Chapter 1: Random
Kagome was depressed. That was her conclusion after countless hours of going over why she was so bummed out. Now normally it would be because Inuyasha – the jerk that he was – had run off with Kikyo but she hadn't been around since Naraku had been defeated. Or rather returned to his human form. That was very interesting to her. Apparently, he had regretted ever fusing with that horrible demon that possessed him but he was preaching a life of reform. He went back to his bad ways though kept in check happily by Kagura.
So now she was staring at a beautiful beach, the sun was shining and her friends were living it up. She however, was totally out of it.
What is wrong with me? She yelled to herself her frustration making her want to scream. Can't shake this damn mood! She exhaled harshly then got up. She stripped determinedly and strode for the lapping waves.
"Kagome?" she heard Sango say. "You okay?"
"Fine." She gritted out. "Just peachy." Sango, long used to her modern friend's mood swings just nodded and moved to a safe distance. Her other friend…well he was on the stupid side.
"Oi, Kagome! What's wrong with ya?" he said blocking her path. Sango watched momentarily then went back to her game with Miroku, Shippo and Kirara.
"Move." Was Kagome's only answer.
"Uh-uh. Not until you tell me what's been eating you for the past couple of days." He folded his arms across his chest and glared right back at her. She stomped her right foot then looked at him. She grabbed the front of his shirt, which totally shock him, and fairly growled at him.
"Leave me alone you stupid boy." She said softly before walking around him. She splashed into the water and then dove into oblivion.
He looked back to find his three companions glaring at him. "What? I haven't done anything." He defended angrily. "She's been like this for days and I haven't done one thing to upset her and you three know it."
"He's right." Shippo said. "The big goof here hasn't upset Kagome once in two weeks. He hasn't even picked on me." Shippo continued while scratching his chin.
"See." Inuyasha said grateful for the defense even if it was from the brat.
"So what's wrong with her?" Sango asked concerned, her eyes following Kagome's frustrated stroke through the water.
"I fear that only fair Kagome can answer that." Miroku said in a calm shrug that did nothing to hide his concern.
"Well, I wanna know now." Inuyasha growled looking out at the girl in question.
"I agree but let's give her time to work off a little of that energy." Sango said. "I don't want to have to dig poor Inuyasha out of the sand." She added making said Hanyou cringe. He seemed to think it over before returning to his perch in a nearby tree.
She swam furiously trying to work out whatever had her so tense. She couldn't figure it out. She stopped and inhaled harshly, her body tired from the strain of the sudden physical burst and the turmoil of her mind. She leaned back and forced herself to float, closing her eyes and letting her mind drift with the waves. Scenes flashed through her mind.
Inuyasha getting beat to a pulp.
Inuyasha leaving to see Kikyo instead of staying with her.
Inuyasha sleeping in her bed.
Inuyasha. Inuyasha. Inuyasha.
Damn! She thought. Even when I'm trying to relax. But it's not like it's his fault. HE hasn't done anything! And suddenly it clicked. He hadn't done anything. Five years since her arrival to this time and for the last two years since Naraku's demise, nothing had changed between them. Not one thing. It's his fault. Or…maybe it's mine. What did I expect? His profession of undying love or something? She was still berating herself when she was startled out of her reverie, causing her to inhale some of the salt water. She coughed and sputtered even as Inuyasha tried desperately to clear her lungs for her.
"Are you crazy?" he yelled once he had her back on the beach.
"Me?" she said weakly.
"Do you realize how far out the waves had carried you? If Shippo hadn't alerted me, you could have been fish food." He added angrily, shaking her just a bit.
"Sorry." She said. She had been about to yell at him for starling her but it was obvious she was in the wrong. She had been careless. She looked up at him and suddenly he was just a little too close. She brushed him off and where his hands had held her felt like fire.
"What?" he said shocked by her actions. "And don't tell me 'nothing' 'cause you know it's a lie."
She stared at him and tried to think of a quick come back but her mind was blank. His close proximity was messing up her already muddled mind. Thankfully it wasn't forming any wayward thoughts. That would have totally mortified her. She bit the inside of her cheek before yelling out. "I'm going home!"
"Why?"
"I can't be here anymore." She said in a softer voice.
"What do you mean by that?" he said totally confused. She stared hard at the rosary around his neck then burst into tears.
Inuyasha was at a loss. The others had taken this as their excuse to leave and this left him in a quandary. He had never been good with tears. Especially her tears. He scratched his head and looked worriedly at the weeping woman. He patted her back experimentally and she dove into his arms. It wasn't long before he could feel the moisture against his chest.
"Kags." He said using the name he'd adopted for her in recent years. "What's wrong?" he said holding her to him now.
"I have to go." She said her word punctuated by sobs. "I can't stay here anymore."
