Chapter One

The Maiden and her Shrine

Kagome laid on the warm sun baked ground of her family's shrine. The warm sun soothing her mind and soul. The hot days of summer turned into the warm nights of beautiful weather. She stretched and yawned with the grace of a cat as she tilted her head back to look at the old shed that housed their ancient (and according to her, useless) artifacts.

She sighed and closed her eyes again, enjoying the peace and contentment that the shrine brought to her.

"I can always clean the shed tomorrow," the woman told the large cat who seemed to be making his way towards her. The large cat stopped in the middle of his journey and flopped down, as if it had walked man moons to get to that point. She smiled as closed her eyes again.

Her hand came up suddenly, trying to slap away the object that seemed to be lodged in her side.

"Lazy as always Miko."

She sighed inwardly as her eyes fluttered open to the sight of a tall, well built man. His long silver hair billowed in the wind, making the sun reflect off of the silken strands of hair she desperately wished to run her hands through.

His eyes, a beautiful burnt apricot stared down at the small woman sprawled out on the cement of her home. Her sooty dark hair pushed to the side, as the top of her kimono shirt exposed her sun blushed chest.

"Move it or loose it Sesshoumaru. You are blocking my sun."

He pushed his toes into her side more, getting a snort of laughter in reply. He grabbed her wrist as she went to reach his leg. Kagome tried to move around and stopped a moment later when she realized it was pointless to fight him.

Sesshoumaru smirked at the young woman below him as he saw a small pink appendage come out of her mouth childishly.

"I should of shot you when I had the chance."

He laughed as he remembered the night Kagome realized he was had survived all those years. He had smelt her sweet scent of white plums and sandal wood one evening and sought the woman out. When he arrived he was met with an ablaze arrow pointing at his heart and her asking how he was in her time. While the woman struggled to catch her breath after seeing him laugh with out killing her after, they explained to the other how everything had transpired.

The jewel placed the young onna back into her own time where she belonged five years ago. Her grandfather had passed and she had taken to keeping the shrine. And he had traveled the world, collecting different professions as if they were marbles.

Kagome's sigh brought him back from the past and he removed his foot and sat beside her.

"The Great Lord Sesshoumaru sitting on the ground with a commoner! What will the other nobles think ?" Kagome sat up next to him as she pulled her dark long hair up.

"Such a travesty, how will the world react, milord?"

"Such accusations can be taken care of easily."

Kagome watched him. His golden eyes full of laughter and mirth but yet they held the wisdom of many lifetimes. His soft lips came to a smirk, as his long, tapered fingers rested on his knees. She looked to his calloused hands, weathered by time. Those beautiful hands had brought destruction upon his enemies and laughter to those lucky enough to be close to him.

She reached for his hand, tugging it closer to herself. She traced his rough palm gently with her soft finger tips. Sesshoumaru tilted his head to the side, to inspect her childish face which held his hand with such softness he had never been shown before.

Her dark lashes fluttered as he brought her into his lap. His long hair falling over her shoulders as he bent and placed his soft lips on her neck. Kagome blushed as she felt his hand travel down her side, softly nudging her left breast as his hand landed on her hip. Sesshoumaru's fingers slipped under the cotton shirt and rubbed small circles with his thumb as he kissed her neck up to her chin.

The spicy scent of sandal wood increased as he in took the traces of her arousal. She was intoxicating. Kagome's small yet abundant curves molded against him perfectly. He heard her soft groan as his hand moved under her lace bra. His growls of pleasure made Kagome shudder as she stirred against his firm member.

She blushed ten shades of red when she saw her younger brother coming up the shrine steps. Kagome scrambled out of his lap and fixed her kimono shirt and pants as she stood to leave.

"We have rooms for privacy Kagome," Sota exclaimed as he took the last few steps to the shrine.

"Ojiichan is rolling around in his grave for you two doing that here."

Kagome slipped her shoe off and threw it at her younger brother. She glared at him as he laughed and stopped down to pick up the large cat who slept through everything. He had grown up so much over the years. His childhood gone in a blink of an eye, and replaced with a handsome teenager.

"I always knew you were a lecherous kid!" she yelled to his back as he went inside the house with the cat.

Sesshoumaru caught her wrist again and pulled her back into his lap, entwining their fingers together.

"You both are lechers." Kagome laid her head on his chest and shook her head gently.

"So," she asked quietly. Her breath softly touching his neck like the whispers of the summer wind that warmed him inside and out.

"Hn."

"Great response Sesshoumaru."

He thought of his past. He had traveled to different places, discovered miraculous and amazing things. He had walked the earth with the most ingenious men, and defeated a few of the most destructive and evil men. But yet he could not figure out this small woman he held in his arms. Kagome was strong yet so fragile. The need to protect her rose in his chest. His arms tightened around her as he kissed her forehead lightly.

Together they watched the sun fall into the west, and the moon rise into it's rightful place into the sky. They would figure it out together tomorrow. For now, he was content to hold this enigma of Kagome in his arms and listen to the peaceful sounds of her sleep.

A/N: Enjoy!