Passion

Disclaimer: the cahracters all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

Credits I borrowed the title of this chapter from Crystal Echoes amazing fic 'To Wash it all Away' (if you like fics with a demonic Kagome: GO! READ IT! It's on ff.net, and I absolutely love it!)


Chapter V – Answered Calls


Kagome returned to the past one week later.

She had enjoyed her stay at home. It was really quiet and peaceful in comparison to the adventures she had when she was in the middle age. Especially compared to the inner turmoil she had been through during the last two weeks in the past.

Yet, ever since she had admitted to herself that she wanted, needed Sesshomaru she had felt much better. It lightened up her mood, the dark shadows around her eyes vanished and her smile became radiant and bright once more.

Maybe this was also due to the fact that the annoying little voice in her mind was pointedly silent. It had not approved of her decisions and kept on lecturing about reasonable behaviour, but Kagome felt too much at ease with her newfound truth to pay attention. Finally, the voice gave up and had been silent ever since.

Those days at home were a real relaxation for Kagome. She went to school for some days in a row, met her friends and spent time with them. Her mother and grandfather were fussing about her, her health and everything, but she did not mind this time as much as she usually did. It felt good to be cherished.

Inu Yasha showed up two times, but she refused to even see him. He would only have tried to talk her into coming back and she wanted to stay a little longer at home. Sota was happy to see him, though, and forced him to play several video games. After the hanyou was thoroughly beaten at Street Fighter II by the small human boy for the second time he did not come back again.

On Wednesday Kagome went to the party with Hojo. It turned out to be really entertaining and high fun. Hojo’s cousin and his friends were a party-loving lot and they danced and laughed and played, joking about everything and everybody, teasing each other mercilessly. Though they were all years older than Kagome nobody gave her the feeling of being a child. She was accepted by them all, the guys complimenting her and trying to flirt, the girls giggling and gossiping with her.

Hojo’s cousin himself strongly reminded her of Miroku and when the guys’ advances on her became too distinct for her liking she sat down with his girlfriend, talking to her about lecherous men. They got along very well.

Hojo, though glad that his cousin seemed to like her, watched her with mixed feelings. He was proud of having such a beautiful girl at his side, but became somewhat furious that she would even mildly flirt with other guys; and he was definitely jealous at every single one of them. He was angry that he had to share her so much. He had not thought he would have to.

Then Kagome sat down with his cousin’s girlfriend, soon surrounded by other girls, giggling and whispering, and he did not dare to approach. Hojo was disappointed at that unforeseen turn of events and the interest other boys took in her did not console him at all.

He brought her home at midnight, as her mother had demanded. When they reached her house he made, encouraged by too much beer, a very awkward attempt to kiss her. Kagome did not react at first, which encouraged him to deepen the kiss. When he tried to slip his tongue into her mouth, however, she snapped out of her stupor and, pushing him away, slapped his face quite forcefully. Without any further words or looks she stepped inside and closed the door into his face.

Shaking, with closed eyes, Kagome was standing at the door for a few moments, but when her mother came out of the living-room to ask how the party had been she excused herself, saying she was really tired, and went to bed immediately. Luckily her mother, who of course had been awake and waiting for her daughter to return, accepted her excuse and did not ask questions. Kagome made a bee-line for her bed, buried her face into her pillow and screamed.

She was angry, oh so angry. In fact, she was shaking with fury. How could he dare, she thought, how could he dare kiss me?

For there was only one man who was allowed to kiss her. That thought made her only more furious.

The moment Hojo’s lips had touched hers she had been waiting for the all too familiar feeling of burning need to rush through her body, but it had not come. In fact, she had felt nothing. Then she had realized two things: what she was waiting for and who was kissing her. In that very moment his tongue had tried to open her mouth and Kagome had snapped.

She was not sorry for boxing his ears, no, he deserved that. She did not allow him to kiss her!

‘You didn’t allow Sesshomaru to kiss you too, but you didn’t box his ears.’ Reason’s reproachful voice suddenly whispered from the back of her head. It clearly thought this an excellent opportunity to bring forth its arguments. Kagome shook it away and buried her face deeper in her pillow.

Reason was wrong. She had allowed Sesshomaru to kiss her! She had allowed him to kiss her by not doing anything to stop him and then answering his kisses. His kisses …

Kagome turned around in her bed, her wide eyes staring blindly at the ceiling. Her heartbeat was racing and the well-known heat grew inside of her. She closed her eyes with a shuddering breath. His kisses …

Behind her closed lids she saw him standing in the clearing again, around him pieces of slaughtered demons, his golden eyes fixed on her. Then she felt his crushing embrace, his hard kiss that had become so soft, so enticing …

Kagome moaned. Her right hand sneaked under the waistband of her pyjama trousers and trailed over her stomach to the point between her legs where she felt the aching of lust the strongest.

She felt his unbelievable soft lips again, the duel of their tongues as they had fought with rapidly increasing passion.

Her fingers inched forward through the black curls to the centre of all pleasure.

She felt his fingers on her bare skin, gently caressing her. Felt him drawing her nearer to him, felt his hard body and his need for her.

Kagome moaned again as the combined forces of her memories and her nimble fingers reaching the hidden bud sent raging fire through her body. She arched into her touch and bit into her lower lip to stifle another moan. It would not do to have her mother bouncing into the room, asking whether she felt all right.

Her mind replayed their first passionate encounter step by step, painfully clear, while her middle finger moved in slow circles over her centre. The tension inside of her grew, the heat became stronger and she started to tremble slightly.

She felt his lips on her heated skin, on her breasts, on her … She gasped and her finger moved faster.

She saw his golden eyes turn red as he stared at her, felt his searing kiss and then his forceful, first thrust into her body.

Kagome’s hips rocked against her fingers and she felt herself nearing the peak. She panted, the movements of her finger becoming harder and faster still.

She felt him move inside of her, felt his hard body pushing against her, heard his deep, passionate growls and with the memory of her first orgasm Kagome was catapulted into paradise.

Her body moved up from the bed into an arch of lust, her right hand pressed against the burning sensations and she buried her face into her pillow, biting into the cloth to suppress the sounds of her delight.

Slowly her breath became even again and her heart calmed down. She felt like she was floating in the skies, relaxed and warm, yet something was missing.

Kagome curled into a ball and sighed. Sesshomaru, damn you! But I miss you …

Just before she fell asleep she realized what had previously infuriated the most: the boy who had kissed her tonight was not the man she wanted - Hojo was not Sesshomaru.


* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Friday evening, Kagome packed her yellow bag for the following day. Ramen, sweets for Shippo, clothes and her hated text books were stuffed into it, while everybody of the Higurashi family stood behind Kagome, telling her that she just needed to take this or that with her, too. Kagome rolled her eyes and refused to take talismans, vitamin pills or comics with her and finally her family left her alone.

After one good night’s rest, only slightly disturbed by highly erotic dreams of a silver-haired demon, Kagome and her heavy bag travelled into the past early on Saturday morning.

The weather was brilliant on the other side of the well. The sky was brightly blue without one single cloud, and the sun was shining. Standing at the bottom of the well and looking up, Kagome breathed in deeply the fresh air and smelled grass, flowers and burned wood.

She blinked in surprise. Burned wood?

Suddenly a white-haired head appeared above her. ‘Took you damn well long enough, Kagome,’ growled a gruff voice.

The girl sighed. ‘Hello to you, too, Inu Yasha.’

The half-demon snorted and jumped down. Landing in front of her he stared at her for a while. He sniffed her in a way he probably thought discreet. Kagome raised an eyebrow. ‘What?’

