A/N: Oh my gosh! Here it is -- the end of the journey. I can't believe it's over. I've had so much fun playing around with these characters, and I hope those of you who have been along for the ride have enjoyed it half as much as I have. To celebrate the end, this is yet another uber-long chapter, and I give special thanks to my last, and 230th reviewer: nightshadow04! So, with all that said, I hope you enjoy "The Payoff!"

DISCLAIMER: The awesome brilliance of Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi produced the captivating worlds of "InuYasha" and "Yu Yu Hakusho," which they own. My fumbling, feeble mind could only come up with this, which I post for free.

talking

mental/telepathic conversations "Youko" "Kurama" "Hiei"

(thoughts to self)

Mature Content Alert: This chapter contains lemons!

Hentai Bets

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Last time:

"Miroku, quick! The board!" Naraku yelled. And the monk dashed out of the room.

"Where's he going?" Yusuke asked.

Just a couple of minutes later, he returned carrying a large chalkboard. "All right men. Place your bets."

"What bets? Haven't you all learned anything?" Kuwabara scolded them.

"This is different. Let's start with the things we can confirm ourselves. The first 12 hours: how many times they actually have sex, her climaxes, his climaxes, and how many times they yell each other's names."

"What?!!? I can't believe you guys!!! You can't DO that!!" Kuwabara shouted.

"How about if Hiei yells "onna" -- does that count?" Yusuke asked.

"No, it has to be her name," Jakotsu asserted.

"Yusuke!"

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Chapter Twenty: The Payoff

Kagome had just bent forward a bit and lifted one of her legs slightly to take off the lacey black thong she had been wearing, when she heard the door slam. She smiled wickedly and her eyes sparkled. (Well, that didn't take long.) That was the last thought she had before she found herself sprawled facedown on the bed with a very determined, very warm, very naked youkai sitting on her. She felt her hair being brushed aside, and she turned her head to the side and giggled as his lips and tongue left a moist trail across the nape of her neck. "Glad you could join me, Hiei."

Hiei's eyes gleamed in the dimly-lit room. He couldn't believe she had done that. He knew he definitely deserved the slap, and being told off about the blasted bet, but it had been so hard to hear her say she didn't want to listen to him right now. He had been afraid she wasn't going to give him the chance to make it up to her -- to make things right between them. And then she had walked off, and he had felt like the bottom had just dropped out of his world. He had been struggling with himself to do as she had asked, and to give her some time, when every instinct he had was urging him to just grab her and take her away somewhere and make her listen to him. She had to be his, damn it! And there was no way he was just going to let her go.

Then, out of the blue, she just steps right out of that sinful excuse for a gown she was wearing -- right there in front of everyone! It really was a shame, because he was going to hate having to gouge out his friends' eyes. But she didn't stop there. She stepped out into the hall, and while looking over her shoulder at them, she unclasped that ridiculous excuse for a bra she had on, slid it enticingly down her shoulders, and threw it behind her -- right there in front of everyone! (Damn it! Not the bra, again!) Aw, crap! Now he was going to have to completely wipe everyone's memories and send them all after Jakotsu. He hoped the silly ningen was as entertaining as he claimed to be, for his friends' sakes, since they'd never get to be with a woman again. Then she opened the door to his room, (Wait a minute. How'd she get a key to my room? I'll ask later.), and repeated that she didn't want to listen to him now -- she wanted him to show her. (Show her? Oh, I'll show her, all right. I'll show her so good she'll never doubt who she belongs with, or to, again.) So here he was. He had zipped across the hall, slammed the door closed, and literally ripped the clothes from his body. She may have had a head start, but she couldn't match his speed. Or eagerness.

He sat on her hips for a moment, savoring the taste of her neck, before sitting up and flipping her over -- moving up just enough to allow her to turn before settling back down astride her. He leaned over slowly as if to kiss her, watching her pretty blue eyes darken with desire, but instead of touching her lips, he zeroed in on the pulse point on her neck. He smiled at the small, disappointed sound she gave, and sat up again. Once more he leaned in as if to kiss her, then veered off at the last second to nuzzle in the hair at her temple. "Hiei. Are you going to kiss me or are you just going to tease me all night?"

He sat up and arched a brow at her. "I thought you didn't want me to say anything. So, hush. I'm busy." This time when he leaned down, he placed a small kiss at the corner of her mouth before he moved his lips along her jaw line. He chuckled when he heard a low, frustrated growl, then his eyes widened in amazement when he felt himself slammed backwards onto the bed. He had been sitting on her hips, leaning over her, but she had bowed her back slightly and tilted her hips, bringing her legs up along his sides and over the front of his shoulders. Then she had brought them down, and him with them. So now he was lying on his back with his hips still on her pelvic region, and she was tickling his chin with her toes. And she sat up, too. (She's stronger than I thought. Great flexibility. Excellent muscle control. I almost feel sorry for Youko now.)

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"Ooooooo! That little bastard! I should have known he'd rub it in."

"I'm surprised he would show you that."

"Yeah, well, he blurred the good parts. He just wanted to let me know what I'm missing out on. The dirty, rotten, boastful little braggart."

Kurama snickered. "You know, Youko, he's getting more like you all the time."

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"Now. Are you going to stop being a tease and get down to business?" Kagome smiled at the fire apparition.

"Impatient, are you?" he smirked up at her.

"Do you blame me? Every time we get to the crucial moment, we've been interrupted by some idiot yelling …"

"Jakotsuuuuuu!"

Kagome blinked. Then she laughed.

"Hey, Jakotsu!" They heard a knock on the door across the hall.

"Hojo, I thought you were napping, sweetlips."

"Well, I was. But when I woke up, I called down for room service to send up a nice, light snack along with an excellent burgundy. Hey! What are you doing here with all these guys dressed like that? Come on. We're leaving now."

"But, Hojo, … honeybuns, … they're not interested in little 'ole me."

"Good. Because you're not available. Now, come back to the room -- I've got a surprise for you."

"Ooooooo! Really? I just love surprises! You boys keep track here. Don't forget: I've got the number 15 for the big pot. Toodles!"

After the door closed and the two lovers started back down the hall, the occupants of Yusuke and Kuwabara's room immediately broke out in chuckles and laughter. "Did … did you see the way Hojo glared at us? Like we were going to steal Jakotsu away from him?" Yusuke doubled over.

"I was more interested in the way Jakotsu tried to soothe him by patting his chest like that." Shippou chipped in.

Naraku thought about that for a moment. "Hmmm." Then he drew a new line on the chalkboard. "All right, let's hear them. How many of you say Jakotsu's about to be uke for the first time in over a century?"

"Hmmm. I wonder if Hojo has what it takes to hold Jakotsu's interest?" Kagome wondered.

"Onna, I hope you didn't call me over here to discuss those twits."

Kagome grinned at him. "No, that wasn't what I had in mind at all. You are the one who hasn't been cooperating."

"I've been cooperating. You're just too impatient to …" his voice trailed off as Kagome lightly ran her fingers around his shaft. Well, if she was going to be that way about it. She wrapped one hand around him and began to slowly move it up and down as she gently cupped his sac in the other one. (All right. Fine. No teasing. This time. There will be plenty of time for that later, -- after I've claimed her for good. Which I'm going to do right now. In a minute. Or less if she keeps that up.)

"Hiei? What was that you were saying?" She looked down at his blissful countenance. His eyes were closed, and he was slowly letting his hands roam up and down the legs that were fitted snugly along his sides and partially on his chest with the heels and ankles resting on his shoulders. "Hiei?"

"You do realize there's no going back? Once you accept me as your mate, you will be mine forever." He asked her quietly, keeping his eyes shut.

"Yes. But I hope you realize that means you're mine forever, too."

Hearing something in the tone of her voice, he opened his eyes and looked at her. She was smiling mischievously, but there was a searching look in the endless blue of her eyes that caught and held his attention. (She's serious. It really means something to her to have someone she can call hers) He was a little stunned by the realization. As he continued to look at her, he saw something else. (It's not just having someone, … it's … me. She wants me to be hers) He felt completely humbled and ten feet tall at the same time."Kagome, I can honestly say, there is nothing I want more than that." And he knew he had said exactly what she hoped to hear when he saw her eyes light up. "Now, are you going to release me, or are you going to demonstrate just exactly how flexible you are?"

