The Portal

Chapter 39 – Look Mom, I’m Not Dead!

As Kagome impatiently awaited Inuyasha’s return from the well, she attempted to take her mind off of the terrible situation by discussing little details of her travels while in Karnak. Kaede was very interested in her startling increase in power. Her normally mediocre energy had superceded anything the old miko could have dreamed.

Kagome tried to explain it, “Anubis said that the power was always inside of me, but had simply not been unleashed. It is his belief that my full potential was discovered because of the dire circumstances. He also felt like it had something to do with being on Karnak and discovering my ancestry with Midoriko. All I remember is feeling such horrible despair when I realized that Naraku might actually win the battle. I was so worried that he would use the portal, and return to Earth to complete the jewel, that my mind kind of went haywire. There was pain, and then I felt immense energy coursing through my veins. I just knew, somehow, that I could destroy him. I felt no fear. It all became clear to me. Anubis also said that the release of my full potential brought me closer to Midoriko’s blood, changing my body. He thinks that my life span has increased. I know my senses have. Colors are brighter, and things smell stronger. I have also discovered that I can feel if someone around me is suffering; be it physical or mental. It’s certainly taking some getting used to, but Sesshomaru has been a great comfort.” Kagome turned to her mate and gave him a warm smile.

Miroku watched the tender display between Kagome and Lord Sesshomaru, well, at least it was tender on Kagome’s side. The taiyoukai displayed no sign of tenderness what so ever. He simply looked at Kagome and gave an almost unnoticeable nod in her direction; his piercing eyes holding no warmth. He couldn’t help but wonder what it was that made Kagome fall for the demon. In the past he had only shown them violence, and had even attempted to kill Kagome, but after they were hurled onto a foreign world with only each other to depend on, it seemed that things had changed between the miko and the taiyoukai to an extreme degree.

Kagome seemed completely comfortable in the demons presence, and that alone was an amazing fact, Miroku mused. She certainly held the honor of being the only one presently comfortable sitting so close to an immortal killing machine. Kagome never ceased to amaze him with her ability to see past the exterior of an individual and call out the inner warmth, even concerning the cold stoic demon lord.

He observed the two of them as Kagome went about further depicting her adventure’s to the other’s. Kagome never completely ignored Sesshomaru, even when she was busy chatting away with her friends. She constantly brushed her hand over his thigh, or gently touched his arm. All innocent actions, unless you were a hentai. The houshi made a conscious effort to avoid being detected during his close observation of his friend and her new mate. Sesshomaru seemed rather indifferent to the whole thing, almost portraying a look of utter boredom, but the longer the monk watched the youkai, the sooner he realized how far from the truth that was.

Each brush of her hand was sending the most delicious heat coursing through his veins. Her innocent actions went unnoticed by his little mate, and Sesshomaru silently berated himself for becoming so ridiculously vulnerable to something so simple as a woman’s touch. Her newfound power had only increased his already overwhelming desire to lose himself in her caress. Oh yes. The mighty have fallen.

He was currently attempting to purge his sinful thoughts, in order to dispel the aching erection between his legs. It would simply be a fate worse than death if the hanyou were to catch him during a moment of weakness such as this. Inuyasha would never let him live it down. By the Gods he could here it now... ‘I don’t need to fight you anymore Sesshomaru! I can just have Kagome rub against you a couple of times and you’ll be forced to forfeit!’ No. He must never let the hanyou discover his overwhelming weakness concerning Kagome.

As if worrying that Inuyasha would show up and discover that he was sitting here sporting a hard-on wasn’t enough, that damn hentai houshi kept ogling him as well. If he didn’t know for a fact that his ‘problem’ was well hidden beneath his hakama and obi, he would think the monk knew of his situation. For the last few moments the monk had been glancing between Kagome and himself, as if studying them. Normally such a thing would not bother him, as he was well used to being gawked at, especially by humans; however, now was simply not a good time to be analyzed by a foul minded houshi. Such a man was sure to notice his ‘secret’, as he was, unfortunately, of the same mind as of late.

Kagome continued to share her experiences with her amazed friends. Even Ayame was listening intently to her tale. Kagome was currently telling them of the strange foods on the planet. As if to back up her claim, she crawled onto her knees to retrieve her backpack. After a moment of digging she produced the foreign fruits that she had carefully packed for Shippo. She passed them out and told them to try it. Suddenly she felt arms of steal envelop her waist and she was roughly pulled back into Sesshomaru’s lap. She released a startled ‘eep!’ at his unexpected action, but only giggled when she recognized that her mate had need of her attentions.

Sesshomaru could stand it no more. When Kagome bent over to grab her pack, he almost lost control of himself. Her perfectly round rump was bouncing around as if it were calling his name. If he was to remain sane, and keep his reputation in tact he had to restrain her unconscious exhibition. He swiftly pulled her back into his lap, but soon discovered that error in judgement, as her entrancing aroma encompassed him. Without a second thought to his actions the taiyoukai buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply of her natural fragrance.