Inu Yasha said nothing, just grabbed her with one hand, her bag with the other and jumped out of the well.

Once out of it Kagome was greeted by a red-haired bunch throwing itself into her arms and the sight of burned down forest.

‘KAAAAGOOOOOOMEEEE!’ screamed the bunch and hugged her tightly. ‘I missed you so much!’

Kagome laughed and hugged Shippo back. ‘I missed you, too, Shippo-chan.’

The fox-child looked up at her. ‘Why didn’t you come back earlier then, Kagome?’ he asked.

‘Because I needed some rest and some time for myself.’

‘Keh. Stupid. You could’ve rested here,’ growled Inu Yasha. He seemed to be terribly annoyed for some reason.

Hm, why would he be? thought Kagome sarcastically. I refused to come back sooner? I refused to talk to him when he came for me? Humph.

She shot him a look and then turned around to inspect the damaged forest.

‘Wow, what happened here?’ she asked nobody in particular, staring with wide eyes at the destruction.

‘I don’t know, Kagome,’ chirped Shippo.

‘Hm,’ Kagome eyed the deep cuts in the earth. ‘Looks like the wind scar. Inu Yasha,’ she said, turning to her friend, ‘did you fight a demon?’

Inu Yasha shrugged and started walking into the direction of the village, the yellow bag slung over his shoulder. Kagome blinked again. ‘Huh? What’s up with him?’

Shippo shrugged, too. ‘I don’t know, Kagome. Nobody knows what’s up with him, not even Miroku! We think he got into a fight with a demon some days ago, because he looked really beaten and dirty the other day and Kaede had to tend to some wounds.’

Kagome gasped. ‘He’s hurt? What demon did he fight? Is he okay again?’

Shippo sighed. ‘He didn’t tell us which demon it was. We can only guess. But he was defeated, and I think it was either Naraku or Sesshomaru.’

Kagome’s heart skipped a beat at his name and horror filled her, the imagination of her lover killing her friend. Guilt rose inside of her. ‘But he wasn’t killed, only hurt,’ she whispered.

‘Yeah,’ the kitsune nodded. ‘So it might not have been one of them. But Inu Yasha not telling which demon he fought is something unusual. Maybe Kikyo was involved?’

Her heart skipped a beat once again. Kikyo … Why do I feel guilty when he is the one who started two-timing? But Reason did not accept her argument.

Chasing her thoughts away Kagome asked again, ‘Is he okay?’

Before Shippo could answer Inu Yasha, who had been steadily walking away, turned back to them and yelled, ‘Yeah, I’m fine! Now, c’me on, you two! Or do you wanna stay there forever?’

Kagome and Shippo hurried to follow him.

Inu Yasha kept walking ahead of them and only growled when addressed. After a while Kagome and Shippo stopped trying to involve him in their conversation and chatted happily with each other. The girl told the child about all the sweets she had brought for him and the child squealed in delight, making the hanyou cringe.

Damn brat, he thought, annoyed. Stop squeaking like a mouse!

To say Inu Yasha was not in a good mood was an understatement. In fact, he was downright pissed. First, he had to stop the hunt for Naraku because Miss Kagome had wanted to go home. Second, she hadn’t said why and what for. Third, she had refused to see him and had stayed a whole week in her time! Fourth, she didn’t have the decency to tell him now why she had wanted to go home or to apologize! Some rest and some time for herself, holy crap! Yet, he had to admit, she looked better than before – but still, she could have rested here! Fifth, he had had an awful encounter with this bastard-brother of his, had been beaten up and scared. And he did not like being scared of Sesshomaru! Not at all! Sixth, he had been through five days of questions from Kaede, Miroku, Sango and Shippo about that fight and his injuries. Seventh, the idiotic babble behind him tore at his nerves.

Inu Yasha was ready to explode.

Luckily they reached the village before he did, and Miroku and Sango approached with happy smiles on their faces. They gathered around Kagome, hugged her and told her how much they all had missed her, and how miserable Inu Yasha had been without her. Kagome laughed and hugged them back, and flashed the hanyou one of her brightest smiles. He smiled back involuntarily.

His previous dark mood completely forgotten he asked, ‘You’re better now, Kagome?’

He received some astonished glances from the others, which made him blush slightly, and another radiant smile from Kagome, which made him blush even more.

‘Yep,’ she answered. ‘Much better!’ She looked at all her friends, gathered around her, and laughed. ‘What are we waiting for? Let’s go and find Naraku!’

Inu Yasha grinned approvingly.

They set out immediately after telling Kaede that they were leaving. The old woman nodded and smiled, and waved them good-bye.

The group was in high spirits, laughing and joking on their way to the mountains where rumours placed a dangerous demon that might be one of Naraku’s detachments, or even the dark hanyou himself. Asked by her friends, Kagome explained why she had wanted to go home – because she had felt tired and had needed some rest, because she had wanted to see her family and had really needed to go to school for a change – and they all understood completely. With the exception of Inu Yasha, who kept on grumbling about the loss of one week, but Kagome was too happy that her friends did not know her most important reason to go home to mind him. Her most important reason had, of course, been Sesshomaru and her need to put some distance between them and to sort her feelings out.

Since she was back to the past she had been feeling slightly giddy and out of breath, knowing she was within his reach again, hoping that he would come for her. Reason scolded her severely and she felt really guilty, but she just could not stop thinking about him. Burying her torn feelings deep inside of her, she did her best to show a happy face. It was not that hard because she was really happy to see her friends again. And because Kagome was happy everybody else was, too.

Yet, the general happiness did not last long. That evening, after they had all eaten and were settling in for some talk before sleep, Kagome asked Inu Yasha to let her have a look at his injuries. Immediately the hanyou stiffened, his smile vanished and he turned away form her.

‘No need to look at them again,’ he grumbled.

But Kagome was determined. ‘Stop grumbling, Inu Yasha! You needed Kaede see to them, so they were severe, and I don’t think that they have healed completely by now.’ She rummaged in her bag and with a triumphant Ha! she got out her first aid kit. ‘Now, Inu Yasha, let me see.’

Inu Yasha inched away from her. ‘I told you, Kagome, there’s no need …’

‘Sit.’

The rosary shone pink and Inu Yasha crashed into the ground. Kagome was immediately at his side, trying to pull off his clothes. Inu Yasha cursed. The others watched them, grinning. As the spell wore off, Inu Yasha began to struggle against Kagome.

‘If I were you, Inu Yasha, I would not resist being stripped naked by a beautiful woman,’ Miroku could not help saying.

The combatants ceased their struggles for a moment to glare at him, before they resumed their fight, and Miroku’s head made renewed acquaintance with Sango’s boomerang.

‘Get – that – off,’ Kagome panted, tugging at his haori. Inu Yasha answered by addressing her with a few chosen words for which he gained another ‘Sit!’

Sango shook her head at them. ‘Let it rest, Kagome-chan,’ she said. ‘He has been girlish about his scratches the whole time. Nobody but Kaede was allowed to see them.’

Inu Yasha raised his head. ‘GIRLISH?!?’

Sango sniggered, and Kagome used the opportunity to loosen the strings that held his clothes. Inu Yasha hissed, shoved Kagome off him and jumped away.

‘STOP IT!’ he yelled at her. ‘I’m fine, wounds are healed, no need to worry!’

Kagome looked at him, her eyes wide and a slightly hurt expression in them. ‘But I just want to help you, Inu Yasha.’

He snorted. ‘Keh. Don’t need your help.’

Kagome sighed and bent her head. Shippo jumped onto Inu Yasha’s shoulder and yelled into his ear, ‘Inu Yasha! You’re being mean to Kagome! Apologise or she goes back to her land!’