"I don't – I don't know what that's supposed to mean." She didn't respond to this. All she did was hold him tighter and cried harder.
It was well past sunset when she had exhausted herself into a sleep. Apparently, Shippo told the others it was okay to come back because he was shifting her body so he could stand.
"Cowards." He scoffed.
"How is she?" Miroku asked looking at the sleeping girl in Inuyasha's arms.
"Tired. I've never seen anyone cry so much." Inuyasha said shaking his head. "She just burst into tears and wouldn't stop." He turned indicating they were returning to the village and they followed.
"I hope she'll be okay in the morning." Sango said coming along side Inuyasha to look at her friend.
"Me too." Shippo said hopping up to the hanyou's shoulder, the latter of whom grunted but did nothing to dislodge the kitsune.
The journey back was silent as no one dared anger Inuyasha by waking Kagome. When they finally arrived, instead of following them into the hut he took himself and Kagome up into one of the nearby trees for the night. No one questioned his decision.
Up in the tree, away from prying eyes, he examined her tear stained face as she slept cradled against him, her hand still fisted in the material of his clothes. "Why are you so sad, Kags?" He brushed the hair from her face and watched her sleep for the rest of the night.
Sango awoke with a start when a screaming Shippo latched unto her face. "Shippo!" she growled.
"Sorry. The shouting scared me." Sango angled her head and picked up the sounds of Inuyasha and Kagome in a shouting match. Thankfully, it didn't seem like anything serious.
"What is your problem? All I did was bring us breakfast and because-"
"You left me in a tree way off the ground!" Kagome interrupted. "Do you know how traumatizing it is to wake up on a branch? I was sacred to death!"
"I made sure you wouldn't fall out." Inuyasha defended.
"You left me up in a tree by myself when you know I'm afraid of heights." She shoved him and he stumbled back slightly.
"Don't shove me!" he yelled in her face and Sango cringed waiting for the usual round of 'sits'. She was surprised, as were Miroku, Shippo and Kaede that Kagome didn't say it. It was even more surprising that Kagome pulled her hand back and slapped him across the face. Silence rang through the village at the offending sound.
Inuyasha held his face. It hadn't hurt in the truest sense but Kagome had never hit him before. She sat him to no end but not once had she raised her own hand and hit him. He stared at her hard, shock etched into his features. He studied her as saw anger, hurt, frustration and a plethora of other things he couldn't identify. What astounded him was that it was all directed at him.
"W-why?" he said. He heard the others talking to each other but he was more concerned with why Kagome had hit him and why he had the sudden urge to punish her. His blood simmered as the anger came to boil and he snapped. "You stupid girl! What was that for?"
"You deserve it."
"For what?" he grabbed her by her upper arms and pulled her towards him, making her face him. "I haven't done anything to you! I haven't hit the twerp! I haven't pissed Sango off! I haven't mouthed off to Kaede! I haven't gone off to see Kikyo! I- "
"But you thought about it!" she yelled. She grabbed her head and fought the images that plagued her. "Damn!" How was a girl to think when all she could see were the thoughts of a hanyou pining after his old girlfriend. Dead girlfriend.
She hadn't told anybody about her new ability. How would her friends take something like that? How was she to tell them she knew what they were thinking when she cared to pay attention? Now she wished she had told them. Then at least Inuyasha would have made an effort to curb his thoughts regarding his precious Kikyo. She couldn't tell if they were memories or desires but they cut her to the core. She wondered now if that was the cause of her depression. Were his persistent thoughts of Kikyo the cause of her depression? Or was it the fact that she could never read what he thought about her? And he did. Many times she could hear it. She could almost feel the pull as if he was calling out to her. The images, however, were blurry. Jumbled. Indecipherable.
"You thought about her. All the damn time!"
"What?"
"Damn!" she shook her aching head. "If you want her so much then let me go. Just let me go." She suddenly went very still. "Let me go home and never come back. Let me forget you."
"What?" he said setting her back on her feet. "What kind of nonsense are you spitting? Go home? Forget me?"
Kagome looked at him then to her friends. She smiled sadly then looked back at him. "You should be with the one you – the one you -" She could bring herself to say it. "The one you want." She finished and then quickly grabbed at the beads around his neck. Said beads dispersed in a burst of light before reforming in her trembling hand. She squeezed them then without looking at him turned and ran.
It was a full minute before Inuyasha realized what had happened. Shippo was yelling at everybody to go after her. Apparently, Sango and Miroku agreed. Many times Kagome had run off but never before had she run off with the subjugation beads. The importance of this weighed heavily on them and for the very first time, they felt that they would lose Kagome for good. Kirara transformed and her regular passengers jumped on. She was flying past Inuyasha when he suddenly jumped up, grabbed her by the tail and flung her back to the ground. Kirara was a cat so she landed on her feet but she growled angrily at the Hanyou. Said person looked up at the spectators.
