really happening. He was really buried to the hilt inside of her, and a shock of awareness sent a zing through her whole body. It had happened so fast that she hadn't really been able to absorb the fact that they were actually having sex, but the realization made her flush bright red. She wasn't given a chance to get shy though, because the knowledge also sent a blast of arousal through her as well, and she found herself letting out a few soft sounds, very tiny moans that she had previously been able to keep bottled up.

And then he hit something deeper within her that sent a zap of sensation through her vagina, making her gasp and yelp as her body bucked of its own accord. A deep growl rumbled against her neck, sending a shock of heat through her from the claim mark. As he sped up she widened her stance, desperately trying to stay upright.

She was already starting to feel more than a little tender and so when she felt something swell within her she was very aware of it and hissed as she jerked. As soon as she felt the odd sensation, Inuyasha froze for a brief moment, slamming all the way home and holding still. His teeth clamped hard on her and held her still, which sent a bolt of arousal through her that forced some sort of sound from her throat which normally would have made her want to hide from embarrassment. She was left panting, her mind wildly trying to find an answer in the muddied depths of squishy mess that once was her brain. It happened fast, something an inch or two into her swelled up into a nearly painfully large ball. She freaked for a second, worried it wouldn't stop and would bust her open, but nearly as soon as it started it had stopped.

And then he started moving again, his thrusts short and fast now, the swollen part of him unable to exit her body anymore, locking them together and reducing his range of motion, forcing him to go deep, hard, and fast. The sensation was overpowering, and her mind ceased to work anymore. Her arms finally gave out and she flopped onto her elbows, her head hanging down bare inches from the bed. He followed, his mouth never leaving her neck and the new angle had a few embarrassing whimpers coming out of her throat.

As good as it felt, it was also starting to edge into the land of soreness, and she started hoping he would finish soon. That didn't seem to be in the cards though, and she realized why he had said there would be no way to stop once he started, because he literally couldn't disengage from her anymore. His claws lightly raked over her hips and his thrusts only got harder and faster. Pressure built up inside her, heat building as he continually banged into that sensitive spot deep inside her and the swollen knot rubbed against another sensitive spot an inch or two in. Her thighs were trembling now and she could barely hold herself up. If he hadn't been holding her so hard she probably would have collapsed already.

Overwhelmed, she found her eyes watering uncontrollably, almost like she had sneezed or yawned too many times, and she felt tears slipping down her cheeks for no reason outside of too much sensation pelting her body. The pressure built up and then broke, a wave of blistering warmth washing over her, a blast of sensation akin to an orgasm but not quite. The overwhelming sensation forced a cry from her throat and she shuddered, her thighs finally giving out and forcing Inuyasha to wrap an arm around her hips to hold her up. She could feel sudden warmth on her thighs and worried she had accidently wet herself somehow, but wasn't given the time to be embarrassed about her sudden overabundance of fluids.

Whatever had happened only seemed to spur Inuyasha on harder and he pounded into her with extra vigor, building the pressure within her swiftly again. Unlike an orgasm she wasn't sated and only felt more aroused than before. She didn't know how much more she could take. The pressure built and broke again, and once more she felt liquid coming from her in alarming amounts. She flushed, wondering if she shouldn't be utterly embarrassed by this situation she found herself in. She couldn't keep her moans quiet anymore, despite trying to muffle them into the bed.

Thankfully he seemed to hit critical mass and his thrusts soon became jerky and rough, that knot within her swelling a bit more and locking him into place against her. She whined at the sensation, feeling like she was going to tear again if he kept it up. Thankfully he just seated himself fully within her, his body tight and shuddering against hers. A deep groan followed by a snarl ripped from his chest and vibrated where his teeth were still embedded, sending another pulse of heat through her. She jerked as she felt him twitching and pulsing within her, which was yet another sensation she hadn't expected.

After several minutes, his teeth gently unlocked from her throat and he pulled back, easing the two of them to lie on their stomachs, his body still locked securely to hers. She winced at the shift in position, her arousal flashing at the same time her sore muscles twinged. His tongue lapped at her sore neck, closing the wound there from his fangs.

After a good few minutes she finally felt that knot within her loosen and he finally slipped out of her. Her exhausted mind finally came up with a plausible explanation for the anomaly, putting two and two together and coming up with D O G. He was a dog demon. She knew a little about how dogs mated, and if she remembered correctly there was some sort of knot thing involved … she just never would have expected that to have translated to Inuyasha.

She couldn't really focus on that though, she was too tired and her body was still aroused and clamoring for her attention. In any normal circumstance, she would have undoubtedly orgasmed from the pleasure she had just experienced – especially with him biting her claim mark, since that had nearly sent her into an orgasm all by itself – but with the suddenness of it all she had been too self-conscious to do it. So now she was once again left in a state of arousal and didn't quite know what to do about it. Feeling suddenly awkward and insecure - which she fully knew was utterly ridiculous - she grabbed the fluffy comforter and wrapped it around herself before pushing into a seated position. She wiped the sweaty hair out of her face and turned to look at Inuyasha.