Inu Yasha grabbed Shippo and threw him into Kagome’s arms. ‘Bugger off, brat!’ Then he jumped into a tree and sat down on a high branch, his back to them.

They looked at each other, Kagome still with wide eyes. ‘What’s up with him?’

The others shrugged and Miroku answered, ‘We don’t know, Kagome-sama, but he has been like this for five days now.’

Kagome nodded. ‘Yes, Shippo-chan told me so. But why?’

They shrugged again and this time Sango answered, ‘He got into a fight, got beaten up and has sulked ever since. That’s all we can say.’

Kagome looked up into Inu Yasha’s tree worriedly. ‘What could have happened? Shippo-chan suggested it might have involved Kikyo.’ She cast her friends a questioning glance.

‘We didn’t see her Soul-Steelers, Kagome-sama,’ said Miroku.

‘They are not always around her!’

‘But very often. Anyway, I don’t think it had anything to do with Kikyo-sama. He wouldn’t have so severe injuries if he had met her -’

‘Except if he’d had to fight Naraku,’ Sango interrupted.

Miroku turned to her. ‘But then Inu Yasha would have said that he had seen him! I can’t believe he would keep any meeting with Naraku secret! No, if Naraku had been there and if he had defeated Inu Yasha, our dear friend wouldn’t have stayed at the village without complaints. He would have demanded that we follow Naraku.’

Shippo and Kagome nodded, but Sango rolled her eyes. ‘I wouldn’t say he stayed without complaints!’

Miroku grinned. ‘But these complaints were about Kagome-sama not being where he wanted her to be.’ He winked at the blushing girl.

‘So it wasn’t Naraku,’ she said quickly to cover her blush, and the others agreed on that.

Miroku sighed and continued, ‘The only other possibility I can think of is that the demon he has met was Sesshomaru.’

Kagome’s heart behaved unruly again.

‘You suggested that before, houshi, but I can’t see why.’ Sango knit her brows.

‘Well, look at the facts: Inu Yasha met an opponent and had to use the wind scar. His injuries were bad enough he asked Kaede-sama to look at them. He refused to say what happened. He refuses to have anybody but Kaede-sama to look at them,’ Miroku began to explain. ‘The only demon Inu Yasha has ever lost to is Sesshomaru. The only demon who has ever defeated Inu Yasha without killing him is Sesshomaru. Now think about it: would Inu Yasha admit that his brother had thoroughly defeated him?’

Kagome began to fiddle nervously with the first aid kit. Hearing his name did terrible things to her heartbeat and her breath. She could already feel the first sparks of arousal, too.

Sango was still frowning. ‘Yes, this is all true. But why does Inu Yasha still have Tessaiga if it has indeed been Sesshomaru? Don’t you think he would have taken the sword?’

‘He can’t,’ piped Shippo. ‘Sesshomaru is full demon and Tessaiga has a barrier that repels them.’

Kagome could have sworn that her friends used his name so often only to torture her.

Miroku nodded at Shippo. ‘That’s it.’ He turned to Sango again. ‘Maybe he tried to take the sword but couldn’t do it.’

The demon slayer snorted. ‘But he is able to touch Tessaiga’s sheath. It wouldn’t have been a problem –’

‘If Tessaiga wasn’t sheathed, it would have been!’ Miroku interrupted. ‘And seeing Inu Yasha had used the wind scar it is very unlikely that it was sheathed.’

Sango just shrugged. ‘I still believe if it had been Sesshomaru he would have found a way to take Tessaiga with him.’

‘Perhaps, and perhaps not,’ said Miroku, trying to keep the peace.

‘Who then, do you think, was the demon, Sango-chan?’ Kagome asked. She was very proud that her voice did not shake.

The other girl shrugged. ‘I think there is another demon to whom houshi-sama’s facts would apply.’

‘And who, my lovely Sango, would that be?’

‘Koga,’ Sango answered curtly.

Shippo nodded to that. ‘Yes, that’s right.’

Miroku shook his head. ‘Koga would not hurt Inu Yasha that much.’

‘Then one of Naraku’s detachments?’ Kagome said quickly, because Sango seemed to want to answer heatedly.

‘Unlikely,’ answered the monk.

‘Inu Yasha would have told us and demanded to hunt it down,’ Shippo added.

Kagome sighed. ‘So, who was it?’ she asked nobody in particular.

‘You wanna know?’ hissed Inu Yasha, who had suddenly appeared in front of her. They all started and looked in surprise at the hanyou’s furious face. ‘So, you really wanna know? I’ll tell you!’


* ~ * ~ * ~ *


Inu Yasha was sitting on his branch, listening to his friends discussing his fight, and it angered him. Miroku’s interpretation was too right for his liking, and Sango’s arguments only reminded him of Sesshomaru’s real reason. And he did not want to be reminded!

That day, when he had wandered back to the village, he thought about telling his friends what had happened. He did not want to do it and not only because he hated to admit that his brother had been stronger and had defeated him! No, that was not the only reason. He had pondered on how his friends would react when he told them, that Tessaiga was no longer Sesshomaru’s target, but their friend Kagome.

They might have thought it too unsafe for her to travel with them any longer and would have told her to stay in her time forever. Or at least until they had taken care of Sesshomaru! Furthermore, he had dreaded the questions. Why would Sesshomaru want Kagome? Why so suddenly when he had tried to kill her before? Why had he saved her? What had he done to her?

But what he had dreaded the most were the answers to these questions. Thus he decided to keep it secret. He ought to have known that he would have been questioned mercilessly. It started with Kaede …

Inu Yasha had forced his aching body to her hut, knowing that some of his injuries needed to be seen to. Kaede checked him without asking any questions. But when she had found not only bruises and scratches, but a broken arm, two broken ribs and a concussion, too, she started to ask why he was wounded and who had done that to him. The others joined her soon afterwards in her interrogation and they did not stop bothering him. Therefore he had not been able to forget. And it had pissed him.

He had thought it would be over when Kagome returned and they were back on trek. But Kagome had refused to come back for longer than he had thought and when she finally returned she inquired as well. Nevertheless, he was happy that she was back and, during the day, had completely forgotten. But she had demanded to see to his injuries – Kaede must have told her they weren’t all healed properly – and the memory came back. He tried to evade by escaping into a tree, but he overheard their discussion and it really pissed him. It made him furious. And when Kagome asked again who it was, he snapped.

He jumped down, startling them all, and hissed at her, ‘You wanna know?’

Inu Yasha stared into Kagome’s surprised and confused face and it made him even more furious. ‘So, you really wanna know? I’ll tell you! The damn monk is damn right.’ He watched her eyes grew wider and heard the surprised gasps from the other.

‘YEAH, IT WAS NO OTHER THAN SESSHOMARU!! ARE YOU SATISFIED NOW!?’

Breathing heavily he stood in the middle of his silent, gaping friends. Their faces, their surprise, it all ticked him off further. His eyes tinged red and he screamed, ‘AND YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT HE CAME FOR?? NOT FOR TESSAIGA, BUT FOR YOU, KAGOME!!’

With a menacing growl he bent towards the girl who stared at him with utter shock written all over her face. ‘And can you tell me, Kagome, why he came for you?’ he hissed.

Kagome opened her mouth. And closed it again. Then she shook her head. Inu Yasha laughed harshly. ‘Oh, he was so nice as to tell me why. He thought you “an interesting woman”.’

Just like his brother had done he emphasized the last word. Kagome blushed and closed her eyes.

