Just Another Lemon

A/N:

Well, Hello again, readers. My sincerest gratitude must go to Jenn for nominating this story for the 3rd Quarter IYFG Awards, and to sesshys_jaded_samuri for seconding it! Also I must than Elegant Paws for keeping up with me in my times of absence. Much love!

And so, the long awaited (and sadly short and final) chapter in this story...

Also, I will, over the next few days, be going back and editing previous mistakes in the story. :)

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After a good, long soak in their private hot spring, Kagome returned to the main room and re-packed everything she had carefully in her bag.

She and the Western Lord had spent part of their morning discussing how they should go about telling the Inu-tachi about their new status as mates, and about the decision to allow Sesshomaru to join their jewel hunt. The Western taiyoukai was strongly against trying to skirt the issue, and after some creative manipulation, had persuaded Kagome that the best course of action would be to simply return to Edo and announce the news. Whatever argument the others would boast would have to be discussed, or more likely in Inuyasha's case, argued, later.

As the petite miko shouldered her lumpy, yellow pack, Sesshomaru grabbed her up and kissed her soundly. Kagome, nervous about the coming confrontation, relaxed slightly against his lithe body and strong, protective grip. She wrapped her legs about his hips as he continued his assault on her delectable mouth, and gave in to the pleasure of his soft lips.

Holding her tightly, refusing to allow something as mundane as walking to interfere with his perusal of her delicate flavor, the great Inu Lord slowly stepped toward the exit; his whole attention was focussed on his careful steps and the way his bitch's tongue was swirling passionately around his own. A step away from the open glen, his youki extended out to clear the hanging vines from his path, and to drop the barrier surrounding his private sanctuary.

~0o0~

Outside, a group of six had just arrived at the barrier that surrounded the small glen. Sango, Shippo and Miroku landed astride the slayer's faithful companion, Kirara, while Kouga directed Inuyasha to use his powerful red-Tetsusaiga to break through the invisible obstruction.

The hanyou drew his katana, watching as it transformed perfectly in his clawed hands, and the energy swirled around the blade, turning it a bright crimson. He raised the sword high, poised to strike the offending force field, when a movement at the edge of the cliff drew the attention of all of Kagome's would be saviors.

The vines climbing the cliff face, dangling over and concealing the cave, parted as if drawn by invisible strings, only to reveal an unusually encumbered taiyoukai. Less than a moment later the invisible barrier shimmered before their eyes and dropped. The silence was palpable.

Sango gaped openly at the sight of Kagome, apparently quite happy to be wrapped in such a indecent fashion around Sesshomaru's midsection as she shared an open mouthed kiss with the normally stoic Inu Lord, oblivious to her audience. Shippo, young as he was, first stared in open-mouthed shock, then hid his face in the taijiya's hair as his cheeks began to burn with embarrassment. Kouga's eyes rounded as he sighted the pair, and he swallowed thickly. He had not expected to find Kagome happily engaged in any activity with the Western Lord, most certainly not something so intimate.

Inuyasha's jaw dropped almost comically, his face a mask of shock as his entire body went rigid. Tetsusaiga, raised high above his head for the strike, and now useless as the barrier had been dissolved, slipped from his numb fingertips and fell behind him to the ground. The katana toppled end over end in a lazy fashion away from the hanyou, finally coming to rest with a clatter as it smacked against a small, protruding stone. The loud noise effectively brought the voyeurs to the attention of the kissing couple, though it did little to snap the group out of their shock.

Kagome immediately dropped to the ground with an 'Eeep!', hiding her now cherry-red face against her mate's haori in embarrassment. Sesshomaru, unfazed by the audience, but highly annoyed at the interruption, growled lowly at the still staring group.

"Ka...gome?" Sango whispered, the first to break the verbal silence. Miroku, the only member seemingly un-affected by the surprising display, tapped the slayer's shoulder lightly with his un-cursed hand before whispering in her ear, "Did I not tell you?" Sango could do no more that nod her head slowly, still in shock. Not only was her friend openly 'flirting with the enemy', but she had actually been kissing him, for all the world to see! And what was worse, that the monk had actually accurately assessed the situation in advance! Though usually one to see brilliantly through to the most logical explanation for strange events, Sango had been sure that this time, the houshi's usually perceptive mind had been clouded by his perverted fantasies. It left her quite dumbfounded.