Well, all doubt was suddenly washed away, as his recent suspicion’s were confirmed. Miroku dared not laugh out, even though holding it in was rather difficult, but he dared not anger the taiyoukai. Only a man after his own heart would have reacted the way Sesshomaru did when Kagome bent over. He almost regretted the demon’s actions as it robbed him of a splendid view of her round rump. His disappointment was short lived as amusement took over, when the stoic demon lord began nuzzling Kagome very affectionately right in front of her dumbfounded friends. The look on Sango’s face was somewhat priceless at the moment and Shippo looked near ready to pass out.

Inuyasha chose that moment to drop in after his trip to Kagome’s era. He promptly gagged at the sight of Sesshomaru nuzzling into Kagome’s neck like an aroused teen. “You two need to get a room! Damn, now I feel like I’m gonna puke on top of everything else!”

‘Everything else’ turned out to be his obvious abuse at the hands of Kagome’s family. The hanyou was sporting several rapidly fading bruises, and his hair was disheveled. His firerat kimono was unkempt showing signs of his recent struggle. To confirm everyone’s suspicions, Inuyasha turned beet red when Kagome finally gathered her wits from his totally embarrassing remark, and said with wide eyes, “Wow. Mom must have been pissed.”

“Keh! Inuyasha huffed before plopping down next to Ayame, who was making an exaggerated fuss over his ‘booboo’s’. His mates’ attention only proved to further ignite his embarrassment, and he pushed her hands away. Ayame put on a pouty face at her mates’ rejection, which ended up serving her well. Inuyasha pulled her into his lap. He just could not resist her pouty face.

Inuyasha pulled his attention away from his mate for a moment in order to address Kagome about the situation back at her home. It seemed that her family had ganged up on him and took out their frustrations as a result of his misinformation concerning her status in the world of the living. He refused to admit that once Souta had passed his last lick, that the boy, her mother and even old Gramps, had hugged him fiercely. No since giving Sesshomaru any ammunition to tease him with.

Kagome stood up, and Sesshomaru followed. She was unaware of his uncomfortable shifting, as he attempted to ease the strain of his ‘burden’. She cheerfully said farewell for now to her friends in the feudal era, and happily made her way to the well. Tala strolled along at her feet, and her mate followed, rather closely, behind her.

When she arrived at the well, Sesshomaru pulled her to his chest and dove forward capturing her lips in a crushing kiss. Kagome gasped at the sudden attack on her rosy flesh, and Sesshomaru quickly took advantage of the slight opening. His masculine tongue rolled into her mouth, searching and probing for her complete submission. He pressed his swollen member into her stomach and ground his hips against her. He wanted to take her. Right here. Right now. He would not, however, give in to his lust right now, for he knew Kagome was anxious to see her family. He pulled away from her lips and gazed into her hazy blue eyes. He smirked in satisfaction with the knowledge that he could, so completely, reduce her to a bubbling stupor.

“Hurry back, woman,” Sesshomaru said in a husky tone.

No matter how bad she wanted to see her mother, she almost said ‘to hell with it’. His close proximity was exhilarating and his obvious arousal was making her core ache. She shook her head in an attempt to thwart the selfish thoughts, and lustful need. She managed to shake off the thoughts, but the need remained stubbornly in place. His molten eyes of liquid gold mesmerized Kagome. She gave up trying to tare her gaze away, and simply backed up slowly to the wells edge. She fumbled up onto the lip, and just before she pushed off she raised her hand to her lips, and blew him a kiss.

Sesshomaru remained beside the old well watching in awe as the magic engulfed his mate from the future. It swiftly retreated leaving only the dusty old relic in its wake. When she first told him of the magic here he had been somewhat skeptical. He knew she told the truth, but the admission that she was actually from a time five hundred years in the future was rather hard to swallow. The knowledge had served to clear up some of the enigma surrounding the miko. He had always wondered at her strange ways and unusual attire.

Back on Karnak, Kagome had asked if he would like to try and cross over to her time. Sesshomaru had to admit that the offer was rather tempting. His natural curiosity had almost convinced him to give it a try, but eventually his common sense took over and he refused. If he lived to see her world in the future, then he would have the opportunity to gradually adjust to the drastic change in culture, but for now he was taiyoukai. A demon lord of feudal Japan. A mighty ruler of unparalleled strength that incited fear and cowardice by his mere presence. Another smirk graced the demons' perfectly chiseled features. ‘Just the way I like it,’ he thought, before turning away from the well and picking out a nice tree to meditate beneath, while waiting for the return of his mate.

She landed with unusual grace in the bottom of the well. Kagome glanced around happily as she realized that she had landed on her feet this time, instead of her rump. She was really glad, because she had hoped not to soil her pretty white outfit. She briefly considered leaving it with her mother, so that she could take it to the dry cleaners, but quickly decided against that course of action. If those people lost or damaged the delicate material she would be devastated. One doesn’t acquire outfits gifted to them by the son of a god from another planet every day.