"No one interfere. Do so and don't blame me for your deaths." With that announcement he went off in the direction of the fleeing miko.
Kagome could barely see through the tears. She dodged the trees that loomed up at her and yearned for the familiar sight of the old well. The portal to her home. Mommy. She cried inside. The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end and she stopped dead in her tracks. She inhaled sharply trying to catch her breath as she turned to face him. He was sitting in a branch looking at her. Silent but no less threatening. She sensed the difference. Normally she'd talk him down but she couldn't. Her inner turmoil put her on edge around him. So she did what she had been doing before. She ran.
She felt him behind her, taunting her. He was capable of catching her but he didn't. She knew what he would do. It was just like him to dangle the prize before her knowing she'd never be able to claim it. She saw the trees thin and wandered if she could outsmart him. Just as she cleared the trees and the plan formulated in her mind, she found herself pressed against a snarling Hanyou and an unyielding tree. She gasped as his fangs brushed against her ear.
"I-I-Inuyasha-" she swallowed. "C-c-calm down."
"Where the hell did you think you were going?" he said calmly. He gazed down at her in genuine confusion. Behind it, she could see the looming anger. His eyes were the same gold she loved yet now they held a fierceness that was new to her.
"I-I-uh-I was -"
"Going home?" he chuckled. "Now what would give you that idea, Kagome?" He pressed her heavily into the trunk of the tree then stopped when she gasped painfully. He eased up and smiled.
"Please-"
"You took my beads." He cut her off sharply.
"But-" she closed her eyes when his claws bit into the bark next to her head.
"You took my beads." He said angrily. "Why'd you do that?" he said incredulously. Kagome didn't know what to do. Her hands that were holding onto the trunk came up to try and put space between her and the angry half-youkai. She felt it before did. The warm heat that now reacted to her emotions. It was purely automated self-defense but she saw the red darken his eyes before slipping into oblivion. He looked at her hard then before she could even think he was swooping down to claim her lips in a kiss to end all kisses.
Pleasure coiled in her as his lips moved expertly over hers. She fisted her hands in his shirt to anchor herself to the real world. She whimpered at the attack on her senses as she inhaled his scent. She tasted him. She heard his breath and felt his heartbeat against her shaking hands. To compound the problem her mind suddenly decided to merge with his. She felt the pulse of his youki like it was part of her very being. It, she realized, was now pronounced in him more than ever before. It reveled in its freedom yet did not overwhelm Inuyasha like it did all those times it was released.
She gasped and Inuyasha used this opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. She was lost. She could no longer think. She could only feel. Her mind was bombarded by images she didn't know could exist and she wondered were these her wayward thoughts or his. The mental images worked to unravel her mind even more. She barely registered the movement he made to bring her on a level with him as her mind swirled dangerously close to an abyss of pure bliss.
She exhaled when her lips were freed and he moved on to her neck. He kissed her there for a while before he repeated his earlier question. "Why'd take my beads?" She tried desperately to form a conscious thought. She would have had better luck swimming the English Channel.
"Inuyasha." Kagome sighed at the reprieve. Though she hated to relinquish Inuyasha to her rival. She looked to the side where she saw Kikyo leave the forest and come into view. Inuyasha held up his head slowly and looked at her. Kagome's relief turned to resentment and a desire to be elsewhere. This was as short-lived as the reprieve. Inuyasha returned his attention to her neck simultaneously sending her into sensory overload.
"Answer my question, Kagome." He said. Kagome was too shocked to answer him. He had totally rebuffed Kikyo. Kikyo seemed to be reeling from this shock too. Kagome saw her drop her barrier momentarily and Inuyasha growled against her throat. "Leave." He said dangerously low. Kagome nodded and made to run to the well but Inuyasha didn't release her. "Not you. The one over there." He said finally looking at Kikyo again.
"I wish to speak with you."
"I'm busy. Leave."
"It is importa-"
"If you value the life you so dearly cling to, woman, then leave immediately."
"Inuyasha." Kikyo said.
"I said I'm busy." He turned back to Kagome. "Look at me Kagome." She closed her eyes instead.
She heard him chuckle just before his fangs scraped against her neck. It was second before she felt the warm liquid running down her neck and the bite of the wind as it burned her. Her eyes flew open.
"Y-you-"
"I told you to look at me. Next time it won't be so gentle." He said.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked. She lifted a hand to wipe the blood away, a hand that was stopped by clawed fingers as they wrapped around her small wrist. He bent his head and licked at her neck effectively cleaning the blood and closing the wound he caused. She shuddered at the sensations and pressed her legs together. He laughed.
"I have no intention of letting you go, Kagome. You're mine." He said.