While Miroku, Sango and Shippo continued their inner monologues, Inuyasha and Kouga were bristling at the sight before them, both letting out low growls of displeasure. Inuyasha's vocalization spoke of his anger, while Kouga's of his frustration at once again having 'his woman' in the arms of another.

Sesshomaru, uncaring for either the ookami's or his brother's canine displays, growled back loudly, his sound both a warning and a display of dominance as his arms wrapped more possessively around Kagome's small body. Although the growling duo were no match for one such as himself, he watched both warily in case either would wish to do more than simply try to assert their opinions through their vocal displays. He knew without having to think about it that Inuyasha was going to be the more aggressive, and the hanyou did not take too much time in switching tactics.

"What the fuck, Kagome?" The white haired hanyou shouted suddenly. The miko startled at the sharp sound of his voice, and attempted to burrow farther into the silken folds of her mate's attire.

Kouga growled again at the motion, both aggravated by the hanyou's voice, and the fact that 'his woman' was taking comfort in the taiyoukai. His call, and Inuyasha's rude question, were answered by a barely controlled snarl from the demon Lord that sent shivers up the spines of all present. Even the humans of the group easily understood the message, though none, with the exceptions of Kagome and Sesshomaru himself, believed that Kagome knew just what that proclamation had meant.

"Mine; back off!"

For Kouga, the vicious snarl clearly defined the situation. Kagome was now Sesshomaru's, whether or not she would agree to such. And although many might mistake him for a fool, Kouga rarely tangled when he knew he was outmatched. Though it shamed him to admit it, even to himself, a tussle with the taiyoukai would not end well for him. And what would be the point if the prize clearly preferred the Inu Lord, anyway? The wolf bristled fiercely, but wisely backed down. He consoled himself with the thought that he would much prefer to watch Inuyasha take on the taiyoukai than get himself ripped to shreds.

For Inuyasha, Sesshomaru's possessive growl was the end of his control. Kagome belonged to him, not his asshole half-brother! Any logical thought he might have been holding on to vanished from his mind as the implications fell into place. Sesshomaru stole Kagome. Kagome chose Sesshomaru.

Kagome felt Sesshomaru's body tense. Worried about what she might miss if she continued to hide, she peeked out from behind the flowing white fabric. She gasped at what she saw, and watched in horror as Inuyasha dropped his head, almost as if he felt defeated. A sudden shift in the wind began to blow his long mane wildly, and a strange, almost keening sound reached her ears. Recognizing immediately what was transpiring, she turned fully to watch the transformation, mesmerized by the deadly change.

'This cannot be happening!' she thought as she watched the hanyou's claws lengthen to deadly proportions. 'Wait! Where is Tetsusaiga?'

Glancing quickly around, Kagome spotted the katana lying on the ground a few meters behind Inuysaha. It rested lifelessly in it's normal state, dull and rusted against the small rock it had struck when Inuyasha had dropped it.

'He doesn't have it!' she realised. "Inuyasha, no!"

The hanyou's head snapped up at the utterance of his name, but there was no hint of recognition in his fiery garnet eyes. Before the miko knew what was happening, she found herself positioned defensively behind her mate. Once she was moved, Sesshomaru wasted no time running head-long at his brother, intent on quelling the threat.

"No!" she screamed again as Inuysaha, too, pounced. The hanyou's fangs were bared menacingly and his claws poised for the attack. As the brothers clashed, Kagome suddenly realised that Inuyasha was not the only one to be missing his sword. Sesshomaru had been uncharacteristically lacking his swords and armor when he had whisked her away to the glen, and had not since retrieved them.

Now Kagome was screaming at them to stop for a whole new reason. Sesshomaru was a deadly opponent, but in the previous times he had fought with Inuyasha in such a state, he'd had his swords and armor, and had put both to good use. She was suddenly unsure of who the victor would be.

"Stop!" she cried out, running at the brawling brothers, fully intent on stepping between them to stop the fight. Sango, Miroku and Shippo gasped as they watched helplessly from the sidelines, their friend heading straight into the fray with nary a thought for her own safety.

