In the evening, Kagome sat alone in the gardens. She knew that Lord Toga, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had been locked in the conference room all day discussing how they would handle the situation with the North. Kagome desperately wanted to see Sesshomaru. What was all this business about him fighting for her? She knew there had been something going on between them but it seemed that neither of them had realized how strong their feelings were for one another.
Kagome looked up when she heard Sesshomaru's foot steps approaching her. She liked the way he looked in the moon light. Kagome rose and turned to face him.
"Any news?" Kagome asked.
"The North has already started to move. Their troops have already made it to our boarders." Sesshomaru said.
"How much longer do we have?" Kagome asked.
"Not long before they reach us. Father and I have a plan." Sesshomaru said.
"Oh?" Kagome raised a brow. Sesshomaru placed his hand on her hips and pulled her closer.
"He wants Inuyasha, myself and you to enter through the back door of the Northern palace, so to speak. The mikos will not be able to subdue us. Father wants so to disrupt the mikos and take the Shikon jewel. Most of the Northern army's power is coming from them." Sesshomaru explained.
"When do we leave?" Kagome asked.
"Tonight. You need to get some rest and then we will depart. The true mikos will be a the front of the army marching towards the western gates. We will loose many men to them." Sesshomaru growled. He tightened his grip on her hips as he spoke.
"Ok." Kagome sighed. Sesshomaru leaned down and buried his nose in her neck. He kissed a trail down her neck. Kagome let out a soft moan. Sesshomaru kissed her suddenly. He crushed her small body to his.
"Kagome. I will protect you." Sesshomaru rumbled protectively.
"I know you will. I'll be watching your back too." Kagome gave him a determined look. She frowned for a moment and then took a deep breath. She would need bravery for this.
"Sesshomaru, you said you would fight for me. I don't know how you feel about... If... if we were mated, the miko wouldn't be able to harm you." Kagome said. She bit her lip as she watched his face carefully. Sesshomaru's eyes softened.
"Kagome, I will not mate with you out of necessity. You are worth more to me than that and my future with you will be decided on our own terms." Sesshomaru said firmly. Kagome wasn't sure how to feel about his statement but she gave him a small nod. Sesshomaru walked her back to her room and told her that he would come for her in 4 hours. Kagome then changed into her sparing outfit and laid down for a quick rest.
Inuyasha, Sesshomaru and herself set off into the night. Sesshomaru carried Kagome on his back so that they would cover ground faster. The Northern troops had already begun to clash with the Western soldiers. Sesshomaru's absence from the front lines would be noticed soon.
They traveled for hours without pause. Once dawn began to break, they found a cave to sleep in. They were deep in northern territory by this time. Kagome erected a barrier to mask their auras and stop anyone from entering unnoticed. Kagome looked around for a comfortable place to sleep. She locked eyes with Sesshomaru and he gestured for her to come and sit with him. Kagome sat between his legs and rested her head on his chest. Kagome fell asleep quickly and Sesshomaru studied her. He knew that he had never felt so content as he had at this moment. He closed his eyes reluctantly. Sesshomaru knew he needed to rest, but he would have much rather spent his time watching Kagome sleep.
The group awoke a short time later and did their best to shake off the reminisce of sleep before they headed out. Inuyasha went ahead and scouted their surroundings. Sesshomaru followed close behind him with Kagome on his back once again. Kagome still felt sleepy but her adrenaline was starting to wake her up.
The three of them flew across the northern lands until finally the castle came in sight. Kagome waited in the trees while Inuyasha and Sesshomaru dispensed with the guards in front of the castle walls. Kagome climbed onto Sesshomaru's back and they scaled the castle wall. Once they were inside, they headed straight for the mikos and the Shikon jewel. Kagome traveled on foot this time and clutched her bow tightly as she walked. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha stopped just outside the dojo. Everything was quiet but they could feel the spiritual energy inside. Kagome wondered if their entrance into the castle had gone unnoticed or if this was a trap.
"Kagome, when we get inside you must go upstairs and get the jewel from the shrine," Sesshomaru instructed and Kagome nodded.
"Yeah, we'll take care of the women. Kikyo should be able to asses their condition once we get back to the west," Inuyasha said, pride evident in his voice. Kagome smiled a little. With that, the boys burst into the dojo. The mikos all looked at the demons with wide eyes and Kagome took her chance to run upstairs. She entered the shrine room and headed straight for the jewel. She could see that Naraku had set the jewel in the center of the room and the power of the jewel was being drawn out and pushed downstairs through the walls and floors. Kagome swallowed, she hoped that her time with Sesshomaru had been enough, because he would certainly feel the effects of the jewel as he made contact with the floor.
Kagome moved across the floor carefully, she wanted to get a sense of how the jewel would react to her as she approached it. Kagome stood before it, pleased to be alive and a little surprised that the Shikon jewel seemed to... like her. Kagome took a sharp breath and picked it up. It sat peacefully in her hand and Kagome tucked it into her pocket. She was about to turn to leave with a pair of strong arms grabbed her from behind.
"Where do you think you're going with that?" Naraku hissed in her ear. Kagome struggled against him but she found that she could do nothing to free herself. He dragged her down the stairs where Inuyasha was laying unconscious and Yumi plus four other mikos had Sesshomaru around the neck with their miko powers.
