What's A Dragon to Do?

Chapter 17

Kagome woke up with a major headache. She tried to open her eyes but the brightness of the day made her quickly shut them again. Then she tried to stretch and found her arms unable to move. She opened her eyes and found herself looking into golden ones. Then she noticed that he was holding her on his lap with his tail and arms wrapped around her. "What happened last night? And why does my head hurt so bad?"

Sesshoumaru couldn't stop the laugh that came out at her question. "Don't tell you don't remember?"

Kagome blushed and lowered her head. "I remember very well thank you. I just don't know what came over me."

Sesshoumaru took one of his claws and put it under her chin and raised her face so that he could look into her eyes.

"Ah Un decided that we were not moving at the pace they decreed we should have been and took matters into their own hands. They used a spell to make you go into heat. I sent the pups away and we will go get them in a little while. I thought it best we discuss what happened last night without them around. My beast was a little rough with you last night. And you have a headache because I used my poison on you to help you sleep. You needed to rest and heal after all we did last night." Kagome nodded her head to him.

"Your dragon is getting really aggravating. When I get out of here they are so going to pay. And never use your poison on me again. I think that I would rather have the pain than this headache. Just be glad for the headache though or I would really give you what for about you using your poison on me."

"Ah and Un are yours to do with as you please, mate." Sesshoumaru smiled down at Kagome.

"What exactly does being your mate mean?" Kagome couldn't wait to find out the answer to that one.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the small girl in his lap.

"It means that you are now the Lady of the Western Lands and as such you are in charge of the everyday business of running the palace. Making sure the servants do their jobs and ensuring that we have all the needed supplies. You will be a hostess when the other lords or other nobles visit the palace but your main job is taking care of me and our pups."

Kagome could do nothing but nod her head at his words. Like she didn't have enough to do with finding the shards and trying to balance her life in the future in between shard hunts. Now she had to add being a royal lady onto her already busy life. Not to mention she now had two pups to take care of. Sesshoumaru smiled down at Kagome as she thought about all her responsibilities.

"Make that soon to be three or so."

"Make what three or so?" Kagome looked up at Sesshoumaru and frowned.

"Pups to take care of." He waited for her to react to his statement.

"What you have more at your palace that I don't know about. So how many more do you have?" Kagome frowned up at Sesshoumaru. "I would think you would know exactly how many you had. How come they don't travel with you like Rin does?" Sesshoumaru shook his head and smiled down at Kagome.

"I have no other pups at the palace yet. I was talking about the ones you carry." Kagome placed her hands over her abdomen and then looked from it to Sesshoumaru and back to her abdomen.

"Surely you are joking with me?"

"I would not joke about something like that. Inu-youkai have the ability to control whether or not their mate gets pupped. But my beast took over last night and it obviously wanted an heir. So while it was in control last night it pupped you." Sesshoumaru didn't know how Kagome was going to react to what he just said so he just waited to see.

"Inuyasha doesn't remember what happens when his beast takes over. Do You?" Kagome looked up at Sesshoumaru waiting for his answer.

"Unlike the hanyou I do remember what happens. I fight with my beast to gain control and more often than not I win the battle. But my beast has wanted you for a mate for so long that I lost my battle with him last night." He pulled her tighter against his chest as he told her about his beast.

"So your beast wanted to mate me huh? Does that mean that you didn't?" Kagome held her breath as she waited for his answer. She didn't know what she would do if he said no.

"I too wanted to mate you which is why my beast won our battle last night. If I hadn't I would have fought him harder. There may be things you doubt about me but my desires for you is not one of them." He leaned down and nuzzled her neck. Kagome moved her head away from his and smiled up at him.

"You're not getting out of our discussion so easily. How did you know what I was thinking earlier?"

"Your mark gives me the ability to know what you are thinking. And before you ask you do not have that ability because you have not marked me." He tried to nuzzle her neck again but she again moved her head out of the way. Kagome frowned up at him.

"I can't think straight when you do that. How am I suppose to mark you if I don't have fangs."

"There is a way to do so. If you wish to do so let me know and the next time we mate I will help you." He lowered his head and rested his forehead on hers. Kagome thought about it. I should be able to read his thoughts like he does mine. It's only fair. She nodded her head.

"I want to mark you." Kagome sat straight up in his lap and stared at him with something akin to horror on her face while holding a hand to her head. Her headache was still there. "OMG Inuyasha is so going to kill me. I know he chose Kikyo and everything but he never lets anyone near me. He wouldn't even let Kouga get within touching distance even after he mated Ayame. Can you imagine how he is going to handle my being mated to you?"

Sesshoumaru didn't understand why she was so worried, "You have nothing to fear from Inuyasha. If he has a complaint about our mating I will handle it. It is my job now to protect you."

That settled Kagome down. If anyone could take care of Inuyasha it was Sesshoumaru. Besides she could always sit him if it got too bad. She leaned back into Sesshoumaru's arms and looked at him and smiled.