"Kagome, no!" Kouga shouted, realising almost too late what her intent was. Just as the miko reached the snarling Inus, a strong pair of arms whisked her away from the danger.

Unfortunately, Inuyasha had seen her approach and had made a daring swipe at her. Kouga's fast legs had been enough to save her from the hanyou's claws, but had unfortunately not been fast enough to save himself.

The ookami howled in pain as Inuyasha's elongated claws ripped through his back. To his credit, the wolf's hold on the miko did not falter until he had her safely in the protection of Sango and Miroku, who both stood with Shippo well out of the way of sharp claws and snapping fangs.

"Kouga!" Kagome squealed as her savior fell to his knees. The wolf prince fell forward, panting, allowing the miko to see the full extent of the wounds. Surprisingly, the injury was as bad as she had expected. Forgetting the current circumstances, Kagome searched her mind for the quickest way to stop the bleeding, and just as quickly had begun to tear off some of her own clothing to use as a tourniquet for the wounds.

She was distracted from her impromptu nursing when Sesshomaru's voice reached her ears.

"That was foolish, half-breed!" he lectured while dodging the powerful, yet sloppy attacks. His eyes shot wide in surprise as Inuyasha made a quicker recovery of his balance than the taiyoukai had expected and managed to draw three razor sharp claws down his side.

Sesshomaru snarled in pain, but did not let himself be distracted by the wound as he fell into a slightly more defensive stance.

Kagome did not miss the damaging blow, however, and Sango and Miroku were hard-pressed to keep the upset miko from once again charging into the fray. This time, however, she was less fearful and more- much more - pissed off. She was sick of Inuyasha's foolishness. His brash attitude, his jealousy, his arrogance, and his ridiculous anger issues were the cause of all the worst of her problems, always.

"Inuyasha, oswari!" she screamed over the ruckus, stamping her foot so hard against the ground in her anger that she had to bite her tongue to keep from crying out in pain.

But this time, oswari would not be enough to drag the hanyou down. Amazingly, though the subjugation beads glowed a bright fuchsia, the raging half-demon not only remained upright, but fighting.

"Oswari!" she tried again...and again.

With each utterance, she noticed that the beads were glowing with less intensity. The spell was not strong enough to stop him this time, and was steadily weakening as his resistance grew. He did seem to be distracted by Kagome's yelling, however. "Oswari!" she screamed out one last time.

It was just enough of a distraction to give Sesshomaru time to land a quick, strong punch.

Inuyasha reeled back from the blow, seemingly surprised from the impact. However, the quick jab was not enough to end the battle for dominance. The hanyou recovered in record time, darting with impressive speed at the glowering demon lord.

"Inuyasha!" The miko cried out in exasperation, her anger quickly mounting as the hanyou refused to stop. "If you hurt my mate I swear I'll...I'll..."

But finishing her threat became completely unecessary as her choice of titles for the Inuyoukai had everyone - except Sesshomaru, turning to gape once more in her direction. Even Inuyasha, through the fog that had clouded his mind, had somehow heard her words and recognised what they meant.

The staggering break in the half-demon's concentration was just the opportunity Sesshomaru had been looking for. Kagome's desperate sob broke the tense silence as she watched her mate raise a glowing hand to strike down the mindless beast that his brother had become.

She faltered, squeezing her eyes shut tightly against the horror that was about to ensue, as Sesshomaru's hand shot forward in a well calculated strike.

Although she could impose her own blindness, Kagome could not shut her ears to the sound of claws ripping flesh, nor the pained gurgling howl of her long-time friend. The sound of his lifeless body falling to the ground with a soft 'thunk' was the last thing she heard before fainting.

When she came to, sobbing silently, she felt her friends help her back to her feet. Her knees trembled weakly, but she refused to open her eyes to the carnage. Dimly, she was aware that once Sango and Miroku had gotten her upright, they had released her arms and moved away. Sesshomaru was walking over, and neither the slayer nor the monk wished to stand in his way.

She felt her balance falter, and knew her knees were about to meet the ground harshly, though she didn't have the care to prevent it.

A strong pair of arms prevented the tumble to the hard-packed earth, however.

