AUTHOR'S NOTES:

I don't want to sound rude to yall, but seriously: I've had over 5,500 reads for this story, and yall know what? I've only had 19 reviews here on Dokuga!!! What is that?!? It would be really nice to have some insight on what you thought, if you find errors, anything that comes to mind while reading it. It gets frustrating for us writers when we push ourselves to write an enjoyable story to the audience, and don't get any opinions. Though flames aren't appreciated, anyone can give their opinion with gentle words. That's what's really important for us. (This message isn't for the people who reviewed, cuz I love you guys so much ^_^) Even I try to review as much as possible. Please try you guys; really, it would be greatly appreciated by many many writers out there. Thanks for reading this.

Message from previously discussed subject with the administrators and moderators in DOKUGA chat (because I support them 100%).

Answering Reviews:

Ayesha - thank you, I'm really glad you enjoy it. I've been working really hard in making it as interesting as possible.

stars - if you're seeing the answer to your review: it's because I updated, yay!!!

WhiteRose-Kurama - umm.. i really hope its a good thing :S As for a fan art, I'm really bad in drawings, but I'll try my best and then post it to my profile when I can. But I did ask LadyShieru if she could and accepted, so I don't know when it'll be done. I'll keep yall updated on that though. And we already know this story wouldn't be in writing if Sesshoumaru doesn't end up falling in love with her... I mean... COME ON! lol

raven - wow, your actually the first writing to me saying that you felt what i was trying to invoke in the story. It was the point to move people with her losses and pain. But, like any strong woman, Kagome was meant to pull though and move on, never forgetting the good times (point of the fanfic). I'm not spoiling anything by saying that, there is still a whole lot of story to come. My brain is working again!

pauly - thx ^_^ My style of writing is just the way I think, then I tweak the words and try to make it sound.. you know.. better! lol. It's a trick my sister told me about, that and writing about one's senses: sight, hearing, emotion, touch, taste and smell. My sister is a writer, so I took every word she said very seriously. Yall might want to keep that in mind if ya ever wanted to try out writing something that's been on your mind.

kouga's older woman - Nope, he's not. I'm glad I have a faithful reader ^_^ More soon!!!

Cymberly Brendible - Happy to hear it!

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews guys!

'...' = Thoughts

''...'' = Speech

italic = flashbacks

Last time:

Breathing hard and fast, she felt her head spin. Now she remembered why she felt so akin to touch him earlier. He had accepted her as she is, but to his benefit. He maybe said it would be for them both, but only 'could' be. It meant nothing. "You don't even love me, so the answer is no," she rudely finished, hoping the conversation would die there. It was in vain.

He had known she would subject to love, but love was not a demon emotion. Attachment and protectiveness is what they felt by nature, he was a dog after all. "Do not assume to know anything, woman. This Sesshoumaru has centuries of experience over your own," he replied angrily, his eyes flashing red for a split second, "we shall discuss this after your meal. The dining room is no place to speak on such matters. Finish and meet back in my chamber."

He piled the papers in front of him and left in haste.

On with the story:

Silence filled the room, and Kagome was filled with fury. So, they were back to 'we', eh? 'I'll show him!' She huffed angrily.

Kagome knew what ''could' be beneficial for the both us' meant in Sesshoumaru's language: it meant that he had something up his sleeve and could be falling into a trap. Not wanting to get caught in his game, she was determined to think things through to the last detail before agreeing to anything. He had something planned, she just knew it.

'This Sesshoumaru this, this Sesshoumaru that,' she mocked. He could really be a pain in the rear.

Knowing there was nothing else to do, she finished the remaining food from her morning meal, and headed straight to his chamber with many questions in mind.

At his door, she lightly knocked. For a few seconds as she awaited his answer, she wondered why he would chose her of all people to be his mate, why he would chose a human over a demoness.

A grave "come in" came through the door. She slid the door to his chamber open to walk in. As he previously did earlier, Sesshoumaru patted the bed by his side, gesturing for her to sit.

Neither of them spoke as Sesshoumaru let Kagome gather her thoughts on the matter at hand. He could see her hands fidgeting, her palms getting sweaty, and could smell her nervousness from the time she had entered his room. It made him wonder at the moment if Kagome would be the kind of girl to refuse no matter the circumstances. Being his mate was more than just a position, but it was all he could offer to a human, there was nothing else she could do for him.

Deciding now was better than never, she spoke up, the first of many questions released from her lips, "Why me?"

"Demoness are no good for such a task," he began as he paused to look into her green underwater hues with seriousness, "you have no home, and possess great strength in leading. It would also give you something to do with your time."

Her eyes darting from one of his to the other, she did not fully understand what he meant by that statement.

"You wish to know why this Sesshoumaru would choose a human such as you." Another statement, but she nodded in confirmation.

Immediately, he opened his mouth, and told her what she wanted to know.