"But-"
"My beads." He said. She blinked then looked down at her hand that was still shackled by the famous beads. She brought shaking hands up as he stepped back to give her space. She slipped it over his head. She swallowed nervously as she slowly pulled his hair from within the confines of the necklace. He inhaled sharply then exhaled just as sharply when her quivering fingers brushed against his neck.
"C-Can I go now?" she asked uncertainly.
"Yes" he said and gathered her against him. He leaped into the air and then she was in her room.
He set her on the bed then went downstairs. She figured he only went to inform her family she was home because in a few minutes he was back, stooping to face her.
"W-wh-"
"It's time to sleep." He said. He loomed over her forcing her to lie back on the bed with him on top of her.
"But, I'm not tired."
"Sleep." He said turning them so that she was nestled against his chest. He closed his eyes. That was the end of the conversation.
Kagome looked up at his chin as she counted the beats of his heart. She had never been able to do this. She wondered if she was dreaming. She shifted and he held her tighter and growled. She stilled immediately. She opted to wrap an arm around him and waited for morning.
She must have fallen asleep because when she woke up, the moon was up and she was looking up into the eyes of a very calm inu-youkai.
"Good to see you're awake." He said. "I've been worried about you." He said.
"Really?" Inuyasha had never said that to her. Ever. Her tone was a cross between sarcasm and relief.
"I always am. Are you feeling better now?" To her, he seemed more his human self than ever before.
"Are you?" she asked. Confusion ripped through her.
"I'm fine." He smiled and she almost stopped breathing. Inuyasha's smiles were rare and she wondered now if he knew it's power. He kissed her softly on the lips then pulled back as if burned. "This is your fault you know."
"What's my fault?"
"You released me from the tree. You made me fall for you." He suddenly rested his head against her neck and with one breath fell asleep.
Great. Now I'm pinned. She inhaled and he snuggled closer. Knowing how strange he was acting she accepted her present fate. I might as well see what he's thinking when he's fully asleep. When she was sure he had fallen into a deep sleep, she reached out and merged her mind to his.
She opened the door to her room and came up on an interesting scene. One. Two. Three. Three of him. They all looked up when she came in but then they all proceeded to ignore her. She took a seat and listened as they spoke to each other.
"You just had to go and kiss her." Human Inuyasha said.
"Like you didn't want to." The youkai Inuyasha said from his place on her bed.
"Well-"
"It doesn't matter. It's done. What do we do now? She's scared to death of me." The Hanyou said.
"I didn't mean to scare her." The youkai said. "I just wanted to show her how much I accepted her."
"That I did." The human said. "She liked it too." He added.
"We all did." The Hanyou said.
"But who will she want?"
"She wouldn't choose. She loves unconditionally." The human said.
"She'd choose us all."
"Can she handle all of me?" the human asked concern etched in his face.
"She stood by me for so long." They said in unison.
"We should ask her." The youkai said.
"Are you out of your mind?" the other two said.
"It's not a bad idea." Kagome said. They all looked around in wonder.
"Did you hear that?"
"I heard her." The youkai said. He sniffed. "She's here." He said. Kagome revealed herself then with her arms folded.
"Jerks." She said.
"I'm sorry." They said.
"You idiot. You scared me half to death. I thought-"
"I wouldn't." They said at the same time.
She jumped when he bit her neck and she realized he was waking up. His mouth was hot against her skin.
"Inuyasha."
"You didn't ell me you learned a new trick." He said raising his head.
"I-"
"You cheated."
"I-"
"You need to be punished."
"P-punished?" She wondered what that could mean for her. Would he kill her? Would he beat her? Usually she was sure about Inuyasha but this new dog was a mystery to her. All the novels in the world couldn't help her sort through this change. It was as if the beads were a switch. Had they been that important in keeping her alive all these years? Just how much power did this bead have over this most powerful of Hanyous? She searched his elegant features. They were not as refined as his elder brother's was yet Sesshomaru in all his cool glory could not best this specter of her soul. They shared a beauty unknown to most beings yet Inuyasha displayed an exquisiteness that surpassed her imaginations. Time and trials had changed him into a brute. Strong. Fearless. Dependable. Her strength for the many years she had been shackled to the Japan of the past.
"How do I punish you? You're not my mate so I cannot punish you as I would her." She inhaled and held her breath.
Mate? He has a mate? So what have I been fighting to keep all these years? I've lived a five year fantasy? Was I always an interlude? Was Kikyo his mate? Is Kikyo his mate?
She heard him chuckle above her. "What?" she breathed.
"You should really learn to break your connection with my mind. Especially in such an emotionally unstable situation. It doesn't work to your advantage to have me know what you're thinking."
"You heard wh-"
"I don't have a mate." He interrupted. "Especially that corpse."
"You love that corpse." Kagome insisted.
