Once upon a time, true believers, there was a humble author who wrote love stories. And this is one of them. But before he could tell his stories to all who would listen, he had to acknowledge that the characters of the story where not his inventions, and where in fact part of an anime series called Inuyasha, or else he would end up without a computer to write those stories on. And now that all the legal hogwash is over, he wishes you all the best of luck, and may you all find you're princess' and prince's one day, and live happily ever after! Read on!

"And so it happened.
When she felt him beside her, and heard his voice
Softly murmuring in her ear, all fears left her.
She knew without seeing him that here was no monster
Or shape of terror, but the lover and husband
She had longed and waited for."
From
Cupid and Psyche

The steam rose up all about her. It veiled the whole room in a light fog that danced in the air like mist in the early morning. It solidified in soft droplets against her skin, and then slowly trickled down along her flesh to rejoin the softly bubbling water. She sighed and sank lower into the water, up to her neckline, and then leaned her head back.
"I could get used to this…" she thought to herself with a content smile. This hot spring was just one of the many luxuries she had begun to get accustomed to here at this palace.
There was the sound of the door sliding open, and the patter of small feet walking up alongside the spring.
"Lady Kikyo?" a light child's voice asked. She opened her eyes and beheld the small child, who looked at her with a loving and admiring smile. Rin held out a kimono of the finest silk and a towel to her. She smiled and rose from the hot spring.
"Thank you Rin." She accepted the towel and began to dry her body. Rin watched as she ran the cloth along her body, and looked down at her own body, comparing herself to the woman before her. She wondered if one day she might be just as curvaceous.
Kikyo slid the kimono on, taking a moment to savor the feeling of the delicate material rippling against her skin. She looked down at Rin and smiled, her heart welling up with feelings of almost motherly affection. She reached out and touched the child's head, and Rin giggled softly, the sound of butterfly wings beating against the air. In the months since she had come to live there, Rin had become as attached to her as Kaede had been at that tender age. She had been teaching the girl the finer arts of herbal healing, of exorcising particularly evil demons (especially the ones that attacked their lord), and of ladylike manners.
They stepped out of the room together. As they strode down the corridors and hallways, she could not help but once again marvel at the place. The floors and walls were of masterly craftsmanship, greater even than the shrine where she had originally grown up. The furniture and decorating where all of the most exquisite taste. The surrounding terrain was simply breathtaking, with a perfect view of the mountains to the east, the river to the north, the forests to the west, the villages to the south. The food she ate was the most delicious she had ever tasted. At times, she found herself wondering if this place, her coming here, were not all a grand dream, and that one day she might awaken to find herself as she had been; alone, cold, shunned, betrayed.
"Lady Kikyo…" the familiar voice stopped them both in their tracks. They turned to face Jaken. The toady demon had his head bowed in acknowledgement of her place in this palace, but his voice still dripped with disbelief. He still struggled to digest the knowledge that this was the companion his Lord had chosen. "Lord Sesshomaru is returning as we speak. He requests you're presence in you're chambers..." He nearly choked on those words as he struggled to say them. But Kikyo was unable to notice, as the thought of what she knew awaited her in those very chambers sent a chill or anticipation through her. Rin looked up at her, noticing her friend and mentor shudder.
"Kikyo-sama, what's wrong?" Kikyo snapped back to reality and looked down to the child.
"Nothing Rin. Nothing." She looked around quickly, her mind racing to come up with an excuse. "Why don't you go tend to the herbs, Rin? I will join you later." The child nodded enthusiastically and hurried off. She watched her go, and then walked past Jaken, who remained frozen, trying to figure out just what it was about this undead-miko that attracted his Lord.
Kikyo found herself walking faster, her breath starting to come in short gasps. In spite of how many times she had already experienced this, it never ceased to have this effect on her. The thought of laying with that arm around her always set her heart aflutter. She stood outside the door of his bedchamber-of their bedchamber, and took a moment to collect herself. She placed a hand against her chest, felt the beating of her heart. She forced her breathing to slow, forced herself to calm. She slid the door open and entered.
It was dark inside. She stood for a moment, letting her eyes adjust. She glanced around, but could not find her Lord anywhere. Doubtless he would be with her soon enough, though. She made her way slowly across the room to the sleeping mat. She stood alongside it, stared down at at it, and remembered past experiences. She shuddered again, and reached unconsciously for the sash of her kimono. It dropped from her skin into a pile around her feet, and she slowly stretched down on the floor and pulled the covers up over her.
The sheets were cool against her bare skin as she slid under them. She closed her eyes and repeated a soft incantation in her mind to calm herself. But she found it only added to the tension that was creeping through her, and her breathing began to tremble in spite of how she tried to control it. Her excitement was growing.
She restrained a gasp when she heard the footsteps coming down the hallway, stopping outside the door. She crossed her arms over her breasts, as if trying to muffle the sound of her own heartbeat.
The door slid open, the figure entering shadowed by the light of the hallway. He slid the door closed, and was shrouded in darkness. He stood with his back to her as he closed the door, and she rolled over onto her side when she saw him start to turn. But she could feel the glowing eyes settle onto her slightly trembling form beneath the blankets. Beneath those eyes, a wicked smile formed.