"So was that it? Was that the mating ceremony? Are we mated now? Officially?" She asked, somewhat shakily.

"Well, yeah, technically. But in demon culture, the more times we do it tonight the better. It makes for a stronger mating."

Kagome stared at him, shocked, freaked, unsure, and excited. She frankly didn't really know what to think about that.

"W-wait…you're saying we have to do it again?!"

Inuyasha frowned, almost looking hurt. "What? You didn't like it?" She felt a zap of insecurity go through him and was quick to fix it.

"No! That's not what I meant. Of course I liked it, I just…it was kinda intense ya know? I don't know how much more I can take of that in one night."

Still being aroused wasn't helping her thought process.

He undoubtedly could smell it too, and she tensed a little as he sniffed the air and cocked his head. "You're still aroused, so what's the problem?"

She flushed. "Inuyasha!"

"What?!"

"I told you before! You can't just say things like that!"

He heaved a dramatic sigh. "Getting all bashful again now? After what we just did I would have thought that would go away a bit."

"Hey. It has. Mostly. I'm still just a little bit shy, that's all… but nothing like I used to be. I'm not trying to hide am I?"

"Well I dunno, why are you all huddled up in that blanket?"

"That's because I'm naked! Because someone tore off my slip."

His ears twitched and he flushed ever so slightly. "Fine, fine. Sorry about that." Then, unexpectedly, he stood and slid his already droopy pants all the way off.

She squeaked and looked away, mainly out of force of habit, "What are you doing, Inuyasha?!"

"What is it now?! I'm getting naked too obviously. Now we're even! So there's nothing for you to be embarrassed about."

She kept her eyes closed and bit her lip. Yes, in general, she had gotten over most of her bashfulness - but after the intensity of the experience she just had, she found herself a little shaken and sinking into her old habits somewhat.

She jumped at the sound of his exasperated voice. "You can look at me you know, it's not like it's gonna turn you to stone or nothin'."

Jumping slightly and realizing how ridiculous she was being, she dropped her hands and glanced over at him. He was slightly pink but otherwise didn't seem overly perturbed about it. Her eyes skated down his form, taking in the upper body she knew so well and adding on a great pair of muscular legs and hips and…he had white pubic hair too. That shouldn't surprise her, but somehow it did just a little. His stuff hung there, pretty much the way she expected it to, but adding it onto the whole package made Kagome ever so slightly dizzy. There was too much bare Inuyasha to take in all at once, and it certainly didn't help her arousal dim down at all.

All the while she looked, he stood there patiently and with a mostly unconcerned expression on his face. He seemed pretty calm about the whole thing in fact, which was slightly surprising to Kagome, who had reached for a cover as soon as she was able.

"How are you not embarrassed by me looking at you right now?"

"Why should I be?"

Good point, he had nothing to be embarrassed about. He had a great body after all.

"Still…aren't you a little self-conscious?"

He shrugged. "I guess." Then glanced down, looking contemplatively at his groin, which sported a partial erection. "The only thing I'd be worried about is my dick. It looks a bit different from the human ones I've seen, so I guess I was a little worried it would freak you out. But then again you've already felt the difference, so I figured it probably wouldn't matter really."

He was sort of nonchalant about it, but at the same time there was a real concern hiding inside his carefully neutral voice.

She spent a little more time focusing on that part of his body, intent on reassuring him that it didn't bother her. His penis didn't look that different really. I was basically the same shape and color as the diagrams in all the health books she had seen, which wasn't many to be fair. The only difference was a barely noticeable bulge about an inch or two up the shaft and the way it tapered just a little more than normal from there. Really she hadn't even noticed it until he had mentioned it. Of course she knew that bulge could get a lot bigger and would turn into that odd knot that had formed inside her not too long ago. If she saw that it would probably look pretty odd, but she didn't think it would bother her too much. If anything, she suspected it would fascinate her more than anything.

"It looks pretty normal to me." She said, cocking her head to the side while looking at him. "I mean if that knot part was all swollen it might look a little odd. But it wouldn't freak me out."

He relaxed a little. "Good. I'm glad it doesn't weird you out or anything."

So saying, he plopped himself back on the bed and scooted over to her. Once situated comfortably on his knees in front of her swaddled form, his clawed fingers delicately plucked at the blanket she had wrapped around her naked self.

"Can I see you?"

Biting her lip, she flushed but slowly released her death-grip on the blanket covering her. It was only fair; after all he had bared himself to her gaze. He'd basically seen her naked anyways, so this shouldn't be that big of a deal - except for whatever reason, it kind of was. The blanket slipped from her shoulders and pooled at her lap as Inuyasha gave it a tug, and she shivered as the cool air passed over her skin from the material's swift movement. To keep herself from covering her breasts like she wanted to, she laced her fingers together in her lap.