"No!" she protested as she feebly tried to pull away from the embrace of the demon who had just murdered her best friend.

"Kagome," he pleaded softly as his arms tightened to hold her more firmly. "Look at m-"

"No!" she shouted, finally opening her eyes to stare daggers at his annoyingly perfect countenance. "You...you killed him!" she sputtered as hot tears erupted and began flowing in great rivers down her flushed cheeks.

"Hn," he replied more coldly, annoyed at her unending devotion to one so seemingly unworthy of it. "Unfortunately, the hanyou will survive," he remarked dryly.

"Wha...what?" she asked quietly, believing she must have misheard him. Her sobs died almost instantly to sniffles as she looked searchingly into his eyes. Sesshomaru turned, allowing her to view the scene a short distance away. Already, Sango and Miroku were helping the now bloody, but calm Inuyasha to his feet.

A long, wide gash marred the hanyou's flesh from his left cheek and ran diagonally down and across his throat and chest, but Kagome could see that the bloody wound had already begun to congeal, clotting heavily to prevent a slow death. And he was very much alive.

"Inu..Inuyasha?" she whispered.

Kouga, who was standing, slightly hunched just beyond her other friends, looked up as he heard her soft utterance. One of Inuyasha's koinu ears flicked towards her, but quickly flattened to the dome of his skull as he limped away towards a waiting Kirara. Shippo cast a long, regretful look at Kagome before running ahead and hopping up on Kirara's back.

The wolf prince handed the hanyou his previously forgotten Tetsusaiga as he approached, and Inuyasha took the blade weakly before sheathing it unceremoniously. With help from Miroku, he climbed aboard the fire cat with a soft grunt of pain, and kept his face turned from Kagome's pleading eyes.

Sango cast an apologetic glance at her miko friend before mounting behind Inuyasha and giving a soft command to her nekko companion.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome whispered regretfully as Kirara flew her passengers off toward Edo. She hiccuped softly as her vision once again blurred with tears. She barely noticed the way Sesshomaru had stiffened in response to her worry for the hanyou.

"Oi," Kouga grunted as he made his way carefully over to the pair, Miroku following closely behind. The men stopped about a yard away from the sobbing miko.

"Mutt-face will get over it," he consoled gruffly.

"Yes," Miroku agreed. "His pride has been damaged, but I am quite confident he will be back to his annoying self, shortly."

Kagome forced a small smile as she looked up at the duo. She hiccuped softly before speaking in a strained voice. "You really think so?"

The monk nodded sagely, his soft smile comforting the distraught onna. Kagome nodded slightly in return.

"In the mean-time," he continued, "perhaps it would be best if Inuyasha was left to his own devices. Besides, since you are now...er...mated, I would presume you would like some time of your own with Lord Sesshomaru?" The hentai houshi's eyebrows waggled suggestively, causing the taiyoukai to raise an eyebrow of his own in question.

Kagome nearly choked on another hiccup. 'If only he knew!' she thought with a surprising amount of mirth, despite the situation.

Kouga stepped forward, watching the possessive dog carefully as he extended a friendly hand to the woman he now knew he would never lay claim to. "Yeah," he agreed. "Give dog-breath some time to himself. I'll keep an eye on him for you...make sure he doesn't get himself maimed too badly while you're gone."

"And I," Miroku put in, "will make sure Kouga doesn't do any maiming of his own."

Kouga grimaced at the remark, but let out a short bark of laughter. "Once I get him back for messing me up like this," he joked, "there wont be anything left to maim."

Kagome smiled softly at her friends. She knew they would both help Inuyasha recover, and she ignored the fact that Kouga would probably add a few bruises to the list of injuries before long. "Thanks, you guys," she whispered hoarsely. "Miroku, please keep an eye on Shippo, too. Make sure he stays out of Inuyasha's hair for a while. And tell Sango I'll be back soon."

"You have my word, My Lady," the houshi intoned seriously with a deep bow. "But for now, I will bid you farewell."

"Bye," she replied, waving as her two friends turned to go. "Safe journey!"

The wolf and monk turned, giving a curt nod and a wave, respectively, before disappearing into the treeline; leaving Kagome alone once again with her new mate.