‘Kagome,’ Inu Yasha’s voice was nothing more than an evil whisper. She opened her eyes again and looked at him somewhat desperately. ‘What. Happened. Between. You. Two.’

A tear slowly trickled down her cheek. ‘I told you, Inu Yasha,’ she whispered back.

‘You didn’t tell the whole truth, did you?’

Kagome buried her face into her hands and sobbed. Sango hurried over to her, hugged her tightly and glared at the hanyou. ‘Stop this, Inu Yasha!’ she ordered. ‘Stop this right now! Don’t you see you’re hurting her? What has she done to deserve your distrust? She has always been there for you, even after you chose Kikyo! You have no right to accuse her!’

Inu Yasha snarled and Miroku stepped between the furious hanyou and the girls. ‘Please, calm down, Inu Yasha, and let us talk about it. I’m sure there is an explanation.’

But Inu Yasha only bared his fangs at the monk. ‘She’s mine !’ he hissed, his eyes turning red, magenta stripes appearing on his cheeks. ‘MINE!’ he roared and tried to lunge at Miroku.

‘SIT!’

He crashed forcefully into the ground and did not move again. Miroku looked back at the girls. Sango still held Kagome tight, but the girl was now sitting rigid, with flashing eyes and clenched fists. She glared at the hole that was Inu Yasha, the trace of a tear still wet on her cheek. Sango looked furious, too, and Miroku thought that Inu Yasha was lucky if he survived this. Shaking his head, he started to calm the girls down. When the spell wore off and Inu Yasha appeared out of his hole, Miroku and his charm had almost succeeded.

His ears flat against his skull, his shoulders drooping and head bent, Inu Yasha inched closer to the group. He risked a cautious look at Kagome. She seemed sad, but not angry anymore. A short glance at Sango told him that she still was furious. He winced.

‘Kagome,’ he addressed her in a very small voice. The girl looked at him. The sadness in her eyes pierced his heart and he had to look away. ‘Kagome … I … I’m …uh … I’m sorry.’

When she did not answer, he looked up again and gasped. She was crying. ‘Kagome …’ He hesitantly held out a hand but did not dare to touch her.

Kagome sobbed and threw herself into Inu Yasha’s arms, crying hard, her face buried in his chest. He slowly raised his arms and hugged her. ‘I’m really sorry, Kagome,’ he whispered in her ear.

‘You ought to be, Inu Yasha,’ Sango hissed furiously. Miroku took her hand and hushed her.

They sat in silence, waiting for Kagome to calm down again. Kirara cuddled into Sango’s lap and Shippo clung to Miroku’s shoulder.

After a while Kagome’s sobs ebbed away and she raised her head to look at Inu Yasha. ‘Sorry,’ she whispered.

Inu Yasha flinched. ‘You don’t have to apologize, Kagome. It’s me who should say sorry.’

Kagome smiled a bit shakily. ‘It’s okay, Inu Yasha.’

He smiled back.

Miroku coughed. ‘Ahem, now that Inu Yasha has calmed down, too, do you think we could discuss the problem?’

Inu Yasha huffed and let go of Kagome. ‘What do you wanna discuss, Miroku?’

‘You told us you fought with Sesshomaru. You told us he came for Kagome-sama. I really think you should explain.’

The hanyou shrugged. ‘Sesshomaru came to the well. He knew that Kagome went through it into her time. He knows it’s the future. He said he thought her an interesting woman. I thought he was planning something and attacked him. He won. Then he left. That’s it.’

‘That does not explain your enchanting, small display of jealousy.’ The sarcasm in Sango’s voice was obvious.

‘Of course it does,’ answered Shippo and five heads turned to him. ‘Don’t look at me like this! Inu Yasha gets mad whenever Koga turns up and talks to Kagome. And now one of our enemies said he was interested in her! Inu Yasha wants to protect Kagome.’ He nodded.

The others looked at Shippo, then at Inu Yasha, who blushed. ‘Ah, well, trust children to tell the truth,’ smiled Miroku.

He received a glare from both Inu Yasha and Shippo and laughed. Soon the girls joined him, and after a while and some more glares Inu Yasha and Shippo started laughing, too. Even though the one or other laugh sounded a bit hysterical, it definitely cleared the atmosphere and they all laughed until tears ran down their faces. Then they went to sleep without any more talking.


* ~ * ~ * ~ *


Kagome lay in her sleeping back and stared at the night sky. She could not sleep. Her friends were deep in sleep, she could tell from their even breathing, but she just could not sleep.

What a day it had been! It started so joyfully. She had returned to the past, happy to see all her friends again. Nervous, because of him. They discussed Inu Yasha’s fight and the others had repeatedly mentioned Sesshomaru’s name. The effects that the mere hearing of his name had on her embarrassed Kagome to no end. Then Inu Yasha’s fit of rage. It had shaken her into the depth of her soul and scared her no little. She sighed. Now she was not happy anymore. She was utterly miserable.

Inu Yasha was right; he was oh-so-right! She hadn’t told the whole truth. Now it seemed that Inu Yasha had been suspecting something. Perhaps he knew already? Kagome shuddered. If today was any indication to what he would do if he found out that his suspicions were right … He had been completely out of control and transformed into a demon. And this time his life had not been in danger.

Inu Yasha’s surprising cry that she belonged to him both confused and angered her. Inu Yasha, you idiot! What about Kikyo? Didn’t you promised her to protect her? Didn’t you choose her? Therefore you can’t have me, too. Not in that sense!

What confused her most was the fact that her heard did not jump in joy at his declaration. But I love him and I want to belong to him. Don’t I? She sighed and her mind recalled Inu Yasha’s words concerning his brother.

Sesshomaru had followed her to the well. He knew that it was a gate to her time. He had said he was interested in her. To say she was shocked was an understatement. And again she was asking herself why.

Why did he follow me? Why is he interested? What does he want? I can’t believe that he just discovered his undying desire for me! Inu Yasha must be right, he must be planning something. But what? Why me?

The thoughts kept racing through her mind. What about her previous decision? Could she still allow herself to want him? Now that she knew he was up to something? On the other hand, could she stop him? Could she stop herself?

He had followed her. Why? Why? WHY?

Kagome sighed and closed her eyes, trying to find some sleep. It was still evading her. She sighed again, turned to lie on her side and tried at least to relax. Impossible.

She turned again, once more staring into the sky. A shooting star shot by. A wish, she thought. What do I wish for?

To never see that demon again! answered the annoying little voice.

Shut up!

I won’t shut up, not this time! Please, get a grip on yourself! You saw for yourself today how dangerous it can become to follow Instinct. You have to stop this. You should never see him again. You ought to stop thinking of him.

Stop lecturing me! Shut up and go away, she growled.

You know this is wrong. You are ruining your health! You don’t sleep enough and eat even less. Did you get any of the things you have been taught at school? No, you didn’t, because you were day-dreaming. Is this the way you are going to pass the finals?

Kagome rolled her eyes. You’re sounding like a mother-hen, she told the voice, inwardly grimacing. Here she was again, talking to herself.

The voice went on, Someone has to say it. Think about it. Furthermore, you are hurting your friends with what you are doing. You are betraying them. Inu Yasha was right to distrust you!

Stop telling me this! I know already! I- she began furiously, but was interrupted by a sudden urge inside of her. The urge to go somewhere. Now.

She lay very still, did not even dare to breathe.

There it was again, stronger this time. It tore at her soul and made her restless. She needed to go somewhere. Now.

One part of Kagome was afraid. This urge, though she felt it deep inside of her, was not motivated by her. There was someone who made her feel this. It scared her that anybody was strong enough to do such a thing. Fleetingly she thought of Tsubaki, but that had been different. Yet, could it be an enemy?