He wanted to profit from her fiery spirit so she could run his domain while gone. Demoness were crude, they had no sense of leadership, and were bad mates. His mother was the perfect example. While she still ruled over the western palace in his absence, she ended the lives of many for her own personal gain. Many a times he spoke with his mother since her return to let him do away with his servants as he pleased, and get her to return to her father's. But not once since, did she even consider his words. He knew his mother loved him, though very protective when there was no need. Sesshoumaru was strong, powerful, and considered the second deadliest creature in Japan since his father.

On top of that, his mother had been incredibly forceful in her attempts to school Rin. Sometimes, Rin had come crying to him because she could not learn as fast, and was scared to be punished by her hand, again. The first time she had laid a hand on her, his mother had gotten off with a warning. The second time, he had forbidden her to give any more lessons to his young ward. The third time, when she had forced the child to eat while Rin had been feeling under the weather, he had forbidden her to ever approach the child again. Now, she took her frustrations out by killing as many servants as possible who were not fast enough by her point of view in doing their chores.

Enough was enough. His mother was out of control. She needed to leave, so when the opportunity presented itself, he jumped to it. Kagome may not be a demoness, but she was perfect to rule the western house. She was gentle by nature as well as amiable with anyone, caring and forgiving, with a great sense of determination, pride, and leadership. Even though she had lost much in the last few months, anyone who met her grew attached and protective of the girl. And that is why he chose her.

"So... is that all?" She questioned him, feeling there was more to it than he mentioned. "I only have make things run smoothly?"

"No, there is more," he spoke up, confirming her thoughts.

'Thought so...' she sighed. There was always a catch. She wanted to know everything, every little detail to make sure she didn't get herself into something she would regret in the near future. "Sesshoumaru, please be honest with me, I need to know," Kagome gently let out, "I want to make the right choice."

Nodding in understanding, he continued, giving her as many conditions of which he could think, "There are three rules you must follow, all fairly simple. First, you must always show respect in public by using one's title, bow, and submit to this Sesshoumaru whenever the case; I am your superior. Secondly, you must always be given permission if you intend to make some changes, no exceptions. And last, you must always, under any circumstances, speak only when spoken to out of our chambers. Those are the most important facts to remember." Turning to her, he watched her face, waiting for a reaction.

She seemed to be contemplating her thoughts and feelings. She drifted between anger, despair, and confusion. But one thing plagued her mind, "what happens if I don't respect those rules?"

Receiving a hard glare, she had a feeling that she didn't want to know, and such, was exact.

"Punishment," was the only word that came out of his mouth, "it would be unwise to test me."

Gulping down a bile, her anger faded into an ounce of fear. 'Okay, so being myself is out of the question.' Getting to run a house sounded like something she could do with confidence, but how far would it take her in this new found life. Would she be able to fall in love and have her feelings returned? No, she would be mated with a demon Lord. Would she be able to have children? Most likely no, Sesshoumaru despised half-breeds. Would she be able to do anything great with this new way of life? No, she would be practically imprisoned in the palace.

Though, she wondered if her thoughts were wrong. Giving a try to her questions sounded like a good idea. In doing so, the answers were both expected and unexpected, "The Western Lands will eventually need an heir, a full blooded heir as is tradition passed down for thousands of years. When the time comes, you will be notified, and this Sesshoumaru will reproduce will a demoness for convenience. And you may do as you wish, it matters only that you stay true as a mate."

In other words, she would have no right to have children, no right to have a man in her life, and no right to do anything but as she was told. The feeling of being his mate went out the door in that instant. "No," Kagome simply said and turned her back on him, only to slam the door behind her as she exited. The anger was radiating off her body in waves. Never did she feel more insulted in her life. Being used to gain on both their parts could be seen as a mutual understanding, but to be used for his own personal gain was a total and complete insult. If he expected her agreement or willingness, he was surely mistaking.

She may not have much hope for a future now, but she was not to the point of getting treated like a rag, as he previously did before her transformation.

With a determined face, she made her way back down the stairs, into a hallway, and into the library by the entrance. For hours, Sesshoumaru didn't come looking for her, though he most likely knew where she was. She was left to herself searching through text scrolls and thick documentation to find out exactly what had happened to her. Going up the latter, going down the latter, reading a passage, then doing so all over again, was what she did for a big part of the remaining day. Kagome had looked up on spring-healers in several scrolls which told of its temporary healing abilities, nothing out of the ordinary that she did not know already. Others spoke of what could happen if too much exposure to those small creatures would occur. Others on how they lived, how they travelled, etc. Nothing she could take as useful information. By sun-down, she had finally found what she was looking for:

"Spring-healers need a pure heart in order to transfer more than a small portion of healing abilities. A pure heart would also receive the gift of 'Greater Power' also known as immortality. It had been confirmed in the past by only a few humans who fought their way through life staying as young as they were for centuries. These humans could be killed by severing their heads from their bodies; only the permanent separation of these can it kill such an opponent. A wounded or severed member of the body other than the head would heal or re-grow as quickly as a demon would.