"My mother taught me honor. I vowed revenge on someone who at least tried to care for me. She is incapable of such feelings. A miko to the end that one. I served her purposes. A trained dog." He laughed then looked seriously at her. "Much like what you've been doing to me."
"I have not-" he flooded her with images of him carving out his form in the ground. She cringed.
"Trying to keep me on a short leash. Never allowing me to mark my territory. Humiliating me in front of that wolf. Denying me retribution for his disrespect of my claim."
"What?" she shook her head as he flooded her with more images. Kouga was the culprit of all his pain now. Herself, the root.
"Kagome." He said.
"Well if I did all this with those stupid beads, why did you want them back?"
"They are mine. Saved my life many times. You tired to run away with something that you gave me."
"Kikyo made them for you."
"Kikyo tried to tame what cannot be tamed."
"Didn't I try to do that too?" she was confused.
"Your motives were selfish at best but not completely so." He sniffed her hair, which meant that she got a good whiff of his aroma because he leaned so close to her. She hadn't been able to describe his scent. Her poetic words waxed thin. She remembered now all those times she rode on his back. The first time especially.
She was fifteen. New. Fresh. She'd never been that close to a boy before. No boy had ever hoisted her unto his back then proceeded to secure her by her thighs. No one else had. Many times, she'd been sure she felt his hand slip higher then squeeze. It was a debilitating feeling to know just how vulnerable she felt cradled against his back. And yet, she felt so protected.
There were other times, in her sleep, she was sure she felt his warm breath across her face. She was sure she could feel his claws rake through her hair. She was sure, up against the tree was not the first time she felt his mouth close over her neck. Even now as she squirmed under his questing hand, it seemed all too familiar to her body.
"What have you been doing to me?" she asked in wonder, realization and astonishment all at once.
"A powerful miko like yourself should know these things. Never trust a youkai."
"I trusted you." She said and it was a regret. It presented him with the present, the past and the future.
"A human's mistake. You're lucky I'm not like my brother. My brother who was ready to claim you had I not stepped in." Kagome was flabbergasted.
"W-huh?"
"A miko is desirable prey for a youkai. Especially one as notorious as Sesshomaru." Kagome suddenly worried for Rin's safety. "Rin is safe for a few more years. I figure she'll offer herself to him long before he demands it."
"Is that what you're doing now? Demanding something of me?"
"No need you. You already offered yourself to me."
"I never-" he silenced her with a vision of her promise. Her promise to always be by his side. "Stop doing that."
"You should be more careful around me."
"So you've been playing with me all these years?"
"No. You've just never really given me a reason to believe you'd actually think to leave."
"I can only be so patient. I don't have eternity like you do." She said pouting. She felt some of her sprit returning. She wasn't usually this quiet and accepting with his chauvinistic attitude. Granted, he was pinning her to the bed and basically assaulting her.
"This isn't the time to mouth off Kagome."
"It wouldn't be much of a challenge if I didn't."
"Challenge? You already challenged my authority when you ran. I caught you. You lost."
"You were playing with me." She defended. She shoved at his chest and he suddenly trapped her hands above her head. "Get off my, Inuyasha."
"No." She struggled now in earnest her miko powers rising to aid her. He hissed when a pink light shot past his ear. "Stupid girl." She felt trapped. She felt vulnerable. Utterly so. She didn't know if Inuyasha was in his right mind. Would he hurt her? He closed his eyes. "Stop teasing me. I trying to keep him from-"
"Him?" she opened her mouth in wonder. "That jerk!" she pushed him back now and slapped him on his chest.
"Ow." He howled since the slap had been spiced by some miko energy.
"How dare you try to scare me."
"It's your own fault." Inuyasha said pouting. He was back to his old self now. She was wondering now just how much like his old self he was. Did he have a split personality? "No I don't. I've always been like this. Complicated."
"I can see that." She muttered. "Go home Inuyasha." She said wearily.
"I'm not leaving you here so you seal us all off forever. Just 'cause you think nothing has changed between us doesn't mean it hasn't. I have been nicer to you."
"Well-"
"And I haven't picked a fight with Kouga over you."
"Yes but-"
"I haven't hit the little brat." He added.
"Okay! So things have changed."
"Feh." He said.
"I really don't like you right now." She said running a hand through her disheveled hair.
"Give me a break. You wanna kiss me."
"Damn." She consciously broke the link now. She was being careless. She looked at him and had to blush. He had that knowing look in his eyes. "Crap." She said. She hadn't closed the link soon enough.
"You've been thinking an awful lot about a guy you don't like." He ran a finger against the pulse in her throat.
"Stop it." She whispered.
"Why?"
"You can't suddenly hope to fix everything."
"Nothing's broken. Not even your heart." He leaned and she back off. This time he held her and kissed her. She had no chance. She whimpered hopelessly. She was lost to this man. She had been very careless.
"Please don't-"
"If I don't, we'll both regret it."