His golden eyes fixated on her, going from her face to her laced hands and then back up over her body… slowly, leisurely, and his gaze began to burn again. She bit her lip, still not sure about going another round just yet, but judging by the look on his face it was about to happen if Inuyasha had a say in the matter. Warmth blossomed on her chest, signaling that her blush had spread down her neck and now grazed the tops of her breasts, and she gripped her fingers tighter to try and keep herself still. Her muscles tensed of their own accord when he reached forwards, but all he did was snag the blanket draped around her hips and pull it free to expose her lower half as well, which he also perused.

After a long moment, Kagome cleared her throat a little uncomfortably and shifted. "Uh…Inuyasha, this is kinda embarrassing…you just staring at me like this…"

"Sorry. You're just so beautiful I got a little carried away…" He admitted slightly awkwardly, glancing back up to meet her gaze. His ears twitched with embarrassment and a flush painted his cheeks.

Not expecting the compliment, she was left speechless, just blinking at him, until she gathered her wits about her and managed, "Oh, uh, th-thanks." The bright, happy smile and pink cheeks though exposed just how pleased she was at the compliment.

This time when he reached forwards, his hand touched her, grazing her neck and shoulder and sliding his fingers into her hair before hooking his fingers behind her neck and tugging her forwards. She made a small sound of surprise and lost her balance since she didn't expect it, and ended up falling into him. He caught her and could have stayed upright but simply let her knock them both over so that she was sprawled on top of him.

Picking her face up from where it had planted into his chest, she squinted at him and noted the mischievous glitter in his eyes and the slightly toothy smirk. "Hey! That was uncalled for."

"Was it?" He replied ever so snarkily, and then his powerful thighs were bunching on either side of her and his hands had captured her shoulders and he was dragging them both into the center of the bed. She flailed around a bit, but mostly just let it happen since there wasn't really anything she could do to prevent it anyways. As soon as they were where he wanted them, he let her go to flop back down on top of him, her hips nestled against his and her legs draped down between his. Their bare skin was in complete contact, and it didn't take her very long to realize this fact - which had her blushing again and burying her face in his chest.

He started snickering at her, and in protest she mumbled, "Oh, stop it already Inuyasha…" into his skin.

That only seemed to increase the volume in his mirth for a brief moment before he stuffed it away somewhere. His fingers lifted and the very tips of his claws began to card through her hair, the sharp tips very gently scratching against her scalp in a way that sent shivers of pleasure down her spine. She shivered and goosebumps rose up on her skin.

"You like this?" He asked, an odd vulnerability in his voice. She felt a brief flash of it in his soul as well, and risked a glance up through her bangs.

At another wave of shivers she made a little groaning noise and said, "Yeah. That feels awesome."

He flashed a bright grin that told her he was exceptionally pleased to have found something that she liked and he kept at it. With a sigh she let herself melt into him, her bashfulness slowly eking away with the tension. The skin to skin thing was still prevalent in her mind, but now it was more warm and comfortable and she enjoyed the feel of his smooth skin against hers. The hair on his legs and belly was surprisingly soft, and was very pleasant to feel rubbing against her own legs and belly. The whole thing was arousing and sensual, but it was also comforting, soothing, and just really nice. The intimacy of it made warmth glow in her brightly.

His claws eventually left her hair and lightly trailed down the skin of her neck and then onto her shoulders and upper back, where he traced ever-so-light swirly patterns with the points. That also felt amazingly good, and got more shivers and goosebumps and a few small pleased mumbles and whimpers.

After a while she heard his voice rumble out of his chest again where her ear was pressed. "Is this…is it arousing? Or does it just feel good?"

It was a question reminiscent to the ones she had asked him so long ago back when she was first discovering the sensitivity of his ears. She chuckled a little because of that and said, "I'm having a little dejavu here, except I was the one asking questions last time."

Her response got a chuckle, but he was obviously still waiting for an answer to his question.

"Well…It's really nice, and it's definitely stimulating…" She sighed and winced in pleasure as he made a slightly harder pass up her spine. "It's…yeah, I'd say it's arousing. Especially at this particular moment."

Her body hadn't forgotten its arousal, and this strangely seemed to add to it, though it was in a lazy sort of way. It wasn't something that would turn her on super fast, but with her already heightened senses it was definitely very sensual.

Due to how relaxed she was, thanks to the pleasant shivers, she was able to be candid without blushing too much - though her cheeks were stained permanently pink anyways and would probably stay that way for the rest of the night.

"Good to know. It seemed it was, based on your scent."

"So you really can smell when I'm…"

"Aroused? Yeah."