One exception remains: a being dying from a bodily disease or such who also possesses a pure heart.

So far, it confirmed what Sesshoumaru had told her, but that last sentence was exactly what she was looking for. She read on for more information.

"This being, if a human, would be inserted with a strange liquid of some sort, also creating what demon healers call an 'active mutant gene'. Though humans, as uneducated as they are, could not understand or make any sense of the words. Demons can smell this 'gene', because they also possess it. It is what gives them the ability to focus power into this 'gene' and create the 'humanoid' form.

The last human who happened to be given this 'Greater Power' and transformation, was rumoured to be often confused for a demon. A male who had been able to reproduce bull-bloods with a demoness, and live the life as an everyday demon would. Such rumours were never confirmed."

'Wow', was all her mind could manage to say. Thinking she must have imagined what she read, she went through it again, but reading and understanding the same thing as she did before. The first paragraph had been underlined by black ink. 'Must have been Sesshoumaru,' he did tell her exactly what was written there after all. Only, she wondered if he read the rest of the passage written on the scroll she held.

Rolling it back up for future use, she exited the library quickly with it in hand. Going up the stairs running as fast as she could with the intention of heading back to her room to finish reading the scroll, she hoped to avoid another confrontation with Lord Almighty-Pain-in-the-Rear. But such was not to be as she collided with the demon himself, causing her to take a step back. 'Great, nice going Kagome,' she told herself, rolling her eyes.

Feeling defeated, she sighing, and then lifted her head to look up at his face. He was fixing her with a hard glare. Though he didn't seem angry with her, he must have been annoyed by the look in his eyes. She did ignore him for the biggest part of the day. It was a bold move, and not the greatest of ideas. Especially when the person so to speak, was the one who took her into his home. She had no idea what to say as her lips parted, but nothing coherent came out. Closing her eyes and breathing in slowly, she felt him grip both her upper arms with his clawed hands. She gasped at his sudden unexpected touch. Looking up at him once again, she apologized for her lack of attention when she bumped into him.

"Other than avoiding me, what have you been doing?" Sesshoumaru voiced lowly, knowing she would hear him.

"I... I..." She hesitated, but as the words would not escape her lips, she handed him the scroll she held.

Taking his hands off of her, he grabbed it roughly, making her jump, and un-scrolled it delicately. "You have found it," he stated in a bored tone. "Such was never confirmed. Return to your chamber for the night. Your evening meal will be served shortly," and started to walk away.

Calling him back, she saw him stop. She ran up to him, facing his back at the top of the first floor, and asked in a gentle voice, "Lord Sesshoumaru, I will need more than running a house to be happy here. If not your love, I need children. If I can confirm what is written on that scroll, would you give it a chance?"

Facing her, he took a step in her direction to tower over her, "you are looking to compromise over a rumour priestess," she heard him warn her, nodding in return. Yes, she was. Such was for a human woman with plenty of love to give. It was a need, more than a simple craving easily satisfied.

Seeing the hope in her eyes, Sesshoumaru could not deny that if this slip of a girl could confirm such a rumour, he would jump at the chance of reproducing an heir with his mate. Since she had joined him, he did not think much of her, the very fact of her humanity through him off. At her transformation, he found himself in wonder of everything about her. The need to bed her was strong, but could not take the risk of dishonour over a simple wench. When he finally found out about her immortality that morning, he could not deny to himself that he desired his half-brother's lover. His frustration had been taken on a soldier mid-day, after she had refused his offer the second time. And now, she was telling him there was hope for his offer to be accepted.

Looking deep into her eyes, he could see no lie or deceit. Thinking it through, there was nothing to lose other than her acceptance, so he acknowledged her request. There would be nothing more pleasing than to own her completely.

A smile on her face, she thanked him as he gave her back the scroll, and watched as he entered the hallway toward the dojo.

She felt giddy with excitement, there was hope after all. Kagome remembered a few of her classes back in her time that had drifted across the topic of human genes. She was sure the book was inside her yellow back-pack, and she wasn't going to miss the opportunity to learn more on that subject.

~ To Be Continued ~

Me: I swear, I had no idea where to take this story until recently. Seems I have quite a bit to work up to before it really gets interesting.

Kagome: Wow, I sound so mature for a 16 year old.

Me: You do. Look at the bright side: you don't sound like a retard blonde. (please don't take offense to that peoples)

Kagome: *chuckle* You got that right!

InuYasha: Why the icicle and not me?

Me: …because this story is for all Dokuga fans… WOOHOO! Sess/Kag RULES!

Sesshoumaru: Hn.

Kagome & Me: *giggles*