She heard him come up alongside her, and her heart skipped a beat when she heard the clack of his swords it the floor, followed by the soft whisper of his robes falling at his feet. She felt a small wave of cold as he pulled the covers up and slid down alongside her.
Her heartbeat intensified till she was sure it would burst from her chest when she felt the burning heat of his naked flesh alongside hers. His breath blew some of her hair against her face, and he touched his lips to her shoulder for a single, sweet moment. She shuddered and gave a small, dreamy sigh as she anticipated what was about to happen. This was how he liked it; he always made her feel like a blushing virgin watching her husband come to bed on their wedding night.
"H-how was you're quest?" she said, almost vainly trying to forestall him for just a moment and allow her to savor the sweetness of anticipation a little longer.
"Nightmarish" he whispered, sending shivers down her spine. "Incredible I find time to go abroad between managing my vassals. And as such, I need my peace and quite between adventures." He rubbed his face against her hair, breathing deep her intoxicating scent; it was the thing that had first attracted him to her, and she knew it. As she felt his breathing blow gently along her skin, she finally could hold out no longer.
Her body loosened, the tension vanishing, and she rolled onto her back, leaning her head against his to embrace his lips. He accepted this gesture contently, and lingered on their kiss. He placed his hand on her hip, pulling her onto her side to face him. She pushed her body against him, desiring more contact as if she could melt her body into his and be part of him forever.
He coiled his single arm about her and pulled her closer. He brushed his face against hers, placing small kisses up her cheek, above her eye, and then running the tip of his tongue across her forehead. She sighed gently, feeling completely relaxed against him, all the tension that had previously tightened her body completely vanished. He trailed small kisses along the side of her face and then nipped her ear, eliciting a small giggle from her. But her giggle turned into a trembling intake of breath when she felt him press his hips against hers.
"Shhh…" he whispered softly and gently trapped her mouth in another kiss. She accepted, and allowed him to push his tongue gently against hers, engaging in a flirtatious shoving match between their lips. She hummed in pleasure, as if savoring the taste of an exquisite meal, and indeed she was-now tasting something sweeter than any mortal food she had ever sampled.
He gave a single grunt, and they were joined.
"Ah…" she said quietly, tilting her head back, leaving her neck exposed. He took full advantage, and pressed his face against her throat. He trailed small nibbles along her collar and smiled at the shudder she gave in response. He moved his tongue along her throat till he found the just right spot and began to suck generously. He applied small pressure with his teeth and just enough force of his mouth to leave a small red mark, a badge of their passion. She ran her fingers through his hair, savoring each delightful sensation, her breathing deep and measured. She rolled her head around, floating on a cloud of bliss that carried her through a sky of intimate pleasures. She was content to allow him to work this magic on her till the small convulsions of his body against hers began to intensify, awakening a her primal instinct.
She pushed him over onto his back and moved atop him. She forced his head back against his pillow with the impact of her kiss, this time her tongue slithering into his mouth to engage his, wrestling blissfully in their coupling. He returned this kiss eagerly, his own fire burning brighter with her new aggressiveness. He arched his back and pushed his hips up, causing her to break their kiss, throwing her head back and letting a long moan of desire emit from her mouth. She placed her hands his head and pulled him up to press his face against her breasts, gently running her fingers through the locks of his hair once more. He breathed deeply, savoring the scent of her arousal, and wrapped his arm around her, gently moving his fingertips against her spine, further stimulating her.
Their vocalizations of the sensations coursing through them both became joined now, rising a chorus of love. They're bodies pressed together, lingering on each moment as they came to the full realization of their shared passion.
"Oh, oh, oh!" she cried, her voice cracking slightly as she rose to the peak of her bodies physical capacity for lovemaking. They remained, entwined with each other in their arms, their legs, their hair, and their hearts. They trembled like leaves in the wind, their bodies drained by the intensity of their activities. Their chests pressed against each other as they rose and fall, their lungs rushing to supply their love-weary bodies with oxygen. He laid back onto the mat, gently pulling her down with him. She rested her head against his chest while he closed his eyes and breathed in the heavenly aroma of love that still lingered in the atmosphere.
"Kikyo…" he whispered her name, and she looked up into his eyes, which shone like the full moon reflected against the crystal waters of a scared river.
"Yes, my love?" she said, pulling herself up so that her face was at level with his.
"Say you will stay…that you will never leave me…" and for a moment, at the mere thought of such a tragedy, she saw his face falter, like a child who has just lost its greatest hope. She cupped his cheek with her hand and touched her face to his, gazing deep into those magical eyes.
"Forever" she whispered, unable to put to thought or words how much joy the smile that her sentiment brought him, "forever and ever, just like in the fairy stories."
They fell asleep like this, cuddled against each other, and drifting into dreams that only paled before the dream come true that their lives had now become.

"So all came to a most happy end.
Love and the soul (for that is what Psyche means)
Had sought and, after sore trials, found each other;
And that union could never be broken."