The urge grew stronger and Kagome sat up, looking around her. Her friends were still sleeping peacefully. Who did that to her? Why?

Another part of her jumped up and down and wanted to follow the call. Now.

Kagome shivered and hugged herself. Reason and Instinct, she thought. Reason tells me to stay, Instinct tells me to go …

Without any further thought she got up. She slipped into her shoes, forgetting her socks, and tiptoed out of the camp, careful not to wake Inu Yasha or the others.

She followed the call through the forest, walking blindly, as if she was in a dream. Her eyes were half closed. She was listening to the call inside of her, letting it guide her. It led her through the forest into the open and then into another forest. Kagome kept on walking.

The call led her to a small path which wound its way through thick brush. She followed the path for what seemed like hours before it opened into another clearing. She saw steam, hovering above what ought to be a hot spring, rocks and boulders, and on one of them sat a white-clad figure, watching her.

Kagome stopped and stared at him. Had he always been that beautiful or had she just forgotten? A silver and white god with gorgeous golden eyes sat there, wearing only a white kimono without any patterns or decorations. Her knees grew weak.

‘You … You called me,’ she breathed.

He smiled slightly – gods, he was breathtaking! – and held out his hand.

Kagome’s body reacted immediately. Her heartbeat sped up and uncontrollable fire surged throughout her body. She took a step forwards and felt the tips of her breasts harden. Another step and the heat pooled at the entrance of her body. Another step and it turned liquid, soaking her knickers. Another step and she was having serious problems with her breath. Another step and she slowly reached out her hand and laid it into his.

His long, elegant fingers closed over her small hand. He looked at her for a moment, taking in her flushed face, her sparkling eyes, and her slightly parted lips. Kagome moaned softly in anticipation.

Then she was pressed against his hard, heated body, and his mouth was ravishing hers. His hand sneaked under her skirt, quickly shredding her knickers. Kagome tore frantically at his kimono and moaned in delight when it opened and she was able to touch his soft skin. She allowed her hands to wander over his hard chest and then down, over his stomach and further down.

He growled into her mouth and snatched her hands away, then pulled her closer until she straddled his lap. Kagome sobbed with need as she felt him so close. She buried her fingers in his silken strands and challenged his tongue with her own. He took up the challenge but had her quickly defeated and she melted against him.

He growled again and thrust deep into her waiting body. She threw her head back and screamed. He answered with a growl deep in his throat, kissing and biting his way down her neck, and plunged forwards once more.

Kagome clung to his shoulders as he continued moving with short, urgent thrusts. She felt the tension inside of her body rise. The feeling was more than she could bear. It was more than she ever dreamed of. She screamed his name, over and over again, begging for her release.

Sesshomaru raised his head from her neck, panting heavily, and looked into her beautiful face. She was close. He managed a small, triumphant smile; then his hand moved from her back where it had been supporting her to the small bud between her legs. He flicked his claw against it.

Her eyes shot open, her whole body tensed, and he felt her inner muscles tighten around him. He slammed into her once more, flicking his claw against the tender nub. Kagome whimpered and rocked against him.

It was torture, sweet torture for the woman. The short touches on her most sensitive spot, combined with the hard thrusts brought her closer and closer to her peak but did not allow her to reach it. She answered his every movement but it still was not enough.

‘Sesshomaru, please!’ Her plea was weak and torn by her ragged breathing. ‘Please, oh please …’

He answered by putting two fingers on her clit and with his next thrust he gently pressed down. Kagome was lost. She exploded, and her mind left consciousness far behind.

When she came round again they were both lying on the ground, she on his chest, his arm wrapped around her. Kagome sighed silently and contentedly. It felt good to be here, close to him, listening to his slow and steady heartbeat. His hand was playing with her hair and she snuggled closer, closing her eyes again.

A silent laughter shook his chest. Kagome protested against the movement of her pillow with some mumbled, incoherent words.

‘Finally awake, dear?’ His voice sounded very different from what she knew, but that might have been due to the fact that she was lying on top of him.

‘Hmmm,’ she answered, too relaxed and satisfied to say anything.

He laughed again. Some part of her mind told her that he was behaving very strange, but thinking wasn’t worth the pain.

They lay there in silence. Kagome enjoyed the feeling of his body near her, his warmth enveloping her and his fingers combing through her hair. This time they needn’t hurry but could enjoy the afterglow. Her friends were somewhere far away and could not destroy her current happiness. Her friends …

Kagome, suddenly awake, propped herself up on her elbows to look into his face. He was watching her with half-closed, softly glowing eyes. She almost forgot what she had wanted to say.

‘How?’ was all she managed.

He raised an eyebrow, his hand coming to rest on her neck.

Kagome breathed deeply and, gathering her wits, tried again. ‘You called me to you. How?’

His smile deepened but he did not answer her.

Kagome sighed and after a moment lay down again. ‘You’re not being very informative, you know.’

There it was again, his silent laughter. Then the hand on her neck started moving down her back to her bottom, caressed it in a slow circle, and came up again.

Kagome moaned and kissed the soft skin of his chest. ‘I just wanted to know, because if anybody heard me going or wakes up and finds me missing I’m deep in trouble.’

The hand slipped under her clothes and repeated its movements. A shiver of reawakening desire ran through her.

‘Because if Inu Yasha finds me missing he’ll go ballistic again,’ she panted.

‘So he told you of our meeting.’ The hand did not stop caressing her.

Kagome kissed him again. ‘Yelled at me that you came for me.’

‘Hn.’ The hand slipped between her legs. ‘He did not tell you of our conversation.’

Kagome shivered. It was becoming hard to think, very hard. ‘N-no, just said you fought.’

‘Hn.’ The hand drew back and Kagome moaned in protest. It went up to her neck and started again.

‘He would kill me if he ever knew,’ she whispered.

The hand stopped its progress downwards. He held her tighter. ‘He will never harm you, dear, this I promise.’ His voice was serious.

Kagome closed her eyes and sighed. This sounded too good to be true.

As if he had heard her, his hand moved up to raise her chin, so that her eyes met his steady gaze. It was deep golden and so intense that she believed he saw down to the bottom of her soul.

‘Do you believe me?’ he asked. His voice sounded almost like usual: level, with a hint of haughtiness.

She smiled. ‘Yes.’ What else could she have said?

He let go of her chin and she laid her head back down on his chest. ‘Good.’

Then his hand resumed its wanderings, from her neck down her back, over her bottom, between her legs, and up again. Each time his fingers moved a bit farther. From where he touched her heat began to spread through her body. It was an enchanting game, slow and seductive. Kagome’s mind clouded with lust. The fingers inched forwards, through black, moist curls and her eyes widened. But before they reached the goal they withdrew.

Kagome shivered. He chuckled. She gasped. He was doing this on purpose!

She propped herself up to look at him. Her eyes were almost black, his of such a deep gold that they seemed orange.

‘You’re seducing me,’ she said, slightly reproachful.

A spark of amusement momentarily lightened his eyes. ‘You noticed.’

Kagome looked down at him, speechless. Then out of nowhere came the thought that this was a game they both could play. She smiled mischievously at him and without any further thought she got on all fours above him. He looked at her questioningly. She only smiled and bent down to kiss him.

It was a slow, sensual kiss. She took her time brushing her lips over his, feeling their softness, tracing them with the tip of her tongue before she demanded entrance. He welcomed her, and their tongues began a slow, passionate dance. His mouth was soft and warm and it promised future delights. Lust began to pulsate in her blood with every beat of her heart.