"Not here." She said.
"Right here is fine." He pulled her to him and all protests ended. For a second anyway.
"I can't-" her words were cut off by a moan as he eased his thigh between her legs. "I can't-"
"You want this."
"No. I want-" she sighed as he kissed her neck. "I want you. Not just this."
He looked at her. "Silly girl. You had me ever since you freed me from that tree."
"That's not true." She breathed heavily. He had stopped touching her but he still imprisoned her. "You tried to leave with Kikyo many times. You left me to-"
"Stop bringing her she's not an issue."
"You think about her. You dream of doing – of doing this to her." She said and moaned when he nibbled at her shoulder.
"When? Not once have I thought of doing this with her. You've been reading things wrong. Amateur." He chuckled. "Take another look." He forced her to open the channel and she saw it then. The long black hair. The miko attire. And she tired to save herself the heartache.
"No."
"Keep looking." He shifted above her and then it was clear. It wasn't Kikyo he held so tightly in his arms. It was her. "Stupid."
"Inuyasha."
"I always knew you were impulsive. You should have just asked." He said. She blushed now.
"I still-" he silenced her with a kiss. The moon glinted off the silver of his hair and she couldn't help but entangle her fingers in its splendor. She arched into him when he kissed the exposed part of her chest.
"I won't do it now." He said. "Only because you asked me to. But I'll make sure you know what you're missing." His fangs scraped along her neck and she shuddered. He ground his hips into hers and she felt the full force of his pleasure as it pressed into her core. She suddenly didn't want him to move. Hormones were a terrible thing especially around a dog.
"Shit." She gasped as he did it again. "I must be out of my mind." She said. She felt the moisture gather and she suddenly hated the many layers she wore.
"Look at me, woman." She looked into his eyes. She saw adoration. Respect. Loyalty. Even love. She knew he'd never say it. It was enough he showed it to her.
"Inuyasha." She gasped as he moved once more against her.
"You are mine." She nodded slowly.
"Yours." She said. What was she to say? It wasn't as if she'd left herself many options.
"Good." He cupped her face gently and kissed her even more so. "Do you know how much I want you right now?"
"No. I wish you could show me." She said still in the bliss of her passion. It wasn't just sex with him. It could be so beautiful with him. She looked into his eyes. Oh how she wanted him. He was hard to resist when he was an idiot but even harder to resist when he was so gentle. It was such a turn on to know someone so wild could be so gentle with her. "I don't wanna let go." She said and kissed him passionately.
"Make up your mind woman." He growled when he pulled away from her tempting lips.
"Not here." She said repeating earlier words. "Not with my family in the house."
"Who says they're here?"
"What?"
"Was the reason for you refusal then?" he chuckled. He kissed her then and she gave up herself to the pleasure.
He touched her on more than a physical plane. Her soul called out to him. All of it. Even the part that held Kikyo to this world. She heard a distant scream in her ears but was too caught to realize just what she had done. Inuyasha however, seemed to.
"Wench."
"W-what?"
"You finally got rid of her."
"What? Who?"
"She's gone. Kikyo."
"But-" he touched her heart and she felt the gentle pulse of fulfillment. That void she always felt next to her heart was no longer there. "I'm whole."
"Not quite." He removed the last piece of cloth from her body and his. "Forever." He whispered against her forehead as he paused.
"Move." She said petulantly and he chuckled.
"This will hurt." He warned but before she could defend against the new invasion he had impaled her to him. She threw her head back at the sting grateful that he was still. It was new. She felt him pulsing in her. It was deeply erotic. She moved experimentally and had to gasp at the new sensation. She bit her lip in frustration. It wasn't enough. It promised more and she didn't know how to get it.
"Inuyasha." She said and he moved against her. She sighed in satisfaction but still craved more. "More." She said.
"You'll get more than you can handle." He said. He moved against her until she could meet him thrust for thrust. Her orgasm rocked her. It was enhanced by the fact that he kept moving. He kept pushing her higher and higher. Tears blurred her vision. Slow. Fast. It didn't matter. It was sweet torture.
She had lost count at three. She could do no more than experience what he gave her. "No more." She said. Exhaustion filled her.
"My Kagome can take more." He growled and slammed into her hard. The friction jolted them both. She grunted with the effort it took just to keep her eyes open. He wouldn't let her slip away. The spiral started to coil again before she could try to stop it. It spun out of control and then she heard him growl in deep satisfaction. "Just hold on." He said softly to her. She held him tight as he moved deep within her taking his pleasure until he too was spent. He fell on top of her and buried his face against her neck where her pulse beat a tell-tale rhythm. He kissed her gentle and she held him closer. She was tired. So tired.
"Inuyasha."
"Sleep." He said. He was still connected to her in the most physical sense. She drifted off into sleep slumber where he pleasured her in her mind.
