Disclaimer: I do not own IY or YYH

Radioactive

Chapter 4

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I'm waking up to ash and dust
I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust
I'm breathing in the chemicals

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The sun's soft early morning rays fell through the window, gently warming the two slumbering figures. Dark chocolate brown orbs blinked at the brightness; turningher head to eye the open balcony doors with annoyance.

A moment later a small, shapely golden tanned hand snaked from beneath the sheets to grab the cellphone laying on the nightstand.

Six AM.

Kagome groaned softly and snuggled back against her mate's warm side. After nearly a decade, she had thought that her sleep schedule would have returned to some semblance of normal; but no, all those years traipsing around the Feudal Era with InuYasha barking them awake in the morning had severely damaged her ability to sleep in.

Every morning she woke up at six o'clock on the dot. No exceptions.

It soooo wasn't fair.

Beside her, her mate let out a soft mewling sound before turning over and letting out a loud sawing snore. Kagome grinned and covered her mouth with a hand in an attempt to suppress her giggles.

She sat up a bit to better see her husband and couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

There, lying sprawled in an undignified mess across eighty percent of the bed; her mate and husband, one infamous Yusuke Urameshi snored… drool trickling from the corner of his mouth.

It was a good thing that she wasn't a large woman; else she and Yusuke would be fighting for the bed; who would have thought that he was such a bed hog?

She sighed and rolled her eyes at the ridiculous sight her husband made; even in his sleep he was a goof.

Quietly she slide out of bed; pulling on the silk robe over her nakedness. She padded softly out into the balcony overlooking the courtyard; the warm, arid wind gently lifting several stray locks of hair across her face and caused her robe to billow around her thighs.

Overhead the red sky looked ominous to the casual observer; yet Kagome had grown use to the oddness of it all. Below, the guards had begun their morning exercises; she watched with a critical eye, studying the demons.

It seemed that some habits refused to die. Despite being in a time of peace, despite being the Lady of this Land, and despite knowing that the people of this kingdom actually adored her; she could not help but catalog each technique she saw, committing to memory every strength and every weakness she witnessed, just on the off chance should she need the knowledge at a later date.

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Yusuke came awake slowly, his arm instinctively moving to the now empty spot his mate had occupied. He blinked, his sleep fogged brain taking a moment to comprehend the fact that his beautiful wife wasn't in bed.

Not that this was surprising; the woman always woke with the dawn. How she managed it; he couldn't fathom. It was like she had some weird, internal alarm clock that no matter what day it was, or what the occasion was… would always wake her up at the same time every morning without fail.

A warm breeze from the balcony brought the soft scent of lavender to his nose; a scent that was foreign to the harsh climate of the alien Makai. Lazily, the Mazoku stretched; grimacing as his lower back popped, then sighing in relief and rolling from bed.

He grabbed the shorts lying on the floor and pulled them on; then moved to join his mate on the balcony.

He paused for a moment as he caught sight of her through the gauzy sheer curtains. His wife stood, near motionless, her gaze intent upon the training formations below. Even this early, he could see her sharp mind cataloging, analyzing, and calculating everything she saw.

It was at moments like this that his little mate reminded him of Kurama or even Hiei; coldly and emotionlessly calculating and analyzing everything.

He frowned at that for a moment; he knew that his little mate and the temperamental fire demon were close. More than that, due to the meddling of that irritating and utterly terrifying Dragon; the two were bonded in some way. Perhaps Hiei's cold calculating personality was rubbing off on his normally warm and vibrant wife?

He shrugged the thought off; it wouldn't hurt for Kagome to gain a little of Hiei's personality, perhaps it would temper her habit of being overly friendly to…well…everyone.

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Warm, strong arms wrapped around her shoulders, effectively breaking her train of thought. The warm vanilla scent of her husband filled the air; causing her to sigh in contentment. She leaned back into his embrace; enjoying the feel of his taunt muscled form through the silk of her robe.

"Morning beautiful," he purred, his voice still rough from sleep. Kagome shivered at the sound; there was something unbelievable sexy about his sleep-roughened voice.

Yusuke smiled as a shiver shook her small frame; he gently swept her thick mane of hair away from her neck and laid a kiss on the soft column of her neck. He was rewarded with another shudder and a soft hiss of appreciation as his mate melted against him.

Kagome leaned against Yusuke's taller frame, one arm coming up to wrap around his neck even has his hands deftly untied her robe and disappeared beneath.

She arched back, pressing her buttocks against his groin as his battle-roughened hands cupped her breasts.

Both groaned in unison; the scent of their arousal permeated the air. Without another word; Yusuke picked his dainty mate up and carried her back to drop her on the bed.

Kagome let out a soft cry and laughed as she bounced; the laugh soon died in her throat as her husband's tawny form crawled up the bed. Dark mocha eyes practically glowed as he gazed at her; moving slowly up her body laying soft kisses, licks and nips here and there.

He paused as her waist; his gaze wandering hungrily to the mound of curls on display before him.