His sharp fangs suddenly pierced her tongue and she tasted her own blood. Sesshomaru seemed to like its taste; he growled, put his hand on the back of her head and deepened the kiss. It became heated. Their tongues fought for dominance. However, before he could win again Kagome drew back. She would not allow him to distract her.

Panting slightly, she looked down at him. His eyes had darkened further. A shiver of pure desire ran through her. He bared his fangs at her, growling, his hand tugging on her hair to get her mouth back. She shook her head and kissed him quickly; before he could reciprocate she moved her lips over his jaw to his ear.

Her tongue circled the shell up to the tip, sucked it gently, and then darted in. He hissed; the sound turned into a moan when her lips trailed to his neck and then down. Kagome used her experience she had with him and let her tongue and teeth join her lips on their way. His skin tasted salty, mixed with something spicy that was utterly him. He shivered as her warm breath fanned his moist skin.

His hand trailed down her back and slipped under the waistband of her skirt, cupped one cheek and started kneading the soft flesh. Now it was Kagome’s turn to moan. Her knees became weak. The desire became stronger, and his ministrations caused the heat to pool deep inside of her once again. Kagome panted hard, her mind clouded. Thoughts began to drift, but she tried to concentrate on him only.

She sucked hard on the pale flesh of his neck and then bit him, receiving a growl that made her shiver once more. She kissed her way further down to the spot in the crock of his neck that he seemed to like on her. Following his example she first kissed the skin tenderly, eliciting another arousing growl, before she bit him.

His reaction was unexpected and immediate. He made a noise that sounded like the mixture of a moan and a growl, grabbed her head forcefully and brought it roughly up. His lips crashed on hers, his tongue opened her mouth and darted in. This was not like any kiss before. It was hard, almost brutal, searing and hungry, and it nearly made her come.

Her knees gave way and she fell down on his chest. His arm wrapped tighter around her. He kissed her like there was no tomorrow, bruising her lips. She whimpered into his mouth; he growled back. It made her tremble with need. She had never heard a sound like this growl, slightly frightening and yet arousing.

At long last, his kiss softened. His tongue brushed over the bloody spots on her lips where his fangs had previously hurt her. Then he drew back so that he was able to look at her. Her eyes were closed, her face flushed, her lips red and swollen, and her breath came in heavy pants. She was beautiful and she was his, and he needed her again, right now. He pressed his hard erection against her, eliciting another delicious moan.

Slowly, her lashes fluttered open and midnight blue met fiery red. They stayed like this for a moment, feeling the other’s heated body, racing heartbeat and burning desire.

Kagome was the first to look away. His gaze was too much for her. She took a shivering breath and with the oxygen returned the memory of what she had been doing. She struggled for strength, and then resumed her previous position above him, though he was very unwilling to let her go. She resisted the temptation to give in to him and bent down to continue where he had interrupted her.

As she kissed the spot between neck and shoulder he growled and his grip on her tightened, but she did not bite him again. Instead, she trailed her lips down to his chest, brushing his kimono away with both hands, revelling in the feeling of soft, heated skin over hard muscles. There was no flaw, no scar on the silken flesh, and she wanted to kiss every inch of him. His heart was beating rapidly underneath her lips, just like her own, and her need for him grew quickly.

But first she wanted to feel, touch and kiss his wonderful body everywhere she could. Her lips followed her hands suit, kissing every inch of bare skin. Her tongue drew circles around his nipples. He hissed in delight.

His hand came up and his fingers tangled into her hair. Kagome cast a quick glance at his face. His eyes were closed, his lips slightly open so she was able to see his fangs. There was an ever so slight blush on his face, and his breathing was ragged and heavy. She moaned softly at the sight of his beauty and had to kiss his alluring lips again before she continued her exploration.

From his chest her hands and lips trailed further down, her hands discovering the terrain her lips later explored. His stomach was flat, the muscles well defined but not artificial. She knew he had gained them in training and fight. Kagome sighed in admiration, letting her fingers trail over the muscles and watched them twitch slightly under her touches.

With each touch and kiss he growled louder, a sound that had her shivering in pleasure.

She slid down his body until she came to kneel between his spread legs. As she bent over him she felt the proof of his desire brush over her thigh and her belly. Sesshomaru groaned and his hip arched upwards, so that his member rubbed against her. Kagome shivered and closed her eyes. She needed him, needed this inside of her. Now.

He did not cease his movements and she bit her lip, her hands tightening in the folds of his silken clothes. The sight of him and the feeling of his hard shaft against her were almost too much for her. A whimper escaped her lips. Her little game had turned against her. It did not leave her untouched. On the contrary, she was shivering with need for him.

The fire of passion burned madly inside of her, but she was still determined to go on until she had done what she wanted. Thus she moved on, planting several short kisses on his stomach, dipping her tongue inside his navel while her hands moved further down, reaching the goal she had been denied earlier.

At the first, featherlight touch of her fingertips on his shaft Sesshomaru growled deep in his throat, a rumbling sound like an approaching thunder. Kagome nibbled on his stomach while her hands closed around him. He did not stop growling. She shivered at the feeling of him. He was hot and hard in her hands, yet the skin was softer than silk. Silk over steel, flashed through her clouded mind as she began stroking him in a slow, steady rhythm, moving in time with the movements of his hips.

His grip in her hair became almost vicious as her lips slid further down to join her hands. He groaned, sending another wave of lust through her. Kagome’s tongue fluttered over him. She felt him tremble at the touch. A breathless laugh escaped her lips before they closed over the tip of his erection, tasting him.

He was very hot inside of her mouth and tasted heavenly. But further impressions were cut short when he grabbed her arm with an almost menacing growl and pulled her up so she came to lie on top of him. He rolled over, and before she could blink Kagome found herself lying under him. He drew back swiftly, tossed his clothes away and was on top of her again.

Kagome cried out softly when she felt his weight on her. She wrapped arms and legs around him to draw him even closer. He followed her wish and pressed himself against her. He kissed her, plundering her sweet lips ruthlessly. She panted, and he used he opportunity to plunge his tongue into her mouth.

She tasted so sweet and was already so hot and ready for him that he wanted nothing more than to bury himself deep inside of her hot, soft body. But it was not time for this yet, there was something he wanted to do first.

As she had done before he trailed his lips from hers over her jaw to her ear, mirroring her moves, eliciting a whimper of pure lust. From her ear he kissed his way down her neck, every now and then gently nibbling with sharp fangs.

Kagome writhed beneath him, her fingers dug into his shoulders and her surprisingly strong legs pressed his heated member against her wet core. It drove him mad. Every single movement brought them both closer to the peak. The tension inside of them was becoming painful.

As Sesshomaru pressed his lips onto her neck, the beast inside of him screamed at him to mark her here and now as his own. But it still was too soon; he pushed the creature back and merely scraped his fangs over the spot. The female under him shivered and moaned, arching her body up into his. He groaned when his shaft slid along her heated, wet pussy.

She moaned again, louder, and her hands slid down his body to his ass. Her small hands tightened around it, pressing him closer to get him into her, but he still did not comply.

Instead, he drew back, and she cried out, staring up at him with wide, unbelieving eyes. He kissed her reassuringly and grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up. She seemed to understand and quickly pulled it over her head. He watched with interested, burning eyes as she wriggled out of it.

He reached out and cupped one breast with his hand, gently kneading the soft mound that was covered with another offending piece of cloth. She arched up into his touch, her hands still tangled in her shirt above her head.

After one flick one talon Sesshomaru was able to push the last barrier away and her breasts lay open to his searing gaze. His hand resumed its position, massaging the tender flesh of one soft mound, while his mouth darted down on the other. His fingers traced patterns on one breast his tongue did the same on the other, slowly nearing the rosy buds but never reaching them.