"Pervert." She whispered into his ear. He chuckled.
The next morning was a big deal for her. For one, she couldn't move. Not one inch. "I'm going to kill you." She said weakly to him.
"Whatever." He said as he watched her stretched out on the bed. "Wanna take shower?"
"Bath." She said. "I don't think I could stand."
"Whatever you want." He lifted her and took her to the bathroom. The bath had already been run but he wanted to make sure. He lowered her into it before climbing in behind her. She sighed as the warmth relaxed her tense muscles. "Feeling okay?"
"Tired."
"I know." He said. "Let me help." He washed her body and it wasn't much help to her tired body because having him so close was dangerous. His hands slipped lower and she knew what was coming.
"Inuyasha-" she complained.
"Don't refuse me, woman." He said. His fingers teased her and she tried to close her legs. He held them open by hooking them over his. She was too tired to help it. She wanted this. But she was so tired. She leaned back into him and enjoyed the ride.
"Inuyasha." She sighed.
"You like that?" she nodded. "I'm always here to do this for you." He said. He kissed her shoulder. She gasped out her climax before falling asleep against him.
When she woke up, she was back in feudal Japan cradled against his strong back. His hands were tad bit higher than usual and she shuddered. "You're going to kill me." She whispered into his hair.
"A good way to go." He chuckled. "You wanna stop for now?"
"Are we almost there?"
"Yeah."
"Keep going." She said. His voice was soft. She wondered if she had done anything for him in the sexual sense. There was no doubt she was deeply pleasured by him. "Inuyasha?"
"Hmmm?"
"Did I please you?"
"Stupid girl. How could you not?"
"I don't know. I'm not very experienced."
"What makes you think I am?" he laughed then. "I'm in the same boat as you."
"Really?" she said hugging him tighter.
"We'll learn together." He said.
"Okay." He landed then and pushed back the curtain that led to inside of the little hut.
"Ye have both returned." Kaede said. "Inuyasha, I wish to speak with you."
"Go ahead." He did nothing to relinquish his hold on Kagome. He merely shifted her so that she was sitting in his lap.
"In private? This concerns my sister."
"What of her?"
"She has become a threat."
"How comes? Kagome got back-"
"My sister does not like to lose. She has done as Onigumo had once done."
"Let Kagura deal with her."
"She has taken Shippo." Kaedae said.
"Where?" Kaeade shook her head.
"Sango and Miroku search for them now."
"I know where." Kagome said waking up.
"Hmmm?"
"The river where I healed her."
"We'll go now."
"No. I must go alone. This is between me and her." Kagome said.
"No its-"
"She took Shippo. Not you. Shippo is mine. This is about me. And her."
"You're still too tired."
"I'm strong enough for this. Just don't stay too far away. Take me there now."
"Ye two have mated?"
"Why do you ask?"
"You have the behaviour of a woman who is too tired to walk because of youkai pleasures."
"Blame this stupid dog. We will return soon." They left then.
It took them a better part of the day to reach the river where Kikyo sat cradling a sleeping Shippo.
"You befriended those we mikos are sworn to kill."
"So did you." Kagome said taking a seat across from her.
"He mated you."
"Yes. You should go back to where you belong, Kikyo."
"I have made my choice. I'll kill you and him both."
"You won't succeed."
"You've lost your powers silly girl. You've mated that which a miko should shun."
"Lost my powers? Stupid woman. That's the babble you convinced yourself of. I've lost nothing."
"Show me then. Purify me."
"I'd rather you accepted what is and went peacefully. You've known too much pain in your life."
"I never lived past my eighteenth birthday. You stole him."
"You tried to kill him. Your weakness made you seal him instead."
"Silence." She flung Shippo aside. Kagome made sure he was fine before turning to face the youkai. It attacked but Kikyo had not chosen wisely of the plethora of parasitic youkai. Kagome easily flung the offending thing from the miko's body then calmly sent the dead miko back to the earth.
Inuyasha came then and scooped up Kagome and Shippo whom she had cradled to her. "I made sure it was peaceful."
"Thank you."
"Hmmm. Get me out of here." She fell back asleep.
Inuyasha encountered Kouga on his way back to the village. "Wolf." He said.
"You beat me to it."
"Years ago." Inuyasha said.
"I could still win her."
"She'd kill you for trying this time."
"You're right." Kouga said.
"Go find Ayame. She's waiting."
"You think so?"
"Yes though I don't know why." Inuyasha walked off then.
Sango and Miroku hugged a bewildered Shippo who only wanted to snuggle up to Kagome. Unfortunately, being a kitsune, he knew Inuyasha would not hesitate to kill him for getting to close to Kagome this early after their mating.
"Can't he come sit with me?" Kagome complained.
"No." Inuyasha said and glared at Shippo who didn't even dare anger the Hanyou.