She giggled at that. "I think I'll let you go this time, but you might be surprised -- I do practice tantric yoga, and the women in my family are practically double-jointed."

Hiei just stared at her for a moment. He couldn't help it -- he had to know if she was teasing him. He tightened his own knees against the outside of her hips, and sat up so he was nose-to-nose with her. He was sitting on her pelvis. She was sitting straight up between his legs. Her hips were locked behind his buttocks, and her legs were tucked tightly around his sides and running up his chest. His mind boggled for a minute. Then an evil grin spread across his face. When they got back home, he was going to borrow some of the fox's books. He was sure he had seen a couple from India that Youko always spoke of wistfully. Oh, yes. It was a good thing they were both pretty much immortal, because he could definitely spend several centuries trying out some new things with his ever-surprising mate. But, first thing first.

He pushed her down and slowly bent her knees and eased her legs back down to the bed, too. Then he leaned forward and captured her lips in a sudden, searing kiss that promised everything she'd ever wanted, and stole the air from her lungs. Gasping for breath when Hiei moved slightly to completely cover her with his body, Kagome practically echoed his thoughts, convinced that no matter how long they lived, he would never fail to throw her off guard or excite her beyond all reason. And she could trust him with her heart because she knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that he was trusting her with his.

As he settled himself over her, they both groaned at the feel of each other's flesh pressed so completely against their own. Hands roamed hungrily over firm, muscled skin, and explored soft dips and curves. Their mouths met again in impatient agreement, both of them needing to taste, to feel, to memorize, to own. The smell of her arousal, coupled with his own, ensnared Hiei's attention and sharpened his focus, and he roughly dragged his lips away to begin blazing a path down her heated body. This was not a teasing enticement or a leisurely exploration, -- it was a claiming. Gentle nips and soft suckling would be left for later, for now, he was demanding and taking what she had offered, which was all of her. His teeth raked across her skin, leaving in their wake newly-awakened and highly-sensitized nerve endings, prickling with desire. If she didn't know better, Kagome would almost swear he was actually scorching her with tiny flames of want and need.

He paused only briefly in his journey, to thoroughly work his way around those succulent mounds of mouthwatering flesh she seemed to have so much trouble keeping bound up and away from the overly interested eyes of other males. He let out a loud growl at the thought. Yes, it was worth a few minutes, and definitely called for some extra attention to make sure those were absolutely saturated in his scent. He nuzzled them firmly, then mapped them with his mouth, -- teeth and tongue taking turns scraping over the delicate skin, then tasting it with long, swirling strokes that left it slightly reddened and chilled when the warmth of his mouth moved on. The faintly rough texture of his tongue caused her nipples to tighten almost painfully in response to his touch, and she cried out and arched into him when he drew one into his mouth. Still intent on making sure no one, including her, would ever dispute his claim again, he tugged on the pebbled bud firmly with his lips before releasing it and giving the other one the same treatment.

When her scent spiked and he felt her shift beneath him, he growled in response and abruptly left her breasts. His female's primal scent was calling him, and he would not deny her or himself any longer. Moving swiftly downward, he parted her legs further and leaned in to breathe deeply of her unique signature scent. No other female had such an enticing blend of scents. This was her at the very center of what made her female -- his female. This was her, and she was his. He ran his thumb along her, parting her moist folds, then he leaned down and groaned in pleasure himself as the taste of her burst on his tongue. This, too, was his and his alone.

As he continued to savor the taste of his onna's passion and the sound of her breathy cries of pleasure, he almost smiled at his own possessive feelings about her and everything that made her what and who she was. He'd like to hide her away from the world, so no one else could look at her or hear her beautiful voice. If he could, he'd gladly find a way to inhale all of her scent so no one else would ever enjoy it. He'd always admitted his possessive nature, chalking it up to the fact that everything he had he had worked hard, sacrificed, or killed for. He had a right to be possessive about everything that was his. But now he had Kagome. And he didn't do one damn thing to deserve her. She gave herself to him. But he was never giving her back. As he felt the tension in her grow tighter and tighter, he could also feel himself reverting to his most primal form. When his name echoed around the room and he had quenched his thirst on her essence, he swiftly moved back up her body. It was time.

As Kagome's vision cleared, she looked up to see Hiei looming over her. His dark green skin was glistening with a thin coat of sweat from the effort it had taken to hold back for as long as he had. She smiled into gleaming yellow eyes after a brief glance down his torso had her resolving that someday, she was going to count all those eyes. A slight glow emanated from the violet Jagan eye set high in the middle of his forehead. She could feel her own aura reacting to his, and knew she would have to concentrate to control the powers in her blood. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she pulled him down to her and kissed him softly. "Aishiteru, Hiei," she whispered. Then she closed her eyes and turned her head to the side.

That was all the invitation Hiei needed. Finding that vital pulse point with his tongue, he licked the spot roughly for a moment, then plunged his fangs in deeply. Even as he felt her fingers dig into his shoulders, and the slight jerk of her body from that intrusion, he grasped her hips and thrust forcefully past her barrier as he joined their bodies together completely. He scarcely heard her cry out, as the taste and feel of her blood in his mouth and the power it contained had him in a nearly mindless state of euphoria. The incredible sensations flooding him from within were only matched by the mind-numbing waves of pleasure the rest of him felt as her body held him captive in a viselike grip of the hottest, smoothest silk. He injected his youki into her bloodstream, and snarled as he felt her tremble a couple of times before she began convulsing around him. It took everything he had not to spill himself as she came violently, and he was startled for a moment to see her glowing with the pink light of her purification powers. He felt a sharp burning pain at the side of his neck before he was swallowed up in the intense pleasure her orgasm gave him as he felt himself throb inside her.

As the glow faded, and he felt her muscles relax, he began to move, setting a strong, hard rhythm that had her muscles tensing again almost immediately. She opened her eyes to look at him, and saw him staring down intently at her with his eyes flashing like yellow sparks and his jaw clenched. She had not been prepared for the marking and claiming. She had thought she was, but nothing could have prepared her for what she had felt. Yes, it was painful, but it was so much more than that. When she had felt his teeth sinking into her neck in such a vulnerable spot, she had the sensation that she was truly giving her life's essence to him. She wasn't sure how she had managed to hold back her powers as he drank her in when he had thrust inside her. She didn't know if it was the physical sensation or the knowledge that, for a while anyway, he was a part of her. There was no denying her lover was rather unnaturally large, and of course it had stung when he had torn through her barrier, but the actual feeling of him inside her had been beyond her imaginings. She had heard other women talk about feeling "full," but it was more than that, -- she had felt that for the first time ever, she was … complete. Whole. And when his youki had begun flowing through her veins, the sensations had been so intense, she had lost all sense of herself and any semblance of control. Her powers had flared to life and released themselves even as her body released. It was almost as if she had made room for him inside herself. Well, now he was part of her, and no one could ever take him away, and she would never let him go.

But those weren't conscious thoughts, -- the sentient part of her had long since given way to the instinctive being that was now matching her mate breath for breath, thrust for thrust. She had tilted her hips further, and he had anchored an arm under one of her thighs, drawing her leg up and giving him better access to the feminine core he was plundering relentlessly. Each movement was an exercise in agony and ecstasy. Hiei's breathing was ragged as he struggled to maintain control even in this form. This was well beyond any of his previous experiences, -- he had known it would be with this onna, but it was as if he had never even rutted before in all his centuries of living. Nothing had ever felt even remotely like this. Each thrust was like coming home -- an alien concept for him. And her hot, slick sheath gripped him so tightly, so welcomingly, that it was almost painful to pull back. Her weeping flesh clung to his shaft almost like a second layer of his own skin, and every in-and-out movement sent fresh waves of electricity shooting throughout his body.

