A Heart's Recompense

Chapter 31

Kagome opened her eyes. She blinked and sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes. She looked around, somewhat confused by the unfamiliar surroundings before recalling the events of yesterday. And last night.

She had been drained by the press conference. Beyond tired. Then she had to deal with the news that he expected her to share his room. And his bed. The tea had done little if anything to help her relax. She had been tense. Apprehensive. What did he expect of their mating? Did he really expect to pick up as if the last two years had not happened?

Replacing the pictures and the gifts had surprised her. Mostly that he even still had them. Once they were finished, she was once again left to wonder what he would expect. Her tea had grown cold. He took her cup to the kitchen to refill it. She didn't remember anything else. She had been so tired.

She glanced to the other side of the bed. She was alone. Putting out a hand and touching cold sheets, she knew he had been gone for some time. She threw back the covers to get out of bed and realized she was in her nightgown. She blushed as she thought about who would have changed her clothes.

He must have carried her to bed. Even thought the sheets were cold, she knew he had been there earlier. She jumped up, determined to shower and dress before he returned. Her clothes from yesterday were laid over the back of a chair. Her bag was beside the chair. He would have had to go through it to get her nightgown. She grabbed fresh clothes and ran for the bathroom when she heard sounds coming from the hall.

She closed the bathroom door and leaned against it as she heard the bedroom door open.

"Good. You are awake. When you finish dressing, come to the kitchen. I have started breakfast and Kazuki wishes to see his mother. You were exhausted last night so I let you sleep in. You were so out of it, I had to carry you to bed."

She could hear him moving about the room, but had no idea what he was doing. She turned on the water, and after only a moments hesitation, she locked the bathroom door.

She felt better after the shower. Better able to face the day, and maybe deal with her new life. She opened the door and discovered a made bed. So that is what he had been doing. It seemed he had become somewhat domesticated in the last two years. Everything about this new Sesshoumaru threw her off balance. They needed to talk. Sooner rather than later. She needed to know what he expected of her. They needed to set some ground rules. Some boundaries. Before she lost herself playing house.

It would be too easy to fall back into old habits. Last night had proven that. She had been too easily pleased that he had kept all the pictures and trinkets. Too comfortable with old familiar ways. She felt vulnerable. That's the word she was looking for. Had she really been that lonely?

She draped her nightgown over the chair with her clothes from yesterday. She would need to unpack her clothes and also put away Kazuki's things. She glanced at the clock. It was past eight. She was already late for work. She decided to call in and spend the day getting settled in. She wondered what time Sesshoumaru would leave. Surely it would be soon.

She walked into the kitchen expecting to see Sesshoumaru in a suit ready to leave. Instead, he was wearing sweats, sitting at the table with Kazuki in a booster chair beside him. The air was thick with the aroma of the freshly cooked meal that he had made.

He looked up when she entered the room and nodded to the oven where her portion of the meal was being kept warm. She suddenly felt guilty for not getting up earlier and seeing to breakfast.

"I'll finish feeding Kazuki and do the dishes. I'm already late so I decided to call in. If you hurry and dress, you won't be too late."

"I've already called in for both of us.

"You called... both of us?"

"Yes. We are taking the week off."

"And you thought to consult me about taking leave from my job when?"

She was more than a little angry.

He stood and walked over to the oven. He came back and set her plate on the table.

"Eat. We have a lot to do today. The car will be here in half an hour to take us to Father's. We will be leaving Kazuki with him for the day."

"I'm waiting for my answer."

He picked Kazuki up.

"It seemed the most expedient way to accomplish the tasks necessary."

"What tasks?"

"You are running out of time. We will discuss this after I have gotten Kazuki dressed."

She glared at his back as he walked out of the room.

"Hmph. We'll discuss it alright."

She flopped into the chair and mumbled under her breath, knowing he would hear her.

"Arrogant dog."

Sesshoumaru smirked as he set Kazuki on his bed. He loved her spirit. He could not imagine life with some submissive woman who was afraid to displease him. There would certainly be many fights in his future, but there would never be boredom.

The paperwork to register their mating took almost an hour.

"The media were told that secrecy was the reason for not registering our mating when it took place. There is no longer a secret so it would be suspicious if we did not register. Also it further legitimizes Kazuki's right to inherit as my heir. Demon law will now allow him to carry my name."

"You mean that he could not inherit if we weren't mated?"

"My estate and whatever I would will to him would be his regardless, but there are strict rules of succession for demon titles. As I am the future Lord of the West, only the eldest son of a registered mating could inherit the title after me."

"So, if his existence had not been made public, and I had refused you, then Kazuki would have suffered when he grew up?"

"He would not have been able to succeed me, no. But you would not have lived to see it."

Another reminder of her new lifespan.

"That doesn't matter. What if we had not mated and you mated another?"

"Then the eldest son of my mate would inherit over Kazuki."

He didn't tell her that he never would have mated if she had refused him. Her only concern seemed to be Kazuki's welfare. If that made it easier for her to accept their rushed mating then he would use it. There was no worry about the Taisho line dying out as Inuyasha would be his heir if he had no legitimate heir of his own.

Kagome leaned back against the seat with a sigh. So agreeing to the mating was absolutely the best thing for Kazuki. Even if she wouldn't have been alive to see it, she couldn't bear the thought of her son being slighted just because she had been selfish. He deserved his birthright. If her mating assured that, then she would try to make the best of it. Even if their relationship didn't work.

"Why did you not tell me this before?"

"I did not wish to use it to influence your decision."

"You certainly didn't mind it when you insisted on mating right away."

"That was different. Before it was public knowledge I had time to put our relationship to rights and do it properly. Once the media got wind of it there was no more time. I had to do damage control. The only way to protect you and Kazuki was for us to mate. The timing, to me, was irrelevant as I intended to make you my mate all along. The only reluctant one was you. I had hoped for the time to convince you that you wanted to be my mate."

He brought his hand up to stroke her cheek, then leaned in for a gentle kiss.

"Now I have all the time in the world to convince you that you are happy being my mate."

Kagome smiled as he pulled back. The kiss was sweet. Not demanding. A simple punctuation to his declaration.

"I am not... unhappy."

"Then I have made progress."

It would do for now.

To be continued...