More at ease now, Kagome stacked her hands and rested her chin on them to look up at him. "How exactly? I mean do I produce pheromones or…"

"Well, yeah, you produce more pheromones, and your overall scent gets muskier. But the dead giveaway is the smell of … the cream you produce."

The term 'cream' spurred the memory of when he had teased her about having never tasted her before, and she flushed a little hotter, a little in embarrassment but mostly in arousal this time. Chewing her lip she couldn't keep herself from asking him another question.

"So, uh, what does it…what do I, smell like? Is it nice or..."

He grinned down at her. "You smell very nice. 'Nice' actually doesn't really cover it. You smell…" he paused to take a deep contemplative inhale, which had her nibbling on her lip and pinking even more. "Musky, like sex. Salty, a little sweet. Right now even more salty than usual, from the sweat of our mating, and…I can smell my scent on you. All over." He took another sniff, and groaned, finishing his description with, "– delicious."

As he spoke, his voice grew progressively huskier, and his eyes darkened. If she was in any doubt about what state he was in, the very stiff hard-on digging into her lower abdomen was a dead giveaway, especially as it pulsed against her and his hips gave a little roll.

She gasped, especially at his last word that coincided with his hip roll. Her arousal spiked, matching a similar spike she could feel in his emotional airwaves that she had access to.

Before she knew what had happened, his hands hooked under her armpits and gently dragged her up his body so they were face-to face. The motion had caressed every inch of her skin with his, and got a shudder and gasp from both of them. Once in range, he pecked careful kisses to her mouth, before locking his lips to hers in a deeper, passionate, and yet still languorous kiss. His tongue slowly stroked against hers in a sensual, lazy way that said he was unhurried, satisfied enough to take his time but still aching for more.

The heated caress of his mouth on hers left her breathless when they finally separated, though the space between their lips was minimal. Just enough for him to whisper, "Can we…?"

Though he didn't spell it out, she knew what he was asking, and her body quaked. He felt the tremor, and shifted is lips to her jaw, delicately kissing her in that sensitive spot before going up to her ear and giving it a nibble. "The mating frenzy has eased, so I promise I can be much gentler this time around. We can take our time…enjoy it more fully."

She sucked in a shaky breath, turned on impossibly by his words, and couldn't quite hide the very soft groan that snuck out of her throat. She could feel his lips curve against her skin in a smile.

After another few unsteady breaths she managed to stutter back, "Y-yeah, that's what you said earlier. I just didn't think it would be this soon."

He trailed his nose back along her jaw, inhaling her scent as he went which left a path of cool air in its wake. "Mm-hm," he hummed in acquiescence. "I did. And I very much want to. I didn't really get the chance to explore you properly."

This statement left poor Kagome a bundle of nerves, most of which were on fire and quivering in a distinctly needy way, and she hissed a little, stammering, "E-explore?"

He hummed again in response, nipping her chin a little in a slightly playful manner. "Yeah. And I know you didn't orgasm earlier…in fact you haven't once reached completion. I think it's past time I returned all the favors you've given me, don't you think?"

A deep shudder rippled its way down her spine, while a corresponding clenching of internal muscles rippled their way up inside her. She had sort of been hoping he would think that the two gushings of liquid during their first mating were orgasms. She still wasn't entirely sure what that had been about, if she had urinated or something, and preferred not to think too deeply about it, but had hoped it would fool him. Mostly because she knew that – with guys in her time at least – they tended to sometimes judge how good in bed they were by if they could get a girl off on the first try, and she hadn't wanted to disappoint Inuyasha. Of course she had also sort of hoped that because then he wouldn't try to, and the last little bit of bashfulness she had mostly circled the idea of orgasming around him for some reason.

The question remained though, just how did he know, if he was a virgin?

"Um…how did you know that I didn't…I mean when we were mating I…uh…well…" She just couldn't quite find the words to say "wet the bed twice" and wasn't entirely sure she wanted to draw attention to that in the first place.

What she didn't know of course, was that Miroku had very explicitly described how a woman's internal muscles contracted when she reached the ultimate pleasure. The monk had also mentioned another special event, where a woman would produce large amounts of liquid rather suddenly, accompanied often by moans and/or other signs of intense pleasure. That, he said, was not an orgasm, though sometimes it could provide nearly as much pleasure, and it originated from a spot inside the woman's body. He also assured Inuyasha that though it may seem like it, the liquid in these cases was not urine, and also warned that she may grow very upset and think she had wet herself.

At the time, all this information had seemed unnecessary, explicit, and had shocked and embarrassed the hell out of Inuyasha, but now he was very glad the monk had shared it. Of course, he would have known right away that the liquid that had come from Kagome was not urine - based on its scent - but it did prevent him from misunderstanding it as her orgasming.