Kagome's own nerves were on end so much that she felt like just one slight variation in movement would make her shatter from the inside out. But she held his gaze, convinced that was the only thing anchoring her to the earth right now. She didn't even hear the low, keening cry that was coming from her own throat as he sped up his pace. His grunts became loud in his own ears and he ruthlessly plundered her depths. He could feel himself thickening even further as his balls began to draw up, and his strokes became harder and less rhythmic as he emphasized each inward movement with a roll of his hips that sent extra stimulation singing through his mate's body each time he roughly brushed against that tight bundle of nerves, causing her breath to hitch and her eyelids to flutter closed again and again. Vaguely, he was aware that he was being almost brutal as he plunged into her tender flesh with such force that she was now gasping and crying out with each determined thrust. But instead of lying still or pulling back from him, her hips continued to rise to meet him, and he could almost swear she was deliberately clenching her muscles to hold him in, which made it feel like he was literally ripping himself out of her each time. His ears were starting to ring, and he was looking at her through a red haze. He'd never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

He hadn't realized it, but he had one hand fisted into that thick, silky mass of raven black hair up near one side of her face. Strands of it clung to her forehead and the sides of her face and neck, dampened by the thin sheen of sweat that coated her skin. Her face was tight and her lips were parted. He saw her throat working as she swallowed thickly, and he could see his mark glowing as she involuntarily tossed her head from side to side a few times. He could see how deeply he was shoving her into the mattress with each prolonged thrust, and he could feel how she was beginning to spasmodically clench around him, signaling the beginning of her climax. Then she opened her eyes, and he lost himself in the fathomless depths of blue. He saw her lips moving, and the sound of her voice, raspy and pleading, did him in. "Please, … Hiei …"

He roared her name as he released his seed in hard, jerking bursts, which sent her tumbling into the abyss to join him with an unintelligible yell torn from already overused vocal chords. As her body continued to tremble and clutch at him, he felt himself slowly reverting back to his usual form. He leaned down and rubbed his cheek against hers. He wanted to kiss her, but they were both breathing too hard for that. "Aishiteru," he whispered so softly she almost didn't hear it, but she smiled and brought a hand to the back of his neck to run her fingers lightly through the short dark hair there. After a couple of minutes, when their breathing had slowed and returned to normal, Hiei lifted his head again and gazed into her eyes before swooping down to take her lips tenderly. When he felt her hips lift insistently against him and her muscles tighten around his still-hard flesh, he pulled back and arched a brow at her.

"What?" she asked innocently. "Surely you don't think Jakotsu is the only pathetic ningen around with claims to great stores of stamina?" He smiled wickedly and his eyes lit up at that. "Besides," she continued, "I've been waiting for you for a long time …" Her voice trailed off as he began to move inside her again.

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Across the hall, several brows raised and Shippou started snickering.

"You have got to be kidding me," Yusuke said in disbelief. "There is no way that dull, thumping sound is starting up again so quickly. It's been what? -- 2, 3 minutes? Holy crap, I thought he'd already pounded her into the floor below us during the last hour."

"Someone needs to move that bed farther away from that wall, otherwise the people below are going to start complaining," Miroku commented, highly amused.

"I'm not going to bother them to suggest that. Seriously, guys, did you hear the sounds coming from over there? And at the pace three-eyes set, even he should need a while longer to recover," Yusuke looked around for confirmation.

"Obviously not, Yusuke," Kurama said with a grin. "Youko claims he could easily go for three or four hours without really pausing."

"Like that?!!? Listen to that rhythm -- they're not playing around and being all lovey-dovey in there, -- that's some serious fucking going on. And Hiei may be youkai, but Kagome isn't," Yusuke pointed out.

Shippou snickered again. "No, but she is a most unusual woman, you have to admit. She may not be able to last as long as he can, but I'll bet she gives as good as she gets. And she's got pretty good stamina -- she'd have to, to be able to spar with Sparky. He doesn't cut anybody any slack whether they're ningen or youkai. And don't forget, he did say 17 times for the first 12 hours. Shit, I should probably know better than to bet against him. That damned old dog."

"Holy crap! You're serious, aren't you? I'm revising my bet for the final tally then. For Sunday at noon, put me down for an even 30."

"Yusuke!! I really can't believe you're betting with them about this stuff -- you're all a bunch of hentais!" Kuwabara scolded them. "You shouldn't even be thinking about what they're doing. It's a very private, personal thing between a couple." He gave a self-righteous sniff.

Shippou laughed. "How do you suggest we ignore what they're doing when they're pounding out a rhythm any drummer would envy? I have to confess, though, I never would have thought kaa-san would be so vocal."

"I always suspected My Miko would be extremely responsive, however, I think Jakotsu would be proud of her if he were here, and a little jealous, too," Naraku said.

They all stared at him for a minute. "Your Miko is getting her brains screwed out by a short, arrogant, anti-social fire demon who beat the crap out of you and singed off your eyebrows," Yusuke told him.

"Yes, Naraku. Whatever happened to you having the last laugh on him?" Miroku asked him.

"What makes you think I won't?" he answered with a smirk on his face. "Ah, add another mark under his name."

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Not pausing for her to recover from her latest orgasm, Hiei wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up with him so he was on his knees and she had her legs crossed behind his back. She quickly let her legs down so her feet were flat on the bed, and squeezed her thighs tight around his hips while he held her ass in an iron-tight grip with both hands. This position limited their range of motion, but Hiei made up for it with short, rapid strokes that had her gasping in pleasure. "Oh … oh … Kami! … Hiei! … Ah! … Yes!"

He would have smiled if he could, but he couldn't concentrate enough to get his facial muscles to work. His entire focus was directed on the spot where their bodies were connected, and his only thought was to push her over the edge again before he went. He hadn't counted on her making an unexpected move. He felt her right leg slowly slide up his left side, and as she straightened it he had to loosen his hold on her right buttcheek as her leg passed from his left shoulder to his right shoulder and right on down his left side, where with a smooth twist it landed on the bed on her knee. The twisting motion had pulled his own climax from him, and he had shouted hoarsely, "Kagome!!" After a few seconds of shocked bliss, he realized she was on her hands and knees facing away from him, and he was still completely embedded inside her. "Bloody hell, onna! How did you do that?!!?" Her answer was to push back against him.

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"What do you think she did?" Kouga asked.

"I can only imagine," Miroku said, with a dreamy smile on his face.

"Damn rotten, lucky little bastard." Youko grumbled, pouting.

"I believe I will agree with you on that."

"Add another mark under her name," Naraku reminded them.

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Hiei leaned over her back and brushed her hair over one shoulder, baring one side of her neck so he could enjoy the sensitive skin there. As he suckled lightly, his hands roamed underneath her, finding and cupping her breasts and squeezing them gently. For the first time, he was moving at a slow, easy pace. His thumbs circled her nipples, and he whispered in her ear, "You are perfect. And everything, from your scent, to your passion, to your surprises, -- it's all mine. Everything about you, everything that makes you you calls to me." He watched her eyes close, as one of his hands left her breast to trail down past her stomach until he reached that small, swollen nub that caused her body to jerk when he ran a fingertip over it lightly. He thrust in firmly and pulled back agonizingly slowly.

"Do you feel that? The way we fit together? The way you hold me so tightly deep inside you? Like I belong here."

He felt the slight hitch in her breathing before she said softly, "You do."

His eyes closed at her words, and he swallowed thickly, nuzzling her neck. He felt a tightness in his chest. (Well, … hell. Here I was trying to seduce her with my words, and she completely slays me with hers.) "Kagome …"

"Hiei, do you know what you do to me? The sound of your voice, the touch of your hands, your solid presence, -- everything about you fills a void in my life, in me, that I didn't even know was there. It feels like you've awakened my senses -- you bring my heart and my body to life. Right now, with you surrounding me, filling me, I feel more complete than I've ever felt before. You make my heart pound, and my blood turn to liquid fire, and if we live to be 5,000 years old, I will never get enough of you -- though I'm sure you'll do your best," she said with a chuckle. He opened his eyes and reached to gently brush a solitary tear from her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

"Yes. I'll do my best." And neither of them said anything else as the sweet passion between them flared into a raging inferno that threatened to consume both of them. Sitting back up and grasping her hips firmly, Hiei felt like his senses were in danger of stimulation overload. The sight, sounds, and smell of their joining practically hypnotized him into a mindless state of bliss. He was mesmerized by the sight of his slick, hard length gliding in and out of his female, again, and again, and again. He ran a hand up her back and pushed down on her shoulder so she lowered her arms and rested her chin on them briefly before laying her head down and grabbing fistfuls of the bedcovers. He began to pump faster, enjoying the way her delicate skin clung to him -- she was so small and tight and he was so large that it almost seemed to impede his forward motion for a split second each time before recognizing his right to enter and parting just enough to allow him to slide home. And once he was completely sheathed inside her, and began pulling part of the way out, those fragile petals wrapped lovingly around him as if begging him not to leave. He was convinced there wasn't a more erotic sight anywhere in the three realms, and he moaned long and loud when he felt her inner muscles start rippling around him.