"The hanyou will recuperate," Sesshomaru promised softly as Kagome sighed and turned to face him.

"I know," she said meekly. "I just wish it wouldn't have happened like that. Are you alright?"

He ignored her worry over the superficial wound, instead deciding to quell her worry for his brother. "It was necessary," he assured. "The hanyou would not understand nor care for intelligent explanations. His baser self needed to be shown who is truly dominant." The Inu did not bother to mention the fact that somewhere, deep down, Inuyasha might also have been challenging him to make sure that Kagome had chosen a strong protector. It is one thing to lose a potential mate to an Alpha, but quite another to lose one to an Omega.

Kagome took his words for truth, but squirmed in his arms to try to see how badly he was injured.

Sesshomaru stopped her with strong hands, and picked her up gently, bridal style, before preparing to depart toward his - their - home. Kagome giggled, his wound forgotten, as his nose buried itself in her hair. He took a deep breath to enjoy her, now, calm scent.

Inhaling again, the taiyoukai groaned and licked her neck affectionately.

Kagome smacked his shoulder playfully. "What? Cut it out, you horny dog!" she chastised him.

"Hn," he replied as they raised up into the sky. "I will do no such thing." His tone dropped and his voice became slightly husky as he nibbled on her delicate ear. "It is your turn."

"My turn? What are you talking about?"

"You're scent has changed," he said matter-of-factly. "You are going into heat." He nuzzled against her again as she huffed.

Suddenly she was struck by a thought that should have occurred to her several days ago, making her pull back from his affections.

"Sesshou, oh no! What if I'm pregnant?" she cried.

Before he could answer in the negative, or growl out his displeasure that his bitch would be upset at the idea of bearing his heirs, she rambled on.

"I can't have a baby while Naraku is still running around!"

He chuckled then, easing some of her sudden fear while also inciting her ire. "You are not," he replied smoothly, grateful that her worry was due to the evil hanyou, and not her own disgust at bearing a child. "You did not smell fertile while I remained in heat."

"But I will be now, right? Fertile?" she pried, though she knew the answer would be in the affirmative.

Sesshomaru purred softly as he nuzzled her neck once more, placing comforting kisses along it's pale column. "There is no need for you to have such concerns, my mate. My body is not capable of impregnating you unless I am in heat...and the next will occur approximately two years from now. By then-"

"Two years?" she sputtered, shocked.

Once again the taiyoukai allowed himself to chuckle. "Youkai live long lives, Kagome, and many couples bear litters. If we were fertile as often as your species, do you not think we would have already overcome ningen numbers?"

"Oh," came her ever-thoughtful reply.

"However," he continued, once more drawing her soft, chocolate gaze. "I am looking forward to...practicing for such an occasion."

Kagome's jaw dropped, obviously surprised by his wicked humor. "Horn-dog!" she chided in mock horror.

Sesshomaru merely growled lowly at the strange, yet appropriate nick-name before claiming her hot little mouth as his own.

'I will enjoy it greatly,' was his last thought before turning his attention on their journey home.

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A/N:

Well, that marks the conclusion of this tale of a tryst. Have I left you wanting more? Well, I have decided to continue our favorite couple's adventure, in a new story. However, it will be a while before the next will appear. And as a warning to all you hentais, the next part will be less lemon and more story. It will not be about Kagome's heat, but will instead pick up some time down the road from this adventure. It will also contain the evil villain, Naraku!

If you are very loving (and I know you are), and leave me reviews to the effect, I will consider an encore lemon of Kagome's first heat in Sesshomaru's presence for the (last) last chapter of this tale. *hint hint, wink wink*

As a post-script, I would like to say a few things to a couple of you:

Kanazawa: Sorry, I think I forgot to leave you a review. I loved chapter 6, and I'm looking forward to chapter 7! Thanks for keeping up with me. ;)

Nikki: Yes, the final chapter-sorry it took so long! As to your message about the beta issue, I am glad you found someone to help you, and I look forward to seeing your story when you do post it! Thanks :)

Luna: I would love to hear what ideas you have, perhaps I can use one or two in the next story. ;) I will email you later...Thanks for the love!

Elegant Paws: I love you, woman. Really.