At her sputtered denial, or protest, or whatever it was, he grinned, nipping at her neck. He knew she was still bashful about orgasming around him - could feel it plainly through the bond they now shared - and thus knew she was trying to play the events during their coupling off as such. She was dumb if she thought she could get away from him that easy.

Then again, maybe she had never cum before. That was a thought that hadn't ever occurred to him. Maybe she actually thought she had reached two orgasms during their first round.

He huffed against her skin and said, "You do know that those weren't orgasms right?"

She stiffened some and drew back. He could feel the heat radiating from her as her shyness made a another brief resurgence. "I…I…I d-don't really know what those were to be honest."

He could just feel the waves of embarrassment and unsureness rolling off her, and suddenly he knew she thought that she had pissed herself.

He was quick to correct her, hoping she would relax and stop getting so worried about stuff. "You didn't lose your bladder if that's what you're worried about." He said with a sigh. "It smelled entirely different - salty, kind of buttery really, and not in the least like piss."

She flushed even hotter, but something within her relaxed. Her teeth clamped down on her lip again and she worried it with her sharp little fangs. "Y-you're sure? You aren't just saying that to make me feel better?"

The fact that she didn't even question the fact that he knew she was worried about that specific thing made his chest glow. It was proof their bond had tightened enormously, that they could read each other's emotions and the causes of those emotions so easily.

He nuzzled against her, chuffing a little in his pleasure. "Yeah. I'm sure…smelled kinda tasty really."

She predictably squeaked and then lightly smacked at his head. "You are so unapologetically candid!"

He chuckled. "Yep. You should know that by now."

She heaved a very slightly exasperated sigh, but he could taste amusement in her emotions. Then she asked a slightly uncomfortable question. "So…how did you know those weren't orgasms though?"

Grimacing, he admitted, "Well…Miroku may have forced a few pieces of advice on me."

Kagome snickered, delighted that she had been able to force that admission out of him. She had been embarrassed enough that she enjoyed the change and his discomfort. Then she realized something. "So, he told you how to tell if a woman, uh, finishes?"

"Yep," he hummed, nipping along her collarbone.

Well, there went that hope.

Then he countered her question with one that turned the tables on her and had her flushing, once again. "So…were you just trying to trick me into thinking those were orgasms? Or do you just not know what an orgasm feels like?"

She groaned. Damn, he must have picked up on her last bit of bashful territory. "No, I know what an orgasm feels like."

She could feel his grin press against her throat and then without warning his teeth bit hard into her claim mark. The sudden sharp sting of pain and then the sharper sting of pleasure got a very loud sound from her, one which she normally would have muffled and held back, but due to the surprise it came out unfettered. The moan cut off on a yelp at the realization that she had cried out at the shock of pleasure, and she flushed – for the millionth time. The blast of liquid heat was so intense, unexpected, and abrupt that it caused a full body convulsion and her nails bit into his arms.

She had already been aroused, had been for what felt like hours now, and the flash of passion seemed to boil her blood. The fast, insistent pulsing that matched the beat of her heart went from her neck strait to her groin. Tears from an overload of sensation made her eyes water.

It was over quickly though, as Inuyasha released her to slump bonelessly on top of him. After a second of catching her breath, she tilted her head up to glare at him, meeting a very smirky face. "What was that for?!"

"For trying to trick me." He said, his grin only widening. When she just pouted at him, his expression softened a little. "I know you're still shy about that, but you really have no reason to be."

She huffed a groan. "I know that! I know being shy at all is silly, but I can't really help it."

"Well, how about we work on you until that shyness goes away?"

The husky question sent a bolt of heat down to her already overly aroused center, and she could only manage a groan in response. Taking that as an affirmative, Inuyasha upped his attentions, kissing and laving at her neck, spending extra time on her sensitive throbbing claim mark, and as soon as she was a shivering puddle of goo he switched their positions again so that she sprawled out under him. Gasping at the abrupt move, she very nearly bit her own tongue off. Thankfully, her healing saliva helped to ease the pain, but upon smelling the slight scent of blood, Inuyasha was instantly investigating… and finding the source with his own tongue. That naturally led to passionate kissing.

After a bit more of that, Inuyasha released her mouth again and traveled down, kissing and licking at her breasts. That got the start of a protest from Kagome, as her shyness popped up again.

"Wh-what are y- oh! O-okay…"

The protest ended before it even began as Inuyasha lavished his attention on the peaks of her breasts, deciding that he liked kissing and licking and sucking on them. He switched back and forth, using his fingers as well, until Kagome was a wiggling moaning mess, a state which he decided he wanted to keep her in for as long and often as possible. The sounds she made were absolutely adorable and utterly sexy at the same time, and his ears swiveled to pick up every single one. Even the ones she tried to hide.