Kagome wasn't sure which way was up. She was floating in a sea of unearthly sensual sensations. The hypnotizing motion that had begun as a gentle rocking had quickly evolved into a frenzied, earth-shattering pounding that had her biting her bottom lip so hard she tasted the coppery tang of her own blood. What was he doing to her? Was it possible for a ningen to experience that degree of pleasure and not die from it? Each in-and-out movement sent a shockwave through her, and now they were coming so fast, one right after the after, that the sensations were building up to a fever pitch. The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end. She tried to slow it down, to give it a chance to release itself by determinedly tightening her muscles around his hot, thick, hard flesh, but that only seemed to make him increase the tempo and velocity of his movements. "Oh, Kami, … oh, Kami, … oh, Kami, …" she began to chant silently. She was wound so tight now, she just knew something was going to burst -- she really was going to die of ecstasy.

Hiei heard a small sob work its way out of her throat. He was so impossibly hard and strung so tight he thought he was going to break. He could feel the sweat dripping off his forehead and some running down his back. He reached around her and once again found that tiny bundle of nerves. After circling it lightly with the pad of his thumb, he rolled it gently between his thumb and forefinger before pressing on it firmly.

"Eeeeeyyyaaagghhh!!!" She bucked so violently, she nearly dislodged him. Her inner muscles weren't just contracting and releasing, they were pumping him with a rabbit-twitch frequency that drained him and left him unable to move.

"Gyyyaaaahhhhhhh!!!" He sat there panting for several minutes before he moved to pull out of her.

"Don't you dare," she told him, her breathing still rapid and harsh. She forced herself up on shaky arms and backed up right against him. Then she reversed the move she had done earlier, twisting and raising a leg, moving it from shoulder to shoulder and back down again so she was facing him, all without breaking the connection of their bodies. Again, the twisting motion left Hiei gasping, and if he could have come again, he would have. Then she pulled him down on top of her, wrapped her left leg around him with her left hand holding to the middle of his back and her right hand clutching a firm buttock. She sighed deeply and contentedly.

"Kagome, I'm too heavy, I'll crush you."

"Don't care," she mumbled into his neck. "Mine." And she squeezed his butt.

He chuckled. "Yes. Yours."

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"Holy shit! Did you hear those yells? That was not pretty," Yusuke couldn't help but comment.

"Hmmm. I probably should have taken that into account when I was making my bet on the number of times they would call out each other's names," Naraku said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Taken what into account?" Shippou asked.

"That if the sex was good enough, they might turn each other's brains into mush."

Miroku walked in carrying a huge bowl of popcorn. "Well, that certainly was interesting. I can see I'll get as much rest down here at this end of the hall as I would in our room."

"Jakotsu still at it?" Naraku asked.

"Hai. I believe he and Hojo must have slept for a while, but they're awake now."

"What is it this time?"

"The cowboy and the schoolmarm. Whoever let Jakotsu watch one of those American westerns had no idea what they were setting loose on the world. I think you may have been right, though -- I heard Hojo yelling "Giddyap!" Jakotsu might very well be uke for once," Miroku told them.

"Are you guys serious? Are you telling us he really usually is seme? With the way he dresses and acts so girly?" Again, against his better instincts since he really didn't want to know, Kuwabara couldn't help but ask.

"He may act girly and like to take the feminine part when he role-plays and stuff like that, but when it comes to sex, Jakotsu likes to be in complete control -- he says nobody knows how to do it better than he does," Shippou chimed in.

"Hey, do you all hear that?" Kouga asked.

"What? I don't hear anything,' Kuwabara said.

"Exactly. Looks like the firebug finally burned them both out."

"Good thing, too. At this rate, Jakotsu and Sesshoumaru are more on track with their guesses than the rest of us. Maybe they'll sleep for the next 6 hours," Shippou said hopefully.

Naraku rolled his eyes at him. "Dream on."

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The next morning Jakotsu joined the others in Yusuke and Kuwabara's room for the final tally of the bets based on Hiei and Kagome's first 12 hours together. He was suitably impressed by some of the numbers posted on the board.

"How much time left?" Shippou asked anxiously.

"Five minutes."

"Crap! If they finish in the next few minutes, Sesshoumaru will win," he grumbled.

"I think that does it. Add another mark under his name," Naraku commanded.

"Damn that mangy old dog! It's a good thing he only put in for the total number pot, or he'd probably win everything. I swear he has some kind of way of seeing into the future. Hell, it's probably all written down on one of those dusty old scrolls of his," Shippou fumed.

"Well, here are the winning totals: total number of times - 17. Winner with correct guess - Sesshoumaru. Number of her climaxes - 25. Winner with guess of 23 - Jakotsu. Number of his climaxes - 17, that's a perfect return. Winner with guess of 14 - Jakotsu." Here Miroku paused and looked questioningly at Jakotsu.

He shrugged. "I have a knack for those things. Anybody could see by looking at the little loverboy that he would be able to get the job done easily. And there wasn't really any question that Kagome could get his rocks off, was there?"

"Good point." Miroku continued, "Number of times she yelled his name - 13. Winner with correct guess - Me. And, finally, number of times he yelled her name - 7, plus 3 cries of "onna." Winner with guess of 6 and 4 "onnas" - Yusuke. I guess you know him pretty well. That wraps up this round of bets. Gentlemen, collect your pots."

"You know, that really is a rather impressive total there," Kouga said.

"Yeah. I can't believe they only rested for a total of 2 hours and 20 minutes in that 12-hour period. You can bet they'll have to get more sleep than that in the next 28 hours," Shippou added.

"And don't forget, they'll have to eat, too. I need to do some figuring here. Shall we call for final bets in 15 minutes?" Miroku asked. Everyone agreed.

"How do you all plan to get the number for the next 28 hours? We have to patrol the resort," Yusuke pointed out.

"Simple. We'll ask Kagome," Naraku said.

"You don't really think she'll tell you stuff like that, do you?"

"Of course she will. We're her friends." Her teammates all nodded.

Clutching his winnings to his chest, Jakotsu giggled. "Hee hee! I saw the most darling lounging gown and robe set in one of the shops the other day -- it's purple with pink sakura blossoms. I think I'll go treat myself to it. Maybe they have a matching robe for Hojo," Jakotsu gushed.

"For whom?" Naraku asked.

"Hojo. Who else?"

"Oh, good kamis. You remembered his name."

"By the way, Jakotsu," Miroku broke in, "who was uke last night?"

"Oh, you naughty boys! How much did you bet?" he asked.

"Just a thousand. So … ?" Naraku raised a brow at him.

To the amazement of all, Jakotsu blushed a bright red. "It was me," he squeaked. "I had to soak in a hot tub for half an hour this morning," he told them with a dreamy look on his face.

Naraku, Miroku, Kouga, and Shippou burst out laughing.

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Kagome woke up missing the extremely warm body she had been snuggled up to. She started to sit up and look around for him when she heard Hiei tell her, "Don't move."

"What?" She blinked and looked down at herself. She was lying flat on her back with a veritable feast displayed on her torso. It was all laid out very neatly and artfully arranged. There were several pieces of vegetable tempura in a semi-circle under her breasts, three lines of sashimi strips (saba, ika, and tako) going down her mid-section, with two rows of gyoza in between them, and what appeared to be takoyaki balls circling her belly button, which seemed to be filled with soya sauce. There were even a few small tsukemono chips covering her aureole and circling her nipples. Hiei was sitting on the bed beside her with a small dish of soya sauce and a set of chopsticks. "Excuse me, Hiei, but what are you doing?"

"I ordered lunch." And he picked up a piece of sashimi, dipped it in her navel, having to move it around quite a bit to get enough sauce on it since her belly button was small, and ate it. "Hn. Aside from not holding enough sauce, you make the perfect palette for a meal. We won't need a table for our house."

She giggled. "Stop that," he scolded her, "you'll mix the dishes." And he helped himself to some gyoza.

"What in the world possessed you to set up your lunch on my stomach?" she asked, arching a brow at him.

He fed her a bite of gyoza. "I thought the food would be much more appetizing served this way. I was right. Stop giggling."

"You're tickling me with those chopsticks."

"Be quiet and eat," he said., feeding her another bite. "You're spilling the sauce."

"You're getting me all sticky," she laughed.

