As always, I own nothing. Enjoy! 3 Noitcelfer

Leaving

Kagome was snapped out of her flashback by the sudden removal of the very chest she was leaning on. She felt the springs of a bed decompress beneath her. She looked up to Sesshoumaru's face. His eyes had almost completely reverted back to gold, but they seemed to be more occupied with looking out the window than at her. "Sesshoumaru…" she began. She wasn't sure what to say. Once again, the mark on her shoulder was preventing her from resorting to the anger that this situation seemed to be calling for. She could tell Sesshoumaru's heart was beating faster than usual… anger? … nerves? What was he feeling? She was on the verge of begging him to speak when his golden eyes finally met hers.

"I got caught in the moment… my apologies… I will fix…this," he stated coldly, his hand moving casually in Kagome's direction, before turning and walking towards the door. He paused by the door, shifting from his left foot to his right, almost as if he was going to turn around. He didn't though… instead he said, "till then, you should stay at my estate." Kagome stared at the door long after Sesshoumaru closed it behind him. Feelings she thought she had long since buried somehow bubbled to the surface. Here she was, queen of an entire race of supernatural creatures, and she was still made to feel inadequate by a man… or werewolf.

"Of course it was a mistake," Kagome whispered to herself harshly. "Don't be so… human." Kagome bit her lip as tears began to well up in her eyes. She shook her head, hoping the tears would go away, but this motion only caused them to fall freely. The blood of her tears tinted her lap red as she looked down. He tears fell, and dried, leaving what almost looked like a rose print across the skin of Kagome's pale thighs as she kneeled in the king sized bed. She wasn't sure how long she stayed like that, silently crying to herself, but, eventually, the door opened. She could hear his heart beating, but the scent of the blood running down her face blocked out her ability to discern his identity. If it was Sesshoumaru, she wasn't sure she could face him yet.

"Why are you crying?" A familiar voice said from the door. Kagome looked up, a lone tear falling from her eye to stain her cheek. Inuyasha leaned against the door, a frown marring his face. He was wearing black basketball shorts a red wife beater. Somehow, his silver hair seemed to glow in the moonlight flowing in from Kagome's window. His arms were crossed across his chest, and Kagome noticed as his claws dug into his skin, not quite drawing blood. Inuyasha was staring at the mark on her shoulder. "So you're the bastards fuck toy now… Suits you." Kagome growled, but it came out more like a strangled cry.

"Fuck you." It was all she could manage without her voice breaking. Inuyasha laughed at her. A deep throated laugh.

"I mean, you were ugly as a human, but at least you weren't a slut. I mean, now that I see you like this, who knows who you were fucking on the side."

"Get out."

"Of what? My house?" he laughed at her again as he moved towards her. Kagome leaned back, torn between fight and flight. Inuyasha suddenly moved much faster, his hands closing around her arms. His tongue was against her cheek, licking up the trail of blood from her crying. "Kagome…" he whispered huskily in her eyes. The sound of her name snapped her out of her stupor. Kagome lifted a foot, and licked Inuyasha right in the chest. She could hear the air leave his chest as he flew back. He landed outside the door. Quickly, Kagome scrambled off the bed, slamming the door closed. Without another thought, Kagome quickly left her room, leaping over the balcony once again. She was running through the woods. The destination wasn't important, only the distance. She ran for over an hour, before she heard a noise behind her. Her head snapped around so fast that she lost her balance. As she fell, she felt her body twist, and, instead of landing on the forest floor, on her side, she landed face first on something that was hard but not quite hard.

"I told you to stay put," Sesshoumaru groaned from beneath her. Kagome pushed herself up, but his hands held her hips securely. As a result, Kagome ended up straddling Sesshoumaru, a small blush growing across her cheeks. She tried to stand again.

"Please… Just let me go," Kagome whimpered. She could feel her sorrow growing in her chest again, and she was desperate to get away before her tears began to fall.

"You're mine… I cannot simply let you go," he stated. His voice was cold and very matter-of-fact. Kagome shook her head, a tear dripped down her face.

"You don't want me. You said this was a mistake," she said quietly, willing her voice not to break. Sesshoumaru watched her for a moment, his head turning to the side like a dog that hears a strange noise.

"I don't recall saying it was a mistake." Kagome blinked at him.

"But you didn't mean to…"

"I did what I wanted," he said, slowly sitting up, his hands still firmly on Kagome's waist. He leaned towards her slowly. Kagome's eyelashes fluttered shut, preparing for his kiss. When he suddenly stopped, he drew a deep breath into his lungs, and let out a long growl that made the hairs on the back of Kagome's neck strand straight up on end. "Why do you smell like him?"

"Who?" Kagome's foggy mind couldn't figure out what he could be talking about. Sesshoumaru's hands tightened around her waist. The pain washed away the fog from her mind. "He… he came in my room. He knew that I had become your fuck toy…" Sesshoumaru cut her off before she could go any further.

"You are my mate. As such, you deserve respect. He had no right to speak to you, must less say anything less than respectful… or… lick you?" He growled, his eyes flashing between red and gold. Kagome was surprised to see and feel the anger begin to radiate off of him. She began to feel the mark on her shoulder burning, a growing intensity that soon grew so painful that she let out a whimper and put her hand over the mark, trying to rub the sensation away. Quickly, Sesshoumaru gained a hold of his anger, and he moved her hand away to look at his mark. The pain soon ebbed, leaving behind the soft pulsing Kagome had experienced earlier.

"You need to explain this to me," she whispered, knowing he would be able to hear her.

"you're my mate. My life partner… One is supposed to court a female until she accepts your proposal… not just claim her," Sesshoumaru stated. "I will remove it." Kagome nodded.

"What if it doesn't come off?" she asked. Sesshoumaru allowed an eyebrow to raise at her question, but he still answered her.

"Then we will share a lifeline, we will be able to feel each other's feelings and, to some degree, influence those feelings. You've already begun to realize this part of…" He trailed off for a minute, his claws tightening ever so slightly on Kagome's hips. "You can never be with another man, and this Sesshoumaru can never be with another woman. The pain of such an act would kill both of us." Kagome blinked at him. What was he thinking? Then, it hit her… He was nervous.

"Why are you nervous?" He looked slightly shocked at her question, but he answered her nonetheless.

"This Sesshoumaru is not used to explaining himself… much less to someone who was forced into such a situation."

"I slept with you of my own free will," Kagome said, confused.

"But this is more than that… Don't you understand? Now, you cannot leave me." Kagome opened her mouth to respond when her cell phone rang.