"Now this," he growled, "Is my idea of breakfast in bed…"

Kagome's response died in her throat as her thoughts scattered and she buried her hands in his hair.

Later that morning; Yusuke stepped from his chambers, a contented smile across his face. He cast one last lingering gaze on his wife's sleeping form; then quietly shut the door.

He made his way downstairs to the kitchen. The cook, a rather large horse faced demon smiled at him as he entered.

"Good morning, sir!" the demons deep rattling voice belied its feminine gender. "Is the Lady still abed?"

Yusuke smiled, "At the moment," he replied, "I think I might have tired her out a little."

The cook let out a hard baying sound, its version of a laugh,

"Indeed," she replied, "Would you prefer brunch in the dining hall….or shall I make a tray for you?"

Yusuke thought a moment; as far as he knew, there was nothing pressing he had to do today, nor did Kagome have anything planned. It was one of the few, truly free days the couple had.

"A tray I believe," he replied, "We have nothing pressing that demands out attention and I'd like to keep her in bed as long as possible…."

Another baying laugh; "Of course, M'lord," she replied, "Give me a few minutes to put something together."

The next day, the sun glared down upon them as they walked through the Tourin marketplace; despite the heat, Yusuke couldn't help but smile at his petite wife as she perused the vendors.

The woman had spent far too much time with Kurama over the last couple years and now had a thorough love and slight addiction to adding Makai spices and herbs to her garden and recipes.

Not that Yusuke really minded, of course, Kagome had always been interested in different herbs and their uses. She had a fairly large garden behind the house at her family shrine and had put in a small green house the previous year.

Though he may tease her about her green thumb; he couldn't argue with results. The salves and ointments Kagome made, ones she had apparently learned from her friends in the Past, were some of the most effective he had ever used.

Kurama had been more than happy to continue the Miko's training in herbology and plant lore; in fact, Yusuke was pretty certain that the fox was excited to finally have someone he could talk shop with.

What amused Yusuke to no end however, was not that his little human mate generally knew more about the plants being sold then the vendors did…. No, what amused him was that for such an innocent and sweet looking individual…Kagome was ruthless when it came to haggling.

Yusuke loved watching these 'hardened' demons gaze at the petite slip of a human woman with a dazed expression as she made off with her purchase at a fraction of the price they had been charging.

Truly it was awe-inspiring.

Kagome slide gracefully through the busy marketplace and back to Yusuke's side; she grinned up at him and proudly displayed the bag full of herbs she had just acquired.

"Look!" She exclaimed, "I found some more of that faux-bloom I've been looking for! Now I can FINALLY make some more of that muscle rub you and the others are so fond of…"

Yusuke grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders; he pulled her close and placed an affectionate kiss on her forehead.

"Good for you, baby," he laughed, "The guys have been moaning about how I need to go easier on them during training…. Maybe with some of your magic rub there, they'll quit complaining for a bit."

"Oh please," Kagome scoffed with an amused snort, "You use the muscle rub even more then the men do!"

Yusuke smirked and a moment later, Kagome's attention was grabbed by something in another stall. He shook his head in amusement; and people said HE had a short attention span.

Still, he liked the fact that Kagome liked his kingdom; the fact that she seemed so comfortable in the Makai absolutely thrilled him. He would never mention it to anyone else; but he had begun to feel more and more restless the longer he stayed in the human world.

His demon blood delighted in the wildness of the Makai, in the subtle blood-scented air, the vast open spaces, and the low thrum of energy that seemed to fill his bones whenever he stepped through a portal into this alien demon world.

This was his home now; he knew that within the core of his being. He no longer belonged in the human world; and if not for Kagome, he would cut all ties to that realm and remain in the Makai permanently.

All those years and he never could understand why Hiei would only make short trips to the Human Plane; now, though, he understood the fire demon's reluctance. The Human World made him feel trapped, and cagey…. Not to mention all the sights and smells overwhelmed his sensitive senses.

"Sweetheart, come look at this!" Kagome called, waving at him through the throng of demons. Several demons turned to look at the excited woman; undoubtedly curious about what was going on.

Several others turned to give Yusuke warm smiles as he made his way towards Kagome; despite being a miko, his wife had somehow managed to win the affection of the populous. Not that he could blame them; she was hard to resist.

By the time they finished in the marketplace, the sun was at its zenith. They stopped for lunch at Kagome's favorite vendor… a sweet, jolly, fire demon named Zan, who created the most delicious Makai meat-pies…. Or so Kagome boasted.

The woman was completely and totally addicted to the pastry. Yusuke had to admit, they were pretty good – as long as one didn't dwell on where the meat came from. There weren't exactly cows in the Makai.

Still, the meat filled pastries were tender, the meat melted on your tongue, and there was just enough spices to give it a wonderful savory flavor. Combined with the cool, cucumber-like dipping sauce that came with it… it was pretty delicious.