Now he arched a brow at her and smirked, causing her to blush -- her skin turning a delightful rosy pink. "I have another hot bath waiting for us," he told her.

"Well, it seems you were busy while I was sleeping.," she said accepting another gyoza.

He took another bite, then frowned. "I am surprised none of those idiots have tried to disturb us."

"Oh, well, I left a note with Kurama threatening them all with dire consequences if they bothered us before noon tomorrow," she said innocently.

He stared at her. Then a wicked smile spread across his face. "Noon tomorrow? I knew you were my kind of onna." He leaned over and kissed her, then continued with his meal. As he finished the last pickle, he circled an already-budded nipple with his chopsticks. Capturing it expertly, he tugged on it, sending a jolt of white-hot desire shooting through her body. He leaned down and took it in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it, then sucking firmly. After a few minutes, he repeated his actions with the other nipple. Soon, he was sliding down her body, licking, nipping, and suckling his way down. Then suddenly he sat up and retrieved his chopsticks. "Time for dessert."

Kagome propped herself up on her elbows and looked around. "You got dessert? What is it?"

"Fruit."

"Fruit? What kind?"

"Oranges and lemons." And nudging her legs apart, he lifted her hips and put a pillow underneath her. He lightly ran the ends of the chopsticks across that sensitive nub that was already invitingly swollen and tight. He continued to tease her with light touches and gentle tugs until a shiver wracked her entire body. He was fully enjoying the heightening scent of her arousal, before he finally reached out to taste her. Still holding the delicate bud between his chopsticks, he slowly ran his tongue over it, wringing a low, throaty moan from his mate. He suckled on her gently, using his free hand to hold her pelvis down when she would have bucked in reaction to the intense sensations he was provoking inside her.

He paused briefly, and released his hold on her to lightly trace the moist folds hiding her female core with the chopsticks, before using them to part her so he could delve inside. He swept each side in turn slowly and thoroughly with his tongue, savoring the taste and the texture of her feminine flesh. He lapped at her languidly, content in the knowledge that he could feast on her over and over again forever.

Kagome was practically writhing, caught in the spell of the magic her lover was weaving around her. They had just mated, so how did he know exactly where to touch her -- how to touch her, to drive her wild with desire? Was he using that Jagan eye to read her mind? Or was it simply the fact that it was him who was touching her that set her senses aflame and her thoughts winging right out of her head? Whatever it was, it was obvious that he was the spark to her kindling, and she was currently thanking every Kami she could think of for bringing him to her.

Having abandoned the chopsticks, and feeling like he was about to explode himself, Hiei began to plunge his tongue deeper inside of her, drinking greedily of her juices and demanding more. He could feel the little tremors that were shaking her from the inside out. He ran his tongue roughly and rapidly all around her tender inner tissues, stroking deeply and coaxing the response he craved. She tasted so good, and smelled so good, and felt so good. And he had to have more of her. Pressing his thumb against her overly-sensitized nub, he said roughly,. "Give me what I want, onna."

And she did. "Hiei!" His name on her lips was music to his ears, even as her sweet essence now flowing onto his waiting tongue was nourishment to his soul as well as his senses. Having quenched one of his hungers, he quickly moved to sate the other one, and he plunged his hardened member into her still-quivering flesh. He immediately closed his eyes and let out a satisfied sigh, while a small smile played about his lips. Still coming down from her sensual high, Kagome couldn't help but smile, too, at the look on his face. "Happy?"

He opened his eyes and looked at her. He couldn't remember anyone ever asking him that before. He nodded, and his smile turned wicked. "Yes. But I'll be even happier in a few minutes."

"Fox, call the housekeeping service and tell them to send someone up with fresh sheets in about 10 minutes. And tell them to be quick and NOT to disturb us -- we'll be in the bath."

"Fresh sheets, huh?"

"These have soya sauce on them."

"I'm not even going to ask. Having a good time getting to know your new mate?"

"You have no idea."

Youko sighed. "Damn rotten, lucky, little bastard."

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Later that afternoon, the others were lounging around in the lobby for a few minutes. They had actually spotted about 10 of the remaining demons in the woods near the village, and had taken care of them quickly and easily. Yusuke and Miroku had gone upstairs to change since they had gotten splattered with some blood. When they came back downstairs to rejoin the others, they were hanging onto each other and laughing their heads off.

"What's up?" Kuwabara asked them.

Miroku tried to compose himself. "Well, do you remember what I said about people complaining about the noise and constant thumping on the wall?" They nodded. "Apparently, someone did complain, and the manager went up to check it out." He burst out laughing again.

"Get this," Yusuke said, taking over the story, "we get to the top of the stairs and there in the hallway is the manager, cowering against the wall, with a very irate, very naked fire demon shooting him death glares while promising to rip off the poor man's dick and shove it so far up his ass that he can blow himself if he dares to disturb him and his onna again."

Everybody started laughing.

"Wait! That's not the best part!" Miroku cackled.

"What else?" Shippou wanted to know.

"The manager nearly fell all over himself apologizing and told Hiei he'd send up a bottle of his finest champagne, on the house," Miroku said.

Yusuke interrupted him. "And Hiei told him 'fuck the champagne -- send up two gallons of chocolate ice cream.' And the man went running past us and practically fell down the stairs."

They all doubled over.

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She was going to kill him. He had spent the last hour and a half teasing her body until she was nothing but a mass of aching, frenzied, frustrated need. He had touched, kissed, licked, and bit every inch of her. He had rubbed himself all over her. He had whispered in her ears, telling her how beautiful she was, how much she drove him crazy, how he felt when he made love to her, and how much he loved the way she responded to him. He had brought her to the brink again, and again, and again. And she was going to kill him.

He was doing it again. He was hovering over her, teasing her until she thought she would lose her mind. He was holding her hands up above her head with one of his, while the other one held her immobile at the waist, and running the tip of his shaft along her wet, willing folds. She had her legs wrapped around him, trying to pull him down into her, but he was too strong. He was torturing her by slowly pushing just the head of his erection in before pulling back out. "AAaaauuughh! Hiei! Stop!"

"Whatever you wish." He stopped, staying completely still. "Are you sure that's what you want?" He smirked at her evilly. He knew she was frustrated. Hell, he was killing himself. He was dripping sweat, and he was so hard that he knew as soon as he buried himself inside her depths, he was going explode. But that was all right. Then he'd just start over.

She was desperate. She had to have him, one way or another. She hadn't thought about the spell in years, but he wasn't leaving her any choice. "Hiei," she choked out. "Please."

"Please what?"

(Oh, fuck this!) She started chanting.

"What are you up to, onna?" he asked suspiciously.

Suddenly, a necklace of black beads and bone appeared around his neck. Kagome looked at him. "First word of subjugation: DOWN!" Instantly Hiei plummeted down on top of her, driving his rock-hard length in all the way to the hilt. "YES!!" she yelled as stars danced in front of her eyes and she convulsed violently around him.

"ONNA!" The spell might have compelled his initial downward motion, but it had nothing to do with the ones that followed. Even though he had, indeed, released quite forcefully the instant he was embedded in that heavenly heat of hers, he immediately began to pound in and out of his beautiful mate ferociously. He felt it, -- that heightened sense of awareness of himself that swept over him as he transformed, -- but knew no coherent thought. All he knew was his female was beneath him and he was going to plunge himself into her until they both lost consciousness from the pleasure. Each stroke wrung another cry from his mate's throat and made his engorged shaft swell even more. He could scarcely pull out at all now -- he filled her so completely, there wasn't any room for movement. If she hadn't already been so slick with his essence and her own, it would have been impossible. So, he just grunted and instead of thrusting, pressed himself deeper, until finally, she screamed, and he roared, and then collapsed on top of her.

When he had returned to his usual form again and finally felt strong enough to lift himself up, he looked down at her and was horrified to find dried tracks of tears that had run into the hairline at her temples. "Kagome?" She didn't move. He nuzzled her cheek gently. "Kagome?" As her eyelids fluttered open, he kissed her tenderly. "Did I … did I hurt you?"

She looked at him, confused for a minute, until he wiped at the trail where the tears had fallen. "Oh! No, of course not. It was just … so much." She kissed him, then fingered the necklace around his neck. "But the teasing was driving me out of my mind."

"What is this?" he asked her, looking down at it.