"It's okay, Kagome. I'm fine over here."
"Stupid dog." Kagome muttered and Inuyasha pulled her hair.
"Watch it." He said.
"You don't rule me now."
"You aren't doing anything to prove otherwise." She struggled to get away from him. It ended in a wrestling match.
"Who do you think will win?" Sango said.
"Kagome could best him though it could go either way." Miroku said.
"Think she'll sit him?" Shippo asked.
"Not while she's on the bottom." Sango said fearfully.
"She just might be-" the thud cut off the rest of his words. "See." Miroku said. Kagome was trapped with a growling Inuyasha on top of her.
"You'll pay." He grumbled when he peeled himself off her. He pulled her up and dusted her off. "More than you know."
"I won't be dictated to just because I'm your mate or whatever. I'm still from the future."
"Feh." He said and jumped into one of the trees and pouted.
"Get down here now."
"You wouldn't dare." He said. He looked at her with one eye open.
"One, two, three." He jumped down and covered her mouth. She licked his palm and he shuddered.
"I hate you."
"I know you do." She said when he released her mouth. "Will you behave?"
"Fine. I'll behave."
"Good." She hugged him then and smiled. "Can we go somewhere?"
"No." He muttered. He looked at Sango and Miroku who seemed to have the same idea as Kagome did. Who would stay with Shippo? This quandary was solved the appearance of Hiten's little sister.
"Shippo!"
"Oh no." Shippo said and covered his face. "Please don't leave me with her." He said hanging onto Inuyasha. He knew better than to touch Kagome. Inuyasha shook him off and ran off with Kagome. Sango and Miroku had snuck off with Kirara. Turned slowly and faced his enemy.
"Hey." She said cheerily. "I'm here for another match. Plus those colored sticks are done. I want more."
"I don't-" she pounced on him. "Get off me."
"I hope you're not trying to fight what will happen." She said knowingly.
"I'll fight it for as long as I can." He said though he knew his inevitable end. Once he was of age, he would be hunted by her and female kitsune until one was the victor. Kitsune men were never the predators in these things. Always the prey. He figured she would win. He just knew it.
"Good. It'll be more fun. Now, let's draw." He sighed and dug his crayons out of Kagome's bag they spent the time drawing. His case was hopeless.
"You think he's okay?" Kagome asked as she enjoyed the backrub she was getting.
"He'll be fine." Inuyasha said.
"If you say so." She sighed then turned over to pull him down on top of her.
"You feeling better now?"
"No." She lied. He had been apologizing for crushing her in the ground earlier for the last hour.
"You're lying." He said angrily.
"I'm tired." She said and this was the truth.
"You'll get used to it." He popped her buttons open and smiled. She stopped his hands. "Kagome." He whined.
"You need to learn that I have a say in this." She said.
"I know but I have to do this. You're still vulnerable." He said.
"I can take care of myself." She said solemnly.
He went quiet. "I know." He said. "But I still like taking care of you." He smiled and she hadn't the heart to refuse him. He kissed her and so began a new round of love- making.
He lay spent beside her sleeping form and chuckled. "She's going to kill me." He knew it would soon be time to present her to his brother. No matter how they hated each other, she needed both their protection. She turned to him and sighed. She yawned into consciousness and smiled.
"I love you." She said. He went still. "What?" he sat up and dressed quickly. "Inuyasha!" he said nothing.
"Let's go-"
"Go without me." She said angrily.
"Look-"
"You make it look like news. Has that ever been a secret Inuyasha?"
"No but-"
"I don't expect you to say anything back but I don't expect you to close yourself off from me." She said sadly. He cupped her sad face and sighed.
"I'm not used to this."
"You think I am?" she asked.
"Kags." He said. He kissed her forehead. He looked her squarely in the eyes. "I really care about you." He said lamely then slapped his forehead. "I love you. I really do." He said. "Okay?" she nodded. He kissed her cheek and then hoisted her onto his back. "Let's go for a run." He smiled.
"Okay."
She held on as he flew her above the trees. She felt the freedom he felt. "I'm going to miss this when I get too old to keep up with you."
He snorted. "Old? You're my mate, woman. You won't get old."
"But-"
"I have to keep being intimate with you for two more days then we'll be completely mated. Forever."
"Forever?"
"As long as one of us is alive, the other will be too."
"And if one dies?"
"That won't happen."
"Then I'll have to make sure of that too." She grabbed his beads stunning him and recited the protection spell.
"What did you just do?"
"I think you're first Hanyou to be protected by the purifying power of a miko. Anytime you need it, you'll have my power to protect you just like you will protect me."
"You're really something." He said.
"So are you. So are you." She sighed before falling back into a sweet slumber.
"Kagome." He said.
"Mine forever." They said in their minds. "Forever."