"After you are all dead I will be taking back the Shikon jewel," Naraku told her. "But first I think that Sesshomaru should watch while I defile his woman." Kagome's eyes widened and her struggling began anew. Naraku turned her around in his grasp and sneered down at her. Kagome could see the fury in Sesshomaru's eyes. She could also see that Sesshomaru was fighting with Yumi's powers. Naraku grabbed her chin and turned her head to face him.
"Eyes on me, little one." Naraku snapped. When Kagome saw that he was going to kiss her, she summoned her miko powers and wrapped the lasso around Naraku's neck. She pulled it tight so quickly that Naraku barely had anytime to react before Kagome had severed his head from his shoulders. His body slumped forwards and disintegrated in a cloud of Kagome's holy powers. Kagome was so shocked at what she had done that she stood dumb founded for a while. Her instinct for self preservation had caused her to kill someone. She felt a little sick, but she knew that Naraku's life had to end. Kagome turned towards Yumi and the other mikos full excepting a fight but they were gone. Sesshomaru was standing and looking much better, while Yumi was behind them tending to the mikos.
"Lets get you out of here. We'll go to Kaede's village ok?" Yumi was telling the girls. Sesshomaru kicked Inuyasha to push him back into the realm of the conscious. Inuyasha coughed and struggled to get up at first but eventually he pulled himself upright and wore a tired smile on his face.
"I'll go with the mikos to Kaede's village. I can send for Kikyo to meet me there." Inuyasha told Kagome and Sesshomaru and they agreed.
"What about the rest of the castle?" Kagome asked.
"Father has no intention of pillaging and killing for no reason. I believe that Lord Onigumo has fallen already. Without his son and the mikos, his power will have decreased greatly." Sesshomaru said. Kagome ventured outside with Sesshomaru close behind her. Sure enough, the guards and servants of the northern palace all gathered in front of the dojo and when they saw Sesshomaru the bowed down before him.
Kagome was happy to be back at the western palace and soaking in the hot springs. Sesshomaru and Lord Toga had sent a few of their generals to oversee the fairs at the northern palace. For the most part, the residence would be left in the peace as long as they respected their new leaders. Lord Toga had killed Lord Onigmo. He said that once the mikos were disrupted, Lord Onigumo's powers shrunk and the Lord appeared to age 500 years before Lord Toga's eyes. The northern Lord was an easy kill after that.
When things started to settle down again, Izayoi demanded to know when Kagome and Sesshomaru would be mated. Sesshomaru had grabbed Kagome around the waist, pulling her close to him, and told Izayoi and it would be soon. Shortly after that, Sango had come to visit Kagome at the palace. Sango was pregnant and she looked absolutely radiant. Kagome told Sango about herself and Sesshomaru and Kagome was rewarded with a huge smile from her friend. They parted wishing each other happiness on their respective paths in life and promised to see eachother soon.
Now, Kagome was bathing, preparing for a lovey evening with the man she had fallen completely in love with. She exited the bath and dried herself off. Kagome dress in a beautiful blue kimono, being careful not to tug on the chain that held the Shikon jewel in place around her neck.
Kagome met Sesshomaru in the gardens. The moonlight bounced off his hair and made it look even more beautiful than usual. Kagome took a deep breath as Sesshomaru turned to meet her.
"You look beautiful this evening." Sesshomaru told her in a silky voice.
"Thank you." Kagome smiled.
"Kagome, will you accept his Sesshomaru as your mate?" Sesshomaru asked.
"I will." Kagome smiled brightly. Sesshomaru smirked. He took her hand and led her to his bedroom. Kagome swallowed nervously as Sesshomaru lowered her onto his futon. Sesshomaru growled low in his chest to calm her down and he felt content when she relaxed. Sesshomaru captured the lips of his beautiful mate. His eager hands removed Kagome's kimono gently and he enjoyed how his little miko shuttered beneath him.
Their coupling was the greatest thing Kagome had even experienced in her life. She never imagine that a person could experience so much passion and feel so much love from one simple act. Of course Izayoi was thrilled and she barely gave Kagome a chance to breath before she was asking when they could be expecting grandchild. Kagome hugged her aunt and kissed her cheek lovingly. As much as Izayoi was Izayoi, she was Kagome's only family and this woman had brought Kagome into a world where she could grow strong and had found love beyond her imagination. Lord Toga and Inuyasha just gave Sesshomaru a pat on the back, but Kagome could see the pride in both of their eyes.
Kagome stood on the balcony connected to their new bedroom. She felt Sesshomaru approach her. His strong arms encircled her waist and pulled her to him.
"How are you this evening, mate." Sesshomaru purred as he nipped the shell of Kagome's ear. Kaogme smirked, she had been waiting for him and for this very moment.
"I'm not in the same mood you're in Sesshomaru." Kaogme said a bit tartly. She turned in his arms and rested her hands on his chest.
"And why is that? Have you grown tired of me already?" Sesshomaru teased as he kissed her temple and began a trail of kissed down her face from there.
"No, of course not." Kagome smirked.
"Then what is the matter?" Sesshomaru said before he kissed her lips gently.
"Well, I wouldn't think pregnant women are usually horny, would you?" Kagome said. She looked into his eyes and he grinned widely. Kagome loved the sight. Sesshomaru pressed his lips to hers hard and with so much passion that Kagome knew she wouldn't be getting any rest tonight, pregnant or not.
Thank you so much for reading. I appreciate any comments as usual! You guys are awesome. Sorry if the ending seemed a little rushed. My father-in-law became very ill and this story became something that I just had to finish so I could get it out of my mind. I did my best considering the situation so hopefully it was still enjoyable!