"Subjugation beads. That particular set enables me to place three commands on the wearer."

"And one of them is 'down?' I'm not sure I like that, onna."

"Gomen, Hiei. I didn't mean for you to keep it. I was just desperate at the time and it was all I could think of. I'll remove it." She reached to pull the necklace over his head, but he stopped her.

"What are the other two commands?" he wanted to know.

"I haven't set them yet." She looked at him and a slow smile crept over her face. "How about this one? Second word of subjugation: OVER!" And Hiei immediately rolled over on his back, taking Kagome with him. As she looked down at him, she said, "This could come in handy."

"Do your worst," he taunted her as he bucked his hips.

"I just might. Hey, Hiei? Does this room look different somehow?"

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The peace and quiet of the night was broken by … well, it really wasn't peaceful and quiet to begin with. And with all the names being yelled, along with various screams and roars, one more feminine-sounding scream probably wouldn't have even caught any of the detectives' attention. What did catch their attention was a loud crash. It sounded like the ceiling had caved in somewhere.

"Shit!"

"Is it the rogue demons?"

And they all piled out into the hall, -- even Jakotsu came running, completely decked out in a set of Kagome's traditional miko garb, right down to the bow and arrows on his back. After blinking at him briefly, the others all turned their attention back to the door to Hiei and Kurama's room.

"Are they being attacked?" Jakotsu asked. "Because that would really be bad form -- youkai should know better than to interrupt when …"

"Shhh!" Miroku shushed him. Then he shook his head. "Obviously they're not under attack." A hard, fast, thumping noise continued to provide background noise for everything else going on.

"Should we check around the hotel?" Kuwabara asked. "Because something happened."

"I don't sense any other demons in the vicinity," Naraku told them.

"Earthquake?" Yusuke suggested.

"Hiei? Gomen nasai, but do you know what caused that loud crash?"

"Hn."

"I think Hiei knows what happened." Kurama told the others.

"Well, ask him what it was," Yusuke demanded.

"Hiei, we need to know if we should go investigate."

"Satisfied? Now leave me alone before I send you off to play dress-up with Jakotsu and the fool."

And as a picture explaining the noise flooded Kurama's mind, he couldn't help but put both hands up to his face as he chuckled.

"What is it?"

"Ahem. Apparently, the bed collapsed," the avatar informed them, trying to maintain a straight face.

"The bed collapsed? But, …" Kouga pointed at the door, and they all listened to the rhythmic pounding on the other side.

"Obviously, they are too occupied to care," Kurama commented, with a smile.

"Damn!" Kouga, Miroku, Naraku, and Yusuke all said in unison.

"I'll second that."

"I'm so jealous!" Jakotsu wailed.

"I'll second that, too."

"Now, now Jakotsu. I'm sure you've broken your fair share of beds, too," Miroku consoled him.

"Sure, after years and years of use -- they've only been in there for 30 hours! I feel like such an amateur," he sobbed.

"Dry your eyes and go back to your boyfriend. Be a brave, strong priestess," Miroku told him.

"All right, I'll try," he sniffed.

"Playing priestess and youkai?" Shippou asked.

"No, something different. I hope you don't mind, Miroku, but I borrowed some of your old monk's robes for Hojo."

"Priestess and monk? Interesting variation on an old theme. I suppose Hojo's a lecherous monk trying to steal the virtue of the pure priestess?" Kouga laughed.

"No, actually, I'm the wicked priestess out to seduce the humble monk," Jakotsu admitted with a slight blush.

"FINALLY!! It's about time someone got that right," Miroku exclaimed. And he enveloped Jakotsu in a bear hug and kissed his cheek.

"Miroku!" (I should have known. They can only fight it for so long before they just have to have some Jakotsu.) He stepped away from the monk and noticed Naraku staring at his hakamas. "And just what are you looking at, Mister Show-and-Tell? My eyes are up here."

Ignoring the insinuation, Naraku said, "I was just wondering how in the world you managed to squeeze into Kagome's hakamas -- she's so tiny."

Miroku stood next to him and stroked his chin thoughtfully, "You know, that's a very good question. Just how did you manage it?"

Jakotsu's eyes grew wide. (Is Naraku hitting on me? That was obviously a comment on how big I am. And why are he and Miroku both standing there together asking about how I fit in these pants? Hmph. I suppose they're going to offer to help me out of them. I knew all those women were just a cover! Are those hentais wanting to try a threesome? Now, I'll be having to look over my shoulder constantly to keep them in line.) "Hmph. You two can just keep it in your own pants. I have to agree with Kagome on this one. Threesomes can be fun, but someone always gets pouty and starts complaining that someone else got blown longer, or fucked harder, or got to wear the peach garters with the silver sequins first. Besides, I just started a new relationship, as you very well know, and Hojo is very jealous and I don't think he'll want to share. So, let's just keep our relationship on a professional level, shall we?" And he stuck his nose in the air and marched down the hall. "And don't think I don't know you're staring at my ass, you hentais!"

Miroku stared after him incredulously, while Naraku just rolled his eyes, and everyone else broke out into laughter.

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(Sunday afternoon)

"Where are they? It's already 1:00 p.m. Weren't they supposed to come out of their self-imposed isolation at noon?" Yusuke asked.

"They're not in our room," Kurama told him.

"Well, where the hell are they? We need to see if there are any demons left to take care of so we can go home. The businessmen are all leaving now," Yusuke complained.

"Holy shit! Not much for foreplay, huh, Kaa-san?"

"Shippou!"

The kitsune came running down the hall.

"What did you do, Shippou?" Naraku raised a brow at him.

He started laughing. "I didn't do anything. It's those two. I had a bite to eat with kaa-san and my new oyaji in her and Jakotsu's room, and we were sitting in the living room area when she went to the bedroom to pack her stuff."

"Wait a minute. Did you call Hiei your 'old man' to his face?" Yusuke asked.

Shippou smirked. "Anyway, kaa-san asked Hiei if he could reach her suitcase for her since it was at the top of the wardrobe closet. After he walked in there, I realized he isn't much taller than she is, so I went to get it for them. I suppose kaa-san might have leaned back against the wardrobe and pointed up over her head to the suitcase, and I guess Hiei might have accidentally brushed up against her when he reached to get it, but that doesn't explain how his pants fell around his ankles or how her legs got wrapped around his waist," he snickered. "I swear they weren't gone longer than a minute or two at the most."

"I have to say, it might be most interesting traveling with a horny miko," Naraku mused.

"I wouldn't get too used to that idea if I were you. You do realize that wherever his mate goes, Hiei will be going, too?" Yusuke pointed out.

"Does everyone have their stuff packed?" Kouga asked. "I'll just run it to the Reikai and get any final instructions. Why don't we meet outside near the woods in case we need to chase down the rest of the demons?"

"Sounds good."

So, half an hour later everyone gathered outside. Kagome's team motioned her over to them. Hiei started to walk over with her, but managed to restrain himself. Youko couldn't help but comment on it, though.

"I'm surprised you aren't attached to her at the hip, -- or at least in that general vicinity."

Hiei just narrowed his eyes at him.

"I think what Youko is trying to say, Hiei, is that he admires the effort you are making to not to hover around her and try to keep her away from other males."

"Don't kid yourself, Red. He's just not worried about her teammates. Just wait until we get back to the Ningenkai and they go walking down the street -- I pity the first man who whistles at her." Youko chuckled.

Hiei had been keeping a close eye on Kagome, and when he saw her shake her head and start to walk away from her team with her cheeks red, and then Miroku reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her, it was all he could do not to rush over and interfere. It looked like they were upsetting her. "What are they discussing over there?"

"HOW much?!!?" Kagome yelled.

"They are asking her to confirm some things for some bets they had going."

At Hiei's sharp glance, Youko nodded. "Yep. Those kind of bets."

Hiei glanced around. Sure enough, his teammates and Shippou were all straining to hear what was being said.

Kagome appeared to be thinking about something. "Thirty-nine. Wait -- does …?" and she leaned over to Naraku and whispered something in his ear. At his nod, she said, "Oh, then … forty-four."

Miroku asked her something, but the only word Hiei heard was 'positions.' Her cheeks pinkened, then she looked down at her hands and her fingers ticked off a quick calculation. "Um, what if you start out in …?" Again she leaned over and whispered something to Naraku. His eyes widened and he cocked his head to side appraisingly. "That would count as two," he told her. "Then, nine," was her answer to that.