"Miss Kagome!" Zan called, his pumpkin orange eyes glowing with happiness, "My lady! It's been far too long!"

"Zan! Please, how many times have I told you to just call me 'Kagome'?" she said, as the tall demon came around the counter to give her a quick hug and peck on the cheek.

"Always again, m'lady," he replied with a grin, knowing the title annoyed the modest woman, "One must maintain their respect."

Kagome gave an unlady-like snort and crossed her arms; giving the taller demon a playful glare. With Zan being a staggering six feet, seven inches in hieght…. It was like watching a Chihuahua bow up to a Rottweiler…comical really.

"You're not going to win this one, love," Yusuke said, coming up next to his stubborn wife. Yusuke didn't think it was possible, but Zan's grin seemed to get even wider.

"M'lord!" he said, "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Hey Zan, buddy," Yusuke greeted, feeling dwarfed next to the massive demon; Zan was huge by fire-demon standards, though the man had admitted that there was some earth demon blood in there somewhere… which would explain the size and build the man.

On a whole, fire demons ranged in height from Hiei's small stature, to the taller form of Zeru back in the Dark Tournament. However, fire demons generally had compact, athletic builds…. Not the massive mountain-like frame that Zan possessed.

At nearly seven feet tall, Zane possessed broad shoulders and a barrel chest; each of his arms were easily the size of Yusuke's thigh, at least. Yusuke would have pegged the man as a blacksmith rather than a baker; which made sense since that had been Zan's profession before he married and settled down.

"So, would you like your normal?" Zan asked, wiping flour from his massive hands.

"Or would you like to try something 'new'," Zora, Zan's wife and mate, asked as she blew into the room. Slight and delicate with a fine dusting of iridescent scales that seemed to glitter in the sun; Zora was easily one of the more attractive demon females Yusuke had ever seen.

Long, dark green hair was pulled back into a braid that hung nearly to her knees. Rumor had it that Zora use to be an assassin back before the barrier was created; the sly snake demon would seduce her target and then kill them quick and quiet before they even had a clue that the graceful, exotic dancer wasn't there to entertain them.

"New?" Kagome asked, Zan groaned.

"No, no," he said, making a grab at the small plate Zora carried, "I haven't perfected that recipe yet! It's still missing something!"

"Feh," Zora said, easily side-stepping her husband's arms and deftly sliding over to Kagome, "Kagome has a very good palette, Zan, perhaps she can help with the ingredient you are missing."

Zan humphed softly and glared at his wife; though the look lacked any real heat.

Kagome took a bit of the delicately flavored meats and nearly purred in contentment; the meat practically melted in her mouth, but Zan was right… it was missing…something.

Kagome took another bite and rolled the morsel around on her tongue, enjoying the various spices; beside her Yusuke tried a bite of the sample.

"Kinda has almost a holiday – Thanksgiving- sort of savory-ness to it…" she stated, lightly bouncing the fork in her hand as she thought.

Yusuke blinked at glanced at her, thinking about it. Ever since he had met her, he had begun to have a greater appreciation for food and flavors.

"Kinda reminds me of that turkey you made for the holidays last year," he said softly, "the spices are very similar…."

"That's it!" Kagome exclaimed, "Brilliant! That's what it remains me of! And that's what's missing! Cinnamon!"

"Cinnamon?" Zan asked intrigued, "What is this 'cinnamon'?"

"It's a spice from the human world," Kagome stated with a grin, even as Yusuke leaned over to ask one of the men that always accompanied them to run back to the palace to grab the spice.

A few minutes later the demon returned in a rush of wind; he handed the small red bottle to Yusuke, who in turn, handed it to Zan.

The demon looked at the strange red bottle, unsure what to do with it. Kagome grinned and gently plucked the spice from his massive hands, twisted open the top, and gently sprinkled a little bit of the ground cinnamon onto the meat.

She took a bite and smiled; giving a bite to Yusuke, who grinned as well.

"Yea, that's it," he replied. Kagome offered a bite first to Zan then Zora; both who immediately grinned as they chewed.

"That is good!" Zora said, picking up the foreign looking bottle, "And what is this spice again?"

"Cinnamon," Kagome stated, "It's pretty common in the human realm. I'll have to see if I can find some to bring you. Or even a tree if you decide you like it."

Zora made to hand the bottle back; Kagome waved her off,

"Keep it," she said, "Like I said it's very common in my world. I can easily get more."

"Well, thank you m'lady," Zan replied, "That's most kind."

Kagome grinned around another mouthful of pastry that had somehow, magically appeared in front of her.

"Don't mention it," she mumbled, trying…and failing…not to make a horrible mess. "Besides, what would I do if I couldn't get my pie fix?"

A/N: Alright this is all I have edited for now... sorry the first two chapters were so short. Basically they are just for setting the scene for you. In any case, I hope you enjoyed and are intrigued! I will hopefully have more for you later this week. And as always REVIEW!

BTW...the lyrics in italic at the top of the page are from the song Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. Which inspired this installment.