The day after the competition to get the pups, Kagome's new pack was gathered and herded into the nursery, where the baby demons were just weaned off of their mother's teat. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha hung back, while the humans couldn't help themselves in their excitement. It had been so long, training and preparing and praying for this moment, knowing that they were the least likely to make it this far. Now, they had been expecting demons, but they hadn't expected for them to be quite so… large.

Huge demons ran around, some towering above even Sesshomaru, who was the tallest in their group. The person to hand out the younglings was an older man, stooped with age. He glared at the group gathered; only barely resisting calling them worthless as he expected them to be.

"This is how this is going to work. You are going to sit here. You are to make no sounds, but press your aura in all different directions. If you're lucky, someone will take pity on you and they will come up and explore you. At that point, you may pet and talk to them. They bond, you will know about it. Now sit down and get comfortable. This could take a while."

Kagome wondered deeper into the room and sat down, just letting her mind wonder. She hoped everyone would get a demon. She was already kind of attached to her group. She was already building a friendship with Inuyasha and Miroku, and Sango was becoming less violent as the days passed. And she needed all the instruction that Sesshomaru would give her, if she ever wanted to fully understand the depth of the misconceptions that her people had. She let her eyes closed, the worry getting the better of her as self doubt came along.

What if Sesshomaru didn't get picked? Soon she brushed off this thought, almost scoffing at herself. If Sesshomaru didn't get picked, then who would? He had the best chances of getting a well formed pup, which would grow large and powerful.

Moreover, what if she didn't?

Before long, Kagome could hear excited barks and growls, and Sesshomaru's aura diminished down to its normal feeling. Inuyasha's 'feh' was easily heard, and he shifted a bit, the claws on his bare feet scraping the ground. Soon, Kagome felt a breath whisper past her face, and opened her eyes. Before her was Daisuke, and Kagome's breath caught in her chest.

Daisuke? Huh?

Daisuke was the largest pup of all from the litter, and he was gifted with supple, salt and pepper fur that ghosted across Kagome's nose as he sniffed her hair and sorted out her scent. In her mildly dazed, almost panic struck state, she stiffened and bit her lips, trying to sort through this.

Calm yourself, human. Your panicked scent does not sit well with me. Now, quit moving, so that I may fully scent you.

Kagome instinctively cocked her head to the side, a confused expression creasing her brow.

You are amusing, little human. And very clean. How do you keep such a clean scent while you live in this pestilent hovel of humans?

Kagome gasped in almost outraged annoyance. The amused twinkle in his eye only further proved to annoy her.

"Where do you get off!?" She exclaimed, moving to rise to her feet before she was knocked flat on her butt, Daisuke lounging lazily on top of her.

Don't fret, little woman. I only jest. I had not realized that you were quite so sensitive. My apologies.

He opened his maw just slightly, giving her the impression that he was grinning at her; meanwhile she just glared daggers at him, attempting to shove him off. He nuzzled the side of her face, licking her gently. He wagged his tail, and it was obvious he was about to do something. That's when she felt it. It burned through her system, and a little whimper tore itself from her lips as he whined in sympathy for her pain.

After a little while, Kagome sat up, rubbing the burning mark on her upper arm. After moving her hand, she saw what looked like a tear drop on her arm. Likewise, a similar mark donned Daisuke's forehead, just above his eyes. Kagome almost groaned. They were bonded. Anyone else, anything else, and she would have been elated. However, she knew in her heart that Daisuke was going to prove annoying more than anything else. Standing up, her hand found the soft fur of his flank, running through it absentmindedly as she surveyed her surroundings. Inuyasha had gotten a male who was as white as freshly fallen snow, and whose blue eyes seemed to bore into your very soul. Miroku had gotten a smaller one, a bitch with shorter fur and who was only a bit bigger than a horse. Sesshomaru had also gotten a bitch, whose hair was a deep ebony and was dusted with bits small and large of dark grey. Kouga, much to his chagrin, had gotten the runt of the litter, and she only came up to his shoulder in height.

Wait a minute…

Sango, the only other woman in her pack, sat off to the side, a bit dejected and a scowl marring her face. Kagome felt a pang in her chest, already attached to the girl and not looking forward to the separation. A few moments later, Sango stood, intending to storm out of the place. She looked down when she felt the soft feel of fur wrap itself around her foot and leg. A small cat looked back up at her, the wide, green eyes almost looking through her. Sango bent down, running her fingers along the soft fur, eyes widening when she saw a second tail where there should only be one. She fingered the place where the tails split, and giggled quietly, smiling at the little cat.

Said cat mewed its pleasure, and before everyone's eyes, it disappeared into a giant flame, only to be replaced with a huge cat demon, her large fangs hanging down from between her closed muzzle.

Kagome smiled, relieved that no one from her pack was being taken away, and that meant that they could move out of the holding room that they had been staying in, and that they could move out of the main stronghold and into the land, where they had great chances of being needed. They would be given patrols, a city to watch over, or an objective to complete. As glad as Kagome was to get out of this place, where the stupid leader spent so much of his time at, Kagome was sad to leave both the sea and the secret garden that Sesshomaru had shown her.