Kurama looked at Hiei and raised a brow. The apparition just crossed his arms in front of his chest and smirked.

Then Naraku asked Kagome another question and she nodded. When he leaned over and whispered something to her, she turned beet red. "How did you know that?!!?"

"It's a youkai thing."

She reached into a small cloth bag she was carrying and counted out some money and handed it to him.

"I'll give you a chance to recoup your loss," he told her. Then he whispered something else.

"No way!! Are you crazy?!!?"

"Not even for …?" he whispered again.

"HOW much?!!?" She glanced over at Hiei for a minute, then turned back to Naraku. "Double."

"Done."

Then she and the others walked back over. Naraku grinned as he took several bags out of his pockets. "Time for the payoff, gentlemen. I hope everyone brought cash. Jakotsu, you owe me 2500 yen -- it took much longer than a week. You should have known better than that."

"But they were so sexy!! I wouldn't have hesitated so long," he protested.

"We know. Now, it seems that Shippou, Koenma, Yusuke, and I owe Miroku, Kouga, Enmaru, and Sesshoumaru for backing the wrong youkai. Shippou, your side bets with Sesshoumaru are your own responsibility," Naraku reminded him.

"Six more months!" he groaned.

"Wait just a minute. I almost forgot," Kagome turned to Hiei and Kurama and narrowed her eyes at them. She stabbed a finger in their direction. "You two bet on who could seduce me."

"We called that off," Kurama reminded her.

"Oh, no. I think you were a little too far in the game to call it off. How much did you bet?" When neither of them spoke, she walked up to Hiei and stared right into his eyes.

Yusuke spoke up, "Fifty thousand, and if Hiei won, Kurama was supposed to give him a hand-crafted sword by Totosai, and if Kurama won, Hiei was supposed to take care of his rose garden for a week, AND give Kuwabara formal permission to court Yukina and not interfere when he takes her out."

"Really?!!?" Kuwabara gasped.

Not taking his eyes from Kagome, Hiei hissed, "You are a dead man, detective."

"No, he isn't. Arigatou, Yusuke. You and Kurama will honor your debts to each to each other when you get back to the Ningenkai. You can give Kuwabara your permission now," Kagome told her mate in a no-nonsense tone of voice.

"I think you forget who won, onna," Hiei smirked at her.

"And I think you forget who seduced whom," she said with a wink. She held out a hand. "You both owe me the fifty thousand you bet."

"Ha! She got you there!"

"Perhaps, but I still won."

Hiei and Kurama each counted out the money and handed it to her. She, in turn, counted some out and handed it to Naraku, putting the rest in her cloth bag. "There's the rest of it. But I'm going to win it back."

"We shall see."

"What is she paying you for?" Yusuke asked.

"I bet her I could tell her what the first thing the hybrid did was."

"Lucky guess," she grumbled.

"My dear Miko, I can assure you it was not a guess. Youkai have extremely heightened senses, and it's only natural that we would respond to something that entices them strongly. Your scent being one of those things."

Blushing profusely, Kagome just looked away from them all. Then everyone sat down on the ground to get comfortable while they were waiting for Kouga. Naraku continued where he had left off. "The final two pots go to Miroku, who came the closest to the total number of 44 with a guess of 41, and Jakotsu, who obviously had some inside information about the surprising flexibility of My … Our Miko. Still, I have to confess to being surprised by the hybrid's creativity -- I would have guessed he didn't practice more than 5 positions himself."

Hiei glared at him coldly.

"Well, I guess that proves it once and for all -- the three times at the lake really wouldn't have been enough. Ow! It's the truth, kaa-san!" Shippou rubbed his head. "By the way, I noticed you both aresporting marks. How did that happen?"

Kagome was sitting in between Hiei's legs, leaning back on him, while he had one arm around her waist and the other braced on the ground beside him. At Shippou's question, she ran her fingers lightly over her mate's mark on her neck. It was a Jagan eye surrounded by a flaming black dragon. She smiled at Hiei when he responded by touching her mark on him, the kanji for "Koibito" struck through with a flaming arrow. "I'm not sure, Shippou. Right after he marked me, my purification powers rose and pretty much branded him."

"Right after you marked her? I thought that maybe like a youkai bitch she marked you when she climaxed."

"She did."

Youko appeared startled for a moment. "You're saying she came right after you marked her? But that would be right after you broke through her barrier, before you even …"

"Hn."

"Damn rotten, lucky little bastard," Kurama grumbled.

"Ha! Now you agree with me."

"Pardon me for asking, Hiei, but those beads you are wearing greatly resemble another necklace I remember well. Would you mind telling me where you got it?" Miroku asked, taking note of the way the color crept back across Kagome's cheeks.

Hiei leaned over her shoulder and smiled smugly. He'd let her tell them.

"Hush, Miroku. You know very well where he got it," she said quietly.

"That may be true, but I am actually more interested in why he has it," the monk waggled his brows at her. Shippou laughed.

"What kind of necklace is it? And how do you know where he got it?" Kuwabara asked him.

Shippou was the one who answered. "They're subjugation beads conjured by powerful mikos to temporarily subdue youkai. They respond to a word of command."

"Three."

"What was that, kaa-san?"

"It has three command words."

"Well, that is most impressive, Kagome-sama. Would you care to share these words with us -- after all, I assume you are the only one they work for, correct?" Miroku pressed, with a smile.

"Hai." But she didn't say anything else.

Naraku turned to her. "10,000 says I can name one of the words."

She looked at him cautiously. "All right."

"Down."

"How did you …?" she began, but Miroku interrupted her.

"Really, Kagome-sama. I am shocked. Despite reports to the contrary, most men don't object to servicing women like that. I am sure that if you had simply asked him, Hiei there would have gladly …"

Her brows flew up as she realized what he was implying. "NO!! It wasn't … I didn't … he was teasing and … oooohhhhh," she groaned and covered her face in her hands.

Hiei pulled her close and chuckled loudly. "What she is trying to say, is that she is terribly impatient and demanding."

"Demanding? In that case, Kagome-sama, for another 10,000, I'll bet I can guess one of the other words," Miroku speculated.

Her voice muffled by her hands, she said, "Sure, why not? You all know everything else, … why should this be any different?"

"Over."

Shippou started choking.

Kagome tossed the cloth bag at Naraku and Miroku, without looking up. "And before you ask, I haven't set the third word." She had turned and had her face buried in Hiei's chest, too mortified to face them for a minute. Hiei was still chuckling.

"I must say, I am surprised you aren't upset at her being able to 'subdue' you," Kurama said curiously.

"Considering the circumstances and outcome of her commands, why would I be?"

"He has a point, Red."

When a portal opened nearby, they all got to their feet. Out stepped Kouga, followed by Botan. "Hello guys!" she said cheerfully. "It's nice to see you again, Lady …, I mean, Kagome." And she stepped in Kagome and Hiei's direction to greet the priestess.

"Nice to see you again, too, Botan," Kagome smiled, as she stepped right in front of Hiei.

"Wha…?" Shippou whispered, but Naraku, Miroku, Jakotsu, and Kouga all had their eyes glued on Kagome.

Botan turned and greeted each of Koenma's Spirit Detectives, stepping a little beyond Kagome as she did. When she turned to greet Hiei specifically, Kagome again stepped in between them. Botan blinked for a moment, then turned around to greet everyone else. One by one, Kagome's teammates each handed Kouga some money, while he smirked triumphantly at them. "Told ya." Her actions had not gone unnoticed by the others, but she didn't seem to be aware of what she had done.

"It appears that your mate is just as possessive as you are," Kurama observed with a smile.

"Hn." Hiei had been surprised when she had blocked Botan's access to him, but he couldn't say he didn't like it. He stepped up and pulled his mate to him. When she looked at him questioningly, he touched the mark she had given him and whispered to her, "Yours." She smiled at him.

Kouga quietly explained to Shippou, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama that he had picked up on her growing possessiveness and had bet the others that she would react just like that to another female. That was why he had brought Botan. He snickered, "And after all those years of getting mad at me and muttbreath for the same thing."

"Well, they're just going to be a lot of fun at parties," Yusuke said. "Him keeping all the guys away from her and her keeping all the girls away from him. Hell, we'll have to just sit them in a separate room from everyone else."

Now Shippou snickered. "I think they'd prefer that anyway. Though they might drown out the noise of the party."