Kagome carefully maneuvered the ladder and climbed out of the well. With a quick look around she determined the coast to be clear, and darted toward her house. Her mad dash for cover was brought to an abrupt halt as Souta burst out the back door and rushed at her like a linebacker. She was sure that her ‘once little’ brother would run right over her, knocking her senseless, but much to her surprise, he grabbed her in a bear hug and lifted her off of her feet. She squealed in delight as her brother spun her around in his glee. When he finally set her back on the ground, she was snatched from behind by her equally ecstatic mother. After a breathless hug and a few rather embarrassing kisses to her forehead and nose, Kagome was once again pulled into a pair of familiar arms.

“Kagome! Oh Kagome! Thank the Gods that you have come back to us,” Gramps cried as he rocked her in his arms.

Kagome hugged him tightly and smiled into his chest. He smelled of ben-gay and incense. Oh, how she had missed that smell. Kagome finally pulled away and regarded her family warmly. She pushed down the tears that threatened to spill and said, “I am so sorry that I worried you all.”

Kagome’s mom grabbed her once more and held her daughter close. She rubbed her hand over Kagome’s head and down her back just as she used to when she was just a small child. Kagome could hear the raw emotion in her mother’s voice when she said, “My only daughter. The Gods have answered my prayers. I am so happy that you are alive and well. After Inuyasha told us that you were... were... when he told us you were... gone, I knew pain like no other. Now here you are, returned to us healthy and unharmed. Today I know happiness like no other.”

Kagome couldn’t stop the tears any longer. The fragile dam burst pouring her emotions down her smooth face. She couldn’t express how sorry she was for putting her mother through such an ordeal. No words could ever cover her regret for her mom’s pain. At least now her mother could be happy once more, knowing that she was still alive, and maybe when she told her the rest of her news, she would be even more so.

Souta spoke up from behind her, and quickly stated his take on the whole thing, “Sis, I never once believed that you were dead. I just knew somehow, that you would come home again.”

Kagome gave a teary smile to her brother, “Thank you Souta. That means a lot to me.”

The little family drifted back into their home, where Kagome would spend the next two hours telling her family all about her strange adventure to a world called Karnak. Her family listened intently, occasionally expelling a gasp of shock, or a round of lighthearted laughter. As she told the tale, her mother became increasingly aware of the tone in her daughter’s voice at every mention of the demon lord Sesshomaru. In the back of her mind Ms. Higurashi wondered at the relationship between the two. A former enemy who suddenly turned ally.

Her mother’s suspicions were soon laid to rest when Kagome told them of the final battle. When she spoke of the wounds inflicted on the taiyoukai, Sesshomaru, by the evil hanyou, the depth of despair in daughter’s voice was clearly apparent.

Kagome proudly went on to tell how she had stood alone and vanquished the enemy with her newfound power. Her mother smiled and patted her daughter in pride, secretly wondering what such an increase in power would mean to her daughter’s life.

Suspecting that her daughter had fallen in love with a demon lord was one thing, but when Kagome told her that she and the taiyoukai had become mates, Ms. Higurashi came very close to fainting.

‘Damn. I was hoping after the ‘returning from the grave’ thing, that she would have taken the news a little better,’ Kagome thought as she dabbed the cool cloth to her mom’s head. Her Grampa was currently chanting something strange, which suspiciously contained the word ‘youkai’ repeatedly. Souta took the news pretty well, as she figured he would. His reaction to the announcement was basically ‘COOL!’.

After feeling pretty comfortable with the fact that her mother wasn’t going to pass out any time soon, Kagome excused herself to go gather a few things from her room. Just as she was packing away her last pair of underwear, her mom knocked at the door and came in. She asked Kagome to have a seat on her bed, and she took the seat next to her.

“Kagome, as you can tell, I am shocked that you have... mated.... with this demon lord,” she was abruptly cut off as Kagome said, “Sesshomaru, mama. His name is Sesshomaru.” Ms. Higurashi took a deep breath before attempting to continue, “Yes. Er, Sesshomaru. As your mother I can only hope that you have made the right decision. People in that era were so different than they are now; demon’s even more so. Ultimately I only want your happiness, Kagome, and if Sesshomaru makes you happy, then I wish you the best. You will always have a place here. Never hesitate to come to me for any reason. I will always love you, no matter what.”

Kagome flung herself into her mother’s arms as the tears once more poured down her cheeks. “Arigato, mom. I knew you would understand.”

She wasn’t quite sure if Kagome knew how wrong she was in her last assumption. To understand how her daughter chose to live the remainder of her life with a taiyoukai named Sesshomaru was beyond her. The demons name alone was proof of his deadly nature. ‘Killing Perfection’. Her daughter had mated someone whose name was ‘Killing Perfection.’ There simply was no understanding there. Maybe one day she would come to know what it was about this demon lord that stole her daughter’s heart. She certainly hoped so.