Kagome whimpered and began to tug at his shoulders. Her movements became desperate. She was burning with a raw need that she had never felt before.

‘Please … please …’ she breathed between pants, and he trembled as her words heightened his own, all-consuming desire.

Granting her a small release he sucked one tip deep into his hot mouth and brushed his fingers over the other.

She tilted her head back and cried out, arching up once more and tightening her legs around him. A sob escaped her sweet, red lips, a sob that was his name. He shivered and let go of his self-control.

With a husky growl he trailed his lips further down, reached the waistband of her skirt and hissed with annoyance. The female wore too many layers on her body!

Kagome’s badly shaking hands appeared in front of his eyes and she tried to pull the skirt down. He understood and, moving with his demonic speed, pulled down her skirt, threw it away, and was on top of her again before she could even blink.

Kagome gasped at the sudden feeling of skin on skin and wondered briefly were her skirt had gone. But then all thoughts whirled away and her brain ceased working when he slid down and she felt his rough tongue licking teasingly over her most sensitive spot.

Sesshomaru almost purred when her hands grabbed his hair to press his head closer. She smelled and tasted so good, and he continued his assault vigorously. His hand held her hips down as he began licking her rhythmically. The sounds that came from her were wonderful, intoxicating.

She wrapped her legs around his shoulders to draw him even closer and cried out desperately when his tongue left her centre, only to moan in pleasure as one finger took its place. It traced slow circles over the small bundle of nerves. She tried to get nearer, but his arm held her down.

His tongue trailed further down, through the wet, sweet-tasting folds of her womanhood to the entrance of her body. He licked up the liquid that poured out of her. It tasted better than anything he knew, and he thrust his tongue inside her to taste more of her.

The female whimpered. He felt the muscles in her legs tremble, and her tiny hands tug feebly at his shoulders. He did not pay heed, just continued the maddening game of finger and tongue until he could not hold back any longer.

With a sudden, rough movement he drew back, leaving her no time to re-adjust before he slammed his throbbing member deep into her hot core. Her scream was muffled by another searing, passionate kiss as he pushed mercilessly into her body.

She clung to him, arched into him, her hips moving in time with his mad thrusts. Each thrust made her sob and moan, and he growled in response.

It did not last long. Both had gone already too far. Soon Sesshomaru felt her inner muscles tighten frantically around him. He groaned and pushed forwards once more, felt the rhythmical flexing of her muscles, swallowed her scream of fulfilment and with another hard, long thrust he exploded within her.

Panting hard he fell down, lying half on her trembling body. With his last strength he rolled over so that they lay side by side before closing his eyes and allowing the waves of release to wash over him.

A long time passed until he was able to move again. He slid out of her and turned her around so that she lay with her back to his chest. Then he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. He placed a soft kiss on her temple and laughed silently. She had passed out again.

Sesshomaru buried his face into her hair and relaxed. He did not need to sleep. He could rest his body while his mind was wide awake, and he used this advantage now.

Breathing in their mixed scents deeply he smiled. She was truly a wonderful creature! Her readiness always surprised him, and her passionate reaction to him was one of his few real joys.

She had followed his call and this had erased his last doubts. She had felt his summon and came willingly. She was the right one.

His smile deepened as he remembered her boldness. He had never expected her to act like this. Her kiss had been sweet and innocent, and it had aroused him more than he thought it could. The taste of her blood on his tongue had been heavenly. He wanted more of it, much more. And he would have more of it – when the time was right.

His grip around the woman tightened. She was his and he would not allow any other man or demon to take her. He had to mark her, soon, but the time still was not right, she still was not ready. Therefore he had to keep a close eye on her. Not that this was an unpleasant task …

Sesshomaru laughed his silent laughter. Even without the mark she was truly his, whether she knew it or not. She had accepted him as her mate, though he knew without any doubts that she did not have the faintest idea.

It had been another little game for her, another way of teasing him, when she bit his neck, but it was so much more for him. It had been a kind of shock for him to feel her lips on that very spot. They sent a lightning through his body. Then her teeth came down gently, digging into his skin … The white-hot passion that had surged through his body at that shocked him. He never even thought it could be like this!

He needed her to stop and had stopped her by kissing her roughly. She had not complained, not even when his fangs had hurt her soft lips. He had tasted her blood again, her sweet, intoxicating blood …

She did not bite him again, but neither did she stop her exciting inspection of his body. Her hands and her lips on his body, trailing down, her slender fingers closing around his shaft, and finally her soft lips had aroused him to an unknown extend. He had never felt like this before.

He was sure that it could be like this again, but only with her. Because of who and what she was.

He chuckled. A human. Yes, she was human. A human woman with strong miko powers who had accepted, though unknowingly, him as her mate. She was perfect!

He pulled her small body closer to his and wrapped himself around her to protect her from the cold night air. Summer was nearing its end, and though the days were still sunny and warm the nights could be very cold. Sesshomaru hoped that Jaken had built a fire for Rin. He would kill the toad if the little girl became ill. Kagome would be all right, he would keep her warm. It was a rather nice feeling to have her sleeping in his arm.

He sighed and closed his eyes, relaxing further and falling into a kind of trance where his body and mind rested and his instincts kept alert.


* ~ * ~ * ~ *


Kagome woke from deep, restful sleep when dawn was about to begin. She did not lie in her sleeping bag, but on hard earth, she realised with her still sleepy mind. It was cold around her, but she was not cold due to something warm behind her.

The warmth was wonderful, the one radiating it solid and strong, and she snuggled closer against them. Their arm around her tightened and she sighed contentedly and tried to fall asleep again.

But sleep did not come back. In fact, her mind was waking further and further and it suggested that something was different from usual. Then the memories came back. She turned around, looked up and her surprised eyes met an unreadable golden gaze. Kagome blushed, suddenly very much aware of their naked bodies close together.

‘Good morning, dear,’ he greeted her with his usual calm voice.

Kagome blinked and peered at the slightly brightening sky. ‘Morning?’ She gasped and sat up abruptly. ‘Oh no! Morning! I need to go back before the others wake up!’

She looked around for her clothes that lay around scattered. She got hurriedly up to collect them and dress, but cringed as the soreness between her legs made her body protested against rapid movements.

‘Uh,’ she moaned and moved slower. ‘The way back will be bad, I can’t even walk! Oh! I don’t know the way! Could you please lead me back?’ she asked, turning to the silent demon.

He now lay on his back, his hand behind his head, and watched her. There was no expression on his face, which made her slightly nervous. He did not answer.

‘Umm, Sesshomaru? Would you please lead me back to my friends?’ she asked again, a bit hesitant.

‘It is still time,’ he answered.

‘Huh?’ Kagome blinked. Did she miss something?

He sighed as if he had explained a very simple thing for the umpteenth time. ‘It is still time. Dawn has not begun. Your friends will not wake up soon.’

She eyed him for a moment, and then decided to believe him. Her shoulders dropped with a heavy sigh. ‘Good, because I will definitely need much time to go back.’

She glared at him. ‘I can’t walk!’

A sparkle lightened his eyes. ‘I did not hear you complain.’

Kagome blushed furiously.

She turned away and picked up the rests of her panties. Sighing she shook her head. How am I going do explain this to my mother? This is the third!

Suddenly a hand lay on her shoulder and she started and whirled around, staring at Sesshomaru. She had not heard him move.

He held her eyes for a moment, and then gestured towards the hot spring. ‘You had better wash yourself before you go.’