"Hey! Speaking of that. Enmaru and Koenma want to know why they received a bill for a broken bed and paint scraped off a wall," Kouga told them.

"Did you bring the stuff?" Naraku asked.

"Oh, yeah. Just a minute. Are you ready to go back, Botan?" Kouga asked.

"Yes. I have tons of work to do. You all kind of backed things up in the Reikai when you sent all those demons through. See you later!" She waved to the others.

In a flash, Kouga was back again, with a big bag in his hand. He handed it to Naraku, who called Kagome over to join her teammates again. "In honor of your mating, we, your friends and companions, would like to give you a few things.

Miroku reached into the bag and pulled out a large, illustrated copy of the Kama Sutra. "Though I am not sure if you even need it, in light of the discovery of your talents. But perhaps you can find some inspiration for your future endeavors."

Next, Jakotsu handed her a big bundle, that when Kagome unwrapped it, proved to be a variety of costumes and props. "Just a little starter kit, sugar. We'll get some more things when we go shopping to furnish your new place."

Then, Naraku handed her two small jars and whispered something to her that made her blush profusely. "And don't forget this," he said, as he handed her the bag. She looked at him. "We did say double, right?" she asked. He nodded. Taking a deep breath, she turned around and said, "I'll be right back." And she ran off into the woods.

Hiei started to follow her, but Miroku stopped him. "She'll be right back. So, Kouga, what is the word on this mission? Are we free to go home?"

"Yes. The rest of the demons crossed back over into the Makai last night," the wolf assured them.

"Finally! I can go home to Keiko!" Yusuke smiled.

"And I can go see my sweet Yukina," Kuwabara said, looking over at Hiei.

Hiei glared at him. "Fine. You officially have my permission to court her. But you had better not father any orange-headed children on her." He could only hope his sister's youkai blood would be far stronger than the oaf's.

Kuwabara smiled. "Arigatou, runt."

"Hn."

Just then, everyone's attention was caught by a flash of white at the edge of the woods. "What the …?" Shippou started. Taking a few steps towards them, but stopping still some distance away, was a figure in a white baboon pelt. Shippou's head whipped around to see Naraku standing there beside him. In a split-second, every individual there knew what was about to happen.

(Oh. No. She. Wouldn't) Before Hiei could even move to block her from view, Kagome threw open the pelt and flashed them. "Third word: FREEZE!" And she raced back into the woods, leaving Hiei frozen in place.

"Holy Shit!! She just …"

"Shut up, detective, before I rip your tongue out along with your eyes," Hiei seethed.

Suddenly, Kagome came walking rapidly back towards them. "Hiei, that's not fair. I forgot you could call me back."

"You want to talk fair, onna? Just wait until this spell wears off," he warned her as his fingers twitched.

"Freeze!" she yelled again, and turned around to try to run again. But she didn't get more than a few yards, before she was compelled to turn back around and walk back up to him.

"You can't get away, so I suggest you stay put," her mate said.

"Crap."

No one dared say a word or make a move until Hiei suddenly reached out and slung her over his shoulder before zipping away into the woods.

"Does anyone want to tell me what just happened here?" Shippou demanded.

Kouga turned to Naraku and handed him a large pouch. "It's all there -- all 250,000. I never thought you could get her do it."

"Wait. Naraku, you bet Kouga 250,000 that you could get Kagome to wear that baboon pelt and flash all of us?" Kurama asked.

"Hai," he replied with a smug grin.

"How did you get her to do it?" Shippou asked.

"Simple. I bet her 500,000 she wouldn't."

Yusuke stared at him. "So, …you lost."

Naraku cocked his head to the side. "Did you not see what we saw? Money well spent."

"Absolutely," Kouga agreed, nodding vigorously.

"Besides," Naraku said with a slightly malicious grin, "did you also see the look on the hybrid's face when he realized what she was about to do? I told you I would have the last laugh."

"I bow to the master," Miroku said, suiting his actions to his words.

"I'm still surprised kaa-san did it. She knew he would be mad."

"Well, the money was the inducement," Jakotsu chimed in. "She's planning to buy a house in Kyoto, as well as keep her apartment in Tokyo, so Hiei can still be near his sister most of the time. Not to mention, I think she was intrigued by the idea of doing something no one would expect. Our sweet, little Kagome has a naughty side."

"But now she's in trouble with Hiei," Kuwabara pointed out, a little worried.

"Hmph. I think he'll get over it in another 10 or 20 minutes. What do you think they're doing out there? I can guarantee he isn't beating her," her adopted son assured him.

"OOOOooooooo! Maybe he'll spank her, though. I did put a nice wooden paddle in the bag."

They all turned to stare at Jakotsu. "What?" he asked.

Forty minutes later, they were all still sitting there waiting for their missing teammates, when Hiei finally came walking back out of the woods. He was carrying Kagome in his arms and she was wearing his black cloak. She snuggled into him and nuzzled the side of his neck. He abruptly stopped and turned around, heading back into the woods.

"Well, crap!" Yusuke threw his hands up in the air. "I suppose we're going to be waiting here another hour now. Kuwabara, go into the village and get us something to eat."

"Get it yourself, Urameshi."

Miroku stood up. "Perhaps we should all go get something." And with some grumbling and a few chuckles, they did.

An hour and a half later, Kagome and Hiei came walking out of the woods again, looking extremely pleased with themselves and each other. The apparition had an arm firmly wrapped around her waist, and she had both of hers wrapped around him.

"Well, shall we get going now?" Kouga asked, as everyone stood up. "You know, Enmaru has a new assignment for you guys," he said to Kagome's team. "It's some undercover work in the Makai."

"What is it?" Jakotsu asked him.

"It seems that there is a brothel offering ningen women for exorbitant prices. He wants Kagome to work there as one of the girls to try to find out how they're trafficking the ningen in. You guys will work as bouncers. Well, except for you, Jakotsu. You may be going in as one of their special attractions."

"EEeeeee! It sounds like fun!" Jakotsu clapped his hands and danced around.

"A brothel? How very intriguing, don't you think, Naraku?" Miroku said with a grin.

"Indeed."

"I'll have to get some different clothes to work there, and the Reikai will have to pay for them," Kagome said.

"You are not going to work in a brothel," Hiei said sternly.

"Of course not," she soothed, "I'll just be pretending to work there."

"No, you will not."

"It's my job."

"Not that one."

"I'm going to do it."

"No." And he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, smacking her bottom to emphasize his point.

"Hiei!"

Jakotsu quickly reached into the bag he had retrieved, and pulled out the wooden paddle and handed it to Hiei. Hiei looked at it, then at Jakotsu for a minute. Then he tucked it in next to his katana at his waist.

"Jakotsu!" Kagome yelled accusingly.

"Relax, onna. If I decide to spank you, I'd much prefer to use my hand."

"Hiei!" Her face turned bright red.

"Hai," Jakotsu nodded approvingly. "There's nothing like the personal touch. I said the same thing to Hojo, just last night. He sent me flowers this morning."

"That's nice. Put me down, Hiei."

"Are you going to tell Enmaru you can't accept that assignment?"

"No."

"Then, no."

Everyone was watching their argument with open amusement. It went on for several minutes before Kagome threw up her hands behind his back and said, "I'm sure we can find a way to make it acceptable to you -- maybe you can come along, and …"

"Oh, you're not going anywhere without me. Make no mistake about that."

"Fine. Are you going to put me down now?" she asked Hiei.

"Kagome, I suggest you be quiet and rest, because when I put you down, you won't be doing either for a long time."

She could feel her face, and other parts of her, heating up at the thought. Sensing the argument was over, Kouga summoned a portal, and they all made ready to go. As Hiei walked through, Kagome looked up at her teammates, who were set to follow them. Lying across his shoulder really wasn't the most comfortable of positions, but she could tell he really wasn't going to put her down yet. She relaxed and looked down. At least the view was nice. She shrugged her shoulders and reached down and squeezed her mate's butt.

Miroku held out a hand to Naraku, who handed over a stack of money. "I told you it was habit-forming."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------End.

Thanks again to all of you for sticking it out all the way to the end! And for everyone who ever reviewed, you have my undying gratitude! And I think I really managed to reply to everyone this time, except for blkwolf. So, blkwolf, thanks so much for all the kind words -- I'm glad you love the story, I hope you love the ending!!