Once she was in that state, he moved down, kissing her stomach and exploring her belly button with his tongue, and then traveled further until he was pressing kisses over her hips and thighs. It was impossible to mistake his intention. At a new surge of bashfulness Kagome attempted to close her legs on him.

It didn't work.

"Kagome…remember I've seen you here before, what's with the shyness?"

She bit her lip. It was true though, he had looked at her before and even licked her before right after breaking her maidenhead, so this shouldn't bother her. It was embarrassing, but then again, she had seen all of him, so there shouldn't be any reason for her to not let him see her. It took some internal convincing and talking to herself before she managed to calm down from the sudden spell of inhibition. Very reluctantly she let her legs relax from where they had been pressing against his restraining hands.

He didn't look until she had relaxed, but once she did his eyes flicked down and then stuck. His ears trained forwards with intense interest and he cocked his head, staring at the juncture of her thighs with a fasciation that had her struggling to not reconsider.

One of his hands shifted to lightly brush the black curly hair at the top and grazed it along the sides, giving her a slightly tickly sensation and her legs jerked. When those curious fingers found flesh instead of fluff Kagome sucked in a breath and held it, flushing like crazy as he very gently stroked her inner lips before parting them to explore deeper. He was very careful about his claws, but even so she held herself very still, concerned that bucking would result in a scratch somewhere very unpleasant. His fingers trailed up and gently lifted the hood over her clit.

"So…is this the little 'pleasure pearl' I'm supposed to be focusing all my attention on?" he asked, lightly prodding it with the pad of one finger.

That one touch sent a bolt of pleasurable electricity through her, but the sensation was much too sharp given that her clit hadn't really been touched at all this whole time. Kagome yelped rather loudly and Inuyasha had to very quickly remove his fingers as her body jerked, for fear of scratching her.

Then of course his words filtered through and she found herself breathlessly snickering as she cringed back with her legs half-closed again, a hand warding him off. "P-Pleasure pearl? Seriously? I'm guessing that's what Miroku called it, huh?"

Inuyasha was busy staring at her with wide eyes, still shocked by the intensity of her reaction to one little poke. "Um, yeah?"

She decided not to go into semantics at the moment, she simply didn't have the wherewithal or the breath anyways.

"So, I'll take that as a yes, this is what I'm supposed to touch." Inuyasha stated after a moment, already attempting to pry her legs back open.

"Uh, right, but be gentle. And don't touch it directly at first. Please." She pleaded, her nerves still on fire and her legs refusing to part.

"Okay. I'm guessing it's really sensitive huh?"

"Very. Very much so."

He nodded and gave her trembling thigh a sweet kiss. "I promise to be gentle."

Intaking a shuddering breath, Kagome tentatively let her legs fall open again. Then she jumped a mile when he impulsively pressed an apologetic kiss to her on the nerve bundle in question. It was a very light kiss, so it didn't send another shock through her system, but it did feel good, given just how aroused she was. Pulling back a little, he settled down there, looking for all the world like he was setting up shop, and curled himself up comfortably with his head pillowed on her thigh as his fingers gently played with her. He took her request very seriously, and touched her with feather light touches that at first felt fantastic and then began to make her clit almost burn with the need for firmer touches.

It wasn't long before she was biting her lip to try and stifle her moans and her hips were shifting and her thighs were twitching. Taking the hint, his touches finally grew gradually firmer, which drove her even faster into the land of near-orgasm. However, he kept shifting up the way he touched her and it was driving her crazy. She would get close and then he would change rhythm, pattern, or pressure and she would be knocked off course again. By this point, she was so worked up that bashfulness or shyness about cumming wasn't really an issue any more.

Eventually a sound of slight distress came from her, which got his attention, and he stopped. That was the last thing she wanted.

"W-wait, don't stop!" She yelped before she could stop herself, and then blushed, her inhibitions coming back.

He grinned. "I'm not. But first tell me what's bothering you."

"B-bothering me?"

"That sound you made. I know you're close and you're frustrated. Tell me how to do it right."

It was such a straightforward request and so spot on that Kagome couldn't really refuse, so she answered though she flushed even darker for it. "U-um, you keep changing…y-you need to find a rhythm or pattern that works and stick to it, otherwise I get thrown off and cant…"

He caught on fast. "Right."

His fingers returned and she groaned with relief, then covered her mouth in renewed embarrassment. His free hand snapped up and pulled her wrist to free her mouth, saying, "Don't muffle them. I like the sounds you make."

That just caused her to gasp and then make kind of a pathetic whimpering sound that might have been a protest laced in pleasure, but it was hard to tell. She left her hand off her mouth though, and tried to not fret about her noises, though she did try to keep them small.

He set about trying to find the right rhythm and pattern, and did it in a very methodical way, which was rather uncharacteristic of him. In fact, the focus he was showing at this particular moment was uncanny for his typically brash personality, but she wasn't complaining. However the way he went about it did cause her some discomfort due to her shy tendencies, because it required her to participate rather actively.