Kagome looked at the steam, slowly rising from the hot waters underneath. The air was really cold, she realised, rubbing her arms. The warm water became more and more inviting. She let go of her shredded knickers and limped over to the spring.

She could have sworn she heard a silent laughter behind her, but when she glared at Sesshomaru no muscle in his face moved and his eyes were blank. She huffed and stepped slowly into the hot water.

Sinking into it till it reached her chin she closed her eyes and sighed. Her sore muscles relaxed a bit. She forgot that Sesshomaru was still standing outside the spring, probably watching her, and began to trail her hands over her arms and shoulders and further down, softly humming to herself.

The hot water felt wonderfully on her skin. The warmth seemed to seep through her body, relaxing every muscle inside of her and easing the soreness. Kagome stretched, still up to her chin in the water. The steam was a barrier between the cold world outside and the small, warm world under its veil. Kagome sighed, feeling as though she was in a dream or in trance.

This time she did not start when he laid a hand on her shoulder. She slowly turned to him and half-opened her eyes, looking up at him from under heavy lids. His face was still expressionless, but his eyes had darkened once more.

Kagome smiled lazily up at him. She had again not heard or felt him approach. ‘You’re a ghost,’ she whispered to him.

He moved closer to her and his reawakened erection brushed past her. ‘Most definitely not.’

Kagome giggled and closed her eyes again. She was feeling strange, like floating on a soft cloud, yet mixed with this feeling was the very earthy tingling of wakening desire.

She sighed again as his hand moved from her shoulder down to her breasts and closed softly over one of them. The gentle movements of his fingers massaging the soft mound relaxed and aroused her the same time. She felt weightless and heavy.

His hand slid over to the other breast, and then up to her shoulders. He kneaded the muscles with strong, knowing fingers. Kagome moaned softly with contentment and lust.

‘Feels good,’ she breathed barely audible, even for him.

From her shoulders Sesshomaru’s hand trailed down her back, caressing her softly curved hips, before it came to lie on her bottom. He massaged both cheeks like he had done with her breasts.

Kagome leaned back against him because her knees could not keep her up any longer. The feeling of his strong body against her back and his arousal pressing against her waist made her sigh. This time the sound was heavily tinged with excitement.

She raised her arms behind her and hugged him. Under her hands she felt the hard muscles of his behind. He’s hard everywhere … Hmmm …

His hand glided to her thigh, brushing down as far as he was able to reach, and then up again, over her stomach to the other one. He never touched an erogenous spot, but his touches aroused her nevertheless.

Kagome moaned. This was so sweet … almost as if there was more between them then pure lust. Maybe Inu Yasha was wrong, maybe he didn’t plan anything. Inu Yasha …

She sighed and got to her feet. She mustn’t forget she was supposed to have a bath before she was to return to her friends.

Kagome tilted her head to the side and looked up into Sesshomaru’s face. His eyes were nearly closed, only a tiny golden sparkle could be seen through his lashes. Though his expression was still blank his features were relaxed and peaceful. He seemed to enjoy this in the same way as she did, and she hated to break the enchanted silence between them.

As he felt her looking at him he opened his eyes, answering her gaze.

‘Soap?’ she asked softly.

‘No,’ he answered in the same way.

A small frown appeared on her face and her deep blue eyes looked confused. ‘Aren’t there any herbs I might use?’

Sesshomaru raised his hand to her mouth and traced her lips with one claw. She sighed and her eyelids drooped again.

‘There are. But you will not use them.’

She blinked. ‘Huh?’

He bent down and kissed her softly before answering. ‘If you do, my brother will smell it and it will rouse his suspicions further. He will want to know when you had a bath and why.’

‘Oh,’ was all she said.

He kissed her again.

She kissed him back and turned around to face him. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer, and she hugged him around his waist. Their kiss was tender and it lasted for a while. It was only lips on lips, no heated demand for entrance and no passionate duel of tongues. It was the most arousing thing Kagome had ever felt.

Sesshomaru’s arm tightened around her and he lifted her up until her face was level with his. Kagome wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist. He let her slowly a bit down and she felt the tip of his hard shaft at the entrance of her body.

She panted against his lips. He opened his mouth, and his tongue slipped into the sweet cavern of her mouth with the same slowness with which he eased himself into her welcoming body.

Kagome moaned at this doubled assault and greeted his tongue with her own.

He began to move, slowly, gently rocking his hips against hers. His tongue invited hers to an erotic dance. She clung to his shoulders and trembled, her tongue following his, her hips moving in time with his thrusts.

His pace was achingly slow and he did not speed it up, not even when both of them were panting and trembling. Neither became his kiss fiercer. It was demanding, but slow; passionate, but soft and it drove Kagome crazy.

Yet she did not try to increase the speed of their movements, content with the way it was. Slowly, achingly, painfully slowly they came nearer and nearer to the peak. Neither hurried to reach it.

Warm waves crashed against them, whirling around their combined bodies. The white steamed billowed above their heads. In the world behind, the first birds began to sing but the couple was oblivious to them. All that counted for now were their unhurried moves, their gentle kiss and the approaching peak.

They reached it at the same time, tightening their embrace and shuddering in release.

For a long while neither moved. Kagome had laid her head on his shoulder, he rested his against hers. Both had their eyes closed.

Finally Sesshomaru lifted his head. He stared into the whiteness around them, and then whispered to the silent woman in his arm, ‘It is time, dear.’

Kagome sighed and raised her head. He let her gently down and held her until her knees were able to hold her up.

They left the spring in silence and did not speak again. Kagome collected her clothes, shaking her head at her torn knickers and bra. She was wrinkling her nose at the thought of dressing while she was still wet when Sesshomaru wrapped her in his kimono, drying her with the soft material as if she was a child.

Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again and just nodded her thanks at him. She dressed quickly, and even though she felt still sore the ‘bath’ had relaxed her muscles enough so that it did not hurt any longer. Her torn underwear in her hand she turned to him.

He had dressed, too, and the moist cloth clung to his body, completely transparent. It left nothing to the imagination. Kagome blushed and averted her face.

He took her hand and led her back through the forest. As they crossed the open field Kagome saw that the sun sent it first rays over the horizon. She prayed inwardly that her friends were still asleep.

They entered the forest in which her camp was. Suddenly there appeared a small path at their feet and Sesshomaru stopped.

‘Follow this path. It leads you to your friends.’

Kagome looked up at him. His face was an unreadable mask again, his eyes cold. She shivered and turned away.

A flash of white and he was standing in front of her. She blinked in surprise, but before she could say anything his hand cupped her face, lifted it up, and he kissed her.

Kagome placed her hands on his chest and leaned into his kiss.

Suddenly he drew back and stepped aside. ‘Go.’

She obeyed him and turned, walking into the direction of her camp.

Kagome approached her friends silently, cautiously. She peered around a tree, checking they were still asleep before she tiptoed over to her sleeping bag. She shook of her shoes, absently noticing she had a blister from walking in them without socks, and crept into her sleeping bag. As soon as she closed her eyes she fell asleep.

She woke up again a few hours later from Inu Yasha and Shippo discussing whether she was to be woken up or not. Inu Yasha argued yes, Shippo no. Miroku and Sango sat around a small fire, watching them with weary eyes.

Sango was the first to notice that Kagome was awake. ‘Good morning, Kagome-chan,’ she greeted with a broad smile, interrupting the discussion. ‘You slept well?’

Kagome smiled at her friends and got up. The soreness between her legs made her wince. It was only a slight movement, but enough for Inu Yasha to ask, ‘Are you okay, Kagome?’

She grinned and nodded. ‘Yes, of course.’

So much more than just okay, actually.