She turned her head to grin at Sesshomaru, who was kind enough to nod his head, his trademark smirk surfacing for the smallest of moments. After a few almost kind words from the old man, everyone made their way back to their holding room, gathering their belongings for their eventual journey to find their niche.

Deep in his extensive chambers, the leader of the entire compound was smiling, his claws digging into the flesh of a supple hip, his robes pushed out of the way and hers pulled over her ample bottom. He savored the scent of her flesh, and his eyes rolled back in his head as he pressed his member into her, the scent of blood flooding his senses. Her groans, be they of pain or pleasure, went unheeded, and instead he closed his eyes, moving against her in the ages old dance.

He always loved rutting with those who had yet to know the touch of a man. The scent of their blood, sometimes strong and heady, and other times faint and only a nuance to the stronger scent of sex was always a rush of pleasure that clouded his mind and made it difficult to make the experience last.

His hands moved from her small hips, only just now flaring into the fullness of a woman, and instead found purchase against her stomach, running along the smooth planes of the delicate skin. His other hand sunk into the thickness of her tresses, curling close to the scalp and causing her to have to arch her neck, baring the tender, easily broken skin to his whim. He ghosted his lips and fangs along the skin, his long hair creating sharp contrast, the sharp scrape of his razor sharp canines and the feather soft brush of the silken tresses, and she shuddered, her frail heart thundering in her chest. He purred, drunk off of the feel of her skin against his and the way the smell of her blood made his own rush in his ears. Only moments before he found his release with her did a messenger open the door to his personal chambers, and he snarled at the lower class demon, his rage causing his aura to swirl around the room in angry whips.

"I beg your pardon, milord, but the group with the Higurashi girl just got their pups." The messenger kept his eyes to the ground, making sure that his lord knew of his absolute submission.

He resisted the urge to smirk, his hips gyrating absently against the almost forgotten beauty that blushed brilliantly, attempting to quiet herself for modesty's sake. He licked his lips, his mind wondering to the girl. Kagome, she said her name was.

"And how did the choosing go, hm?" He asked, looking at the servant as he continued his slow pace, using his hand to hold up the girl's face, making her look at the lower class being as he pressed against her. He whispered in her ear, too low for anyone but her to hear, and smirked at the darker blush that dusted across her nose.

"U-um… Well, everyone in her pack got a demon partner. The girl by the name of Sango got a Cat demon that wandered into the breeding room. The runt went to the Wolf, K-" he said slowly, looking away from the girl, uncomfortable with this turn of events.

"The Higurashi girl's status, boy. How did she do?" He turned his eyes back to the servant, narrowed a bit in his impatience. The boy blanched, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, sir… Miss Higurashi did remarkably well. Daisuke chose her for the bonding, and they seem to be getting along well enough, even though she yells at him sometimes…" He trailed off, not sure if the news he had to give was good or bad, and dreading being the messenger.

"Well then." The leader mumbled, the forgotten girl below him turning her eyes up for a moment. How did such a little slip of a girl get Daisuke? He was easily one of the biggest pups he had ever seen, and he even had good lineage to back him up. He cocked his head a little bit, smiling to himself. Curiouser and Curiouser.

"Dismissed" He said, stilling above the girl. The messenger left quickly, the blush that he had been fighting finally taking over his features. He looked disdainfully down at the girl, her flesh paling to the gold-tinged, rosy skin of Higurashi. Her hair, although thick, wasn't as long or beautiful. And the scent of her innocence as he remembered it wasn't at all as intoxicating as that of the little Kagome that dared challenge him on her first day here. He scowled at the girl he thought of as a small prize but a few minutes ago, and quickly extracted himself from her. Grabbing a cleaning cloth, he wiped her essence from his form, turning away from her and looking away.

"Get out." He said, not bothering to look at her.

"B-but milord…" She whimpered, sitting up slowly, confused at the loss of something that had only just started to make her feel good when the messenger had come in. The leader turned his head towards her, his once wheat yellow orbs turning red with his ire.

"I said get out!" He bellowed, snarling at her until she did as he commanded. He turned his nose up into the air, snorting. Kagome would have fought his word tooth and nail. How had I ever thought that the little runt was worth bedding? A poor excuse for something that is much more a prize. He sighed, throwing open the windows and waiting for the smell of sex to leave the room.

Daisuke sat quietly at the foot of the bed, his head resting against his paws as he waited for his Mistress to finish whatever inane thing she was doing. He wagged his tail as she finally finished, a rucksack slung across her back. She had gathered all of her possessions, along with the new weapons she had mastered since coming here. She took the longest, mostly because she waited until everyone else had their things and also because she was sad she was leaving. She loved the sea. Loved it. She sighed softly, clicking her tongue to get Daisuke to stand up. She coaxed him into stepping into the makeshift harness that she used when traveling. It had a rope that she could hold onto around his shoulder blades, and one large saddle bag