First he played with pressure, rubbing her in gentle circles and asking, "Lighter or harder? Faster or slower?"

She got him to go relatively light and slow at first.

Then he set about trying to find the right pattern. He tried moving his fingers in one way, and then asked, "How's this?"

She replied, to the best of her ability, "G-good."

After a moment of sticking to that and watching her, he then switched to a different pattern, and asked, "How about this? Better, worse, or the same?"

If it was a good switch she didn't really have to say verbally. She would just gasp and let her hips buck slightly, at which point he would confirm, "Better?" and she would nod or hum in approval. If it was worse she would pull away some and he would switch back to the one before.

Eventually, he hit on a pattern that was better than the others he had tried. She could feel that insistent pulling in her gut and the buildup of pressure starting behind her clit that indicated she was close to finishing, and did her very best to gasp, "Th-that…k-keep doing that!" despite her embarrassment, which was quickly taking a back burner to everything else.

He nodded and stuck to that one much to her relief and great pleasure. He asked about speed and pressure a couple of times to verify he had the right blend, and then kept at it.

Kagome didn't have a chance in hell of not orgasming after that, not when she could already feel the pressure that had been building within her for what seemed like hours finally reach a breaking point, and fast. She fell head first into it with a choked off groan and a jerk that very nearly unseated Inuyasha, and his head popped up instantly, his eyes watching every little shiver and twitch of her body almost greedily as she convulsed.

She had exactly zero control over what her muscles were doing. Her legs clamped tight around Inuyasha's hand, grinding her hips into his fingers which he kept still for her aside from some very subtle movements that seemed to prolong the wave of pleasure she was riding. She didn't even feel when his claws lightly cut her thighs at her sudden move, but he saw and made a mental note to heal them as soon as she was done. She gripped the furs tight under her and her head turned to pant and whimper and make a few other embarrassing noises into the fluffy bed covering, her whole torso clenching and twisting.

It was certainly one of the strongest orgasms she had encountered, which made sense given just how long she had been aroused for. And the come down took nearly a full minute before her muscles finally unclenched and her legs fell slack.

After a second, she chanced a glance up at Inuyasha, to see a thoroughly dazed, aroused, and entranced sort of expression on his face.

A second passed and then he seemed to shake himself out of it and bent his head to tend to her lightly scratched up thighs. He noticed a tiny pinprick of blood on one of her outer lips as well, where a stray claw had pressed too hard, and he licked that too. Her body jerked at the feel of his tongue on her, and a small sound came from her throat. The adamant throb in his groin took a back burner to the taste of her as soon as it hit his tongue, and before he knew what exactly he was doing, he found himself wedged firmly between her still quivering thighs, cleaning up the juices she had produced with his tongue. She sighed and shuddered, and at a stray thought he moved up some to lap at her clit. That got an instant reaction.

She jumped, nearly dislodging him and a curse word popped out of her mouth. That shocked him enough that he tried it again, getting much the same result.

"I-Inuyasha, don't tell me…you can't possibly mean to…" she sputtered sounding near hysterics.

He hadn't been planning on it, but now he certainly was.

Kagome arched and twisted, trying to get away from the stimulation of his tongue on her. It was too much too soon, and though she could already feel something building again, her clit was simply too sensitive.

"Too much, too much!" She yelped, and then shuddered a sigh and stopped struggling so much when his tongue instantly gentled.

It was different from his fingers. It was warmer, softer, wetter, and did things that fingers certainly couldn't. It was by pure luck that - only a few moments in - he managed to happen upon something that worked and didn't over stimulate her, and at her moan and buck, he stuck to it. He had largely stimulated the underside and main glans of her clit with his fingers, and now his tongue wiggled up under the hood to very lightly stroke the very top of it where it connected to the fold of skin covering it. As it turned out, touching a different side of her clit – and in a completely different way – bypassed the normal oversensitivity problem she encountered after an orgasm. It was a discovery for her too, but she was much too busy squirming and gasping to really appreciate the full value of it.

It wasn't long before the pressure built and broke yet again, sending her into an even stronger orgasm, which lasted longer and had her making a few loud noises that would normally have been repressed. She was pretty sure his name had found its way into the mess of moaning as well.

After the convulsions had passed and she finally relaxed, he sat up and licked his lips, looking very pleased with himself.

With a chuckle, she tiredly slurred, "You look like the-"

Knowing what she was about to say, he interrupted with, "- DOG that got the cream."

She snorted and went utterly limp, her arm flopping over her face in exhaustion and utter satisfaction.

"Oi, we're not done yet."

"We're not?" She groaned, not bothering to open her eyes. Perhaps she should have, because it would have been less of a surprise when suddenly he was on top of her, pushing inside.