"Can we go get the children now?" Sesshoumaru stood up with her still in his arms and gently set her down.

"Are you up to it?"

"I am sore all over and have a headache I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy but other than that I feel fine." She stepped back away from Sesshoumaru. "I think I need some water. I have medicine in my pack for headaches and as soon as I take it we are going after our pups."

Kagome turned to find her pack and removed her first aid kit. She opened it and found the pills she needed and took two of them with the bottle of water sitting by the pack.

"I am ready now." Sesshoumaru watched as she took the strange medicine and then turn to him.

"Why don't you just stay in camp and rest? I can retrieve the kit and Rin faster by myself since you are still not feeling well." Kagome was about to protest but when she went to walk she almost fell so she just nodded to him.

"I am so going to get even with you for using your poison on me. When you least expect it I will get even with you." Sesshoumaru saw her wobble on her feet and hurried to catch her. He picked her up and listened to her threat to get even with him. Like he was worried about what she could do to him.

"You can try mate." He carried her back to the sleeping bag and set her down. He went to her pack and found another blanket and covered her up. "I will return shortly with the pups." He moved her hair out of her face and rose. With one last glance at Kagome and he went on the hunt for their pups.

He followed their scents and thought about all that happened since the following night. He now had a mate with a pup or two on the way. It was too early to tell how many she would have. And now he was the father to a kitsune youkai. Never in his wildest thoughts had he ever thought something like this would ever happen to him. He stopped to check on the pups' scent trail and continued on his way. He found them a little bit later. They were sleeping cuddled up in each other's arms. He picked them up without waking them and headed back to Kagome.

The kit woke up before he made it to camp and he could tell by the surprised look on the kits face that he had an idea of what happened last night.

"Yes kit the scent you smell is not lying to you. Your mother is now my mate and you are now my son, although you will not be my heir. Your mother is now pregnant with my pups."

Shippou stared up at Sesshoumaru in shock. He had actually mated Kagome. Sure he had wanted Sesshoumaru to do so because he had wanted Rin to be his sister for real but he had never believed that the stoic lord would actually do it. Inuyasha had always told him and everyone else that would listen that the demon Lord hated humans so why would he mate one.

"I had hoped she would become your mate. Mother needs someone strong to take care of her. She is more powerful than she lets everyone know. I don't think she knows how really powerful she is. At night when she is sleeping you can smell the power radiating off her and if you look close you can actually see it surround her. Her power calms Inuyasha so that he sleeps when he is at camp. But most of the nights he spends with Kikyo. That is why he doesn't know about her power." Shippou looked up at the lord that held him. "I thought you hated humans. Inuyasha said that there was no way you would ever follow in your father's footsteps and mate one. So why did you choose my mother?"

There was more to this kitsune than met the eye. He was very intelligent for being so young. Sesshoumaru looked down into the kitsune's eyes before he answered him.

"Inuyasha does not know me nor has he has ever tried to get to know me. And for your mother, she has always interested me. Since she first pulled the Tetsusaiga out in my father's tomb she has interested me. I do not see that mating her weakens me like it did my father did when he mated Inuyasha's mother. If anything she makes me stronger." Sesshoumaru could see the camp coming into view and turned to look at the kit in his arms. "We will finish this discussion when we are alone. Don't tell your mother what we have discussed Shippou"

Shippou nodded eagerly to Sesshoumaru. Kagome had raised him to be smart and angering a taiyoukai was not something someone smart would do.

"It will remain between us." Sesshoumaru nodded his head to the kit and gently set him and Rin down.

Rin finally woke when she was out of Sesshoumaru's arms. She looked around the camp to find Kagome sleeping still. She went to run to her but was stopped when Sesshoumaru's tail circled her waist.

Sesshoumaru set the pups down and they both immediately went to run to Kagome. He scooped Shippou up by his tail and used his own tail to stop Rin.

"Pups, Kagome is not feeling to well. Let her sleep as long as she can." He saw them both nod to him and he set them down. They still moved closer to Kagome but with a slight growl from him they decided to go play in the water. Sesshoumaru went and lay down beside Kagome and gathered her into his arms. He twined his tail around her and settled down to wait for when she would wake.

He kept an eye on the children and when they tired of playing he motioned for them to come to him. He laid the kitsune against Kagome's chest and Rin at her waist. He moved his tail to cover them both and soon they too went to sleep. Sesshoumaru started to go to sleep when a new scent hit his nose. He remembered what the kitsune had said and opened his eyes. He could see a purplish glow settle around Kagome.

As he watched, it entwined around Shippou and Rin and then around himself. He had expected it to hurt at least a little. But it didn't bother Shippou at all and when it touched him he could hear his beast start growling. It almost sounded like a purr. It seemed to be caressing him. He relaxed more as it spread to shroud his body. He had never felt anything like it before in his long life. He had trouble keeping his eyes open and before he knew what happened he joined them all in sleep.