With a gasp that almost turned into a choke, she snapped her eyes open and nearly elbowed him in the face when her arm jerked from over her face. He managed to dodge the blow and it didn't slow him down any as he sunk all the way home.

This was ridiculous. She had no idea how much more pleasure she could take. But she was already on board as he started very slowly and leisurely to thrust in and out. He took his time, withdrawing almost completely before deliberately sliding back in, and Kagome found herself arching into each thrust, her breath coming in heavy gulps. It took much longer for him to swell up as she remembered, but when he did, he came to a shuddering stop, letting the knot fully form before switching abruptly to hard, short, and fast strokes as before.

The sudden switch had Kagome crying out and hanging on for dear life. Pressure built once again inside her as he rubbed against all those same sensitive spots inside her, and as it burst in that wave of pleasure that wasn't an orgasm she instinctively latched onto him. This time around she was the one who bit him, and as soon as her teeth sunk in he let loose with what almost sounded like a howl, one that cut off on a growl as his thrusts sped up. It wasn't long before he was freezing over her, and she felt him jerk inside, signaling that he had finally finished.

With a gasp and final shudder he collapsed on top of her, careful not to put his full weight on her slightly more fragile body. She shifted a little, her insides clenching at the move, and his hips bucked again. They both tried to catch their breath, and held onto each other as they came down from their respective highs.

Once again they had to stay put for a few minutes until the knot had eased enough for him to pull out.

Once disengaged, Inuyasha wrapped himself around her, rolling them a little so they were on a slightly less soaked part of the bed. He spooned her back and nuzzled his face into her hair with a deep sigh, and she responded with the same satisfied sort of sound as she relaxed fully into his warm body. Satisfaction and a deep exhaustion worked its way through her limbs and made them heavy and unmovable.

She was just drifting off to sleep when she felt a hand very lightly begin to caress her side, working over her hip, then up and lightly tracing patterns onto her belly, which quivered under the touch. That touch turned decidedly not innocent as it traveled up from her stomach and began gently caressing her breasts, which sent a shudder through her tired body. A lazy sort of warmth started up again in her lower belly, but she ignored it, trying to feign sleep.

He couldn't possibly be serious.

As it turned out, that was the wrong tactic to take, because his lips soon joined in on the attack and pressed into her throat, over her claim mark, sending more warmth to her groin and her insides started to quake.

She started saying, "Don't you dare-" but was cut off as his teeth slowly sank into the mark and his hand sunk between her legs simultaneously.

Many more hours passed in this manner.

Some time later found them both out cold, draped over each other, stuck together with sweat and other sticky substances that Inuyasha wasn't entirely able to clean with his tongue. The sun was just barely sneaking up over the horizon, lighting up the entry way of their den with rosy light as it peeked between the slats of the reed door.

Inuyasha woke first, sated and warm and happier than he had ever remembered waking up in his entire life. That was probably because he woke curled around the form of his – now official – mate. He hummed and curled more firmly around her soft body, smiling as she made a soft pleased sound and snuggled closer in her sleep.

Nuzzling his nose into the hair at her neck he pressed gentle kisses there, slowly branching off to her shoulder. There was no response. She was still out cold.

Snickering a little, he just couldn't help but pester her a little, nibbling at her ears, tickling her with deceptively light touches of his claws on her thighs and stomach. She started squirming, just a little, and was still very firmly asleep, much to his amusement.

He kept at it, until he got a few very soft, fussy protests, which again came from a still sleeping mouth. That still didn't deter him, and he continued pushing his luck, until finally the soft word, "…sit…" pressed him down into the mattress beneath them and forced him to stop as he nearly got strangled. As soon as he could, he popped up to glare and protest, until he discovered that she had spoken in her sleep, which roused his humor once again.

Staring at her, sound asleep like this and utterly trusting, he could feel his heart warm and soften even more. Content now to just lay beside her, he snuggled up to her gentle body heat and gave a sigh, amazed that he had somehow managed to find someone like her, who had - for whatever reason -accepted someone like him.

They had experienced some rough shit together, gone through heartache and agony and battles, and yet somehow had come out the other end of it all alive and well and in love. He scarcely could fathom it. He thanked his lucky stars and whatever gods might be deigning to look out for him and Kagome. This was the perfect end to it all, the perfect way to start living life anew, better and happier. Together.

It was the perfect morning.

Author's Note:

Well, that's it folks. This story is officially finished. Yay! Although it is a little sad, as always, to say goodbye at the end of a story.

I hope this finale was up to everyone's expectations. Yes, it did drift into the land of smut a few times I will admit…wasn't exactly planning for it to be quite this explicit, but these two sort of had a mind of their own. I hope the kink factor in some of the parts didn't perturb anyone. :3

As always, I love all you guys, thank you so much for reviewing and following this story to the very end. And of course, I'll make sure to check back periodically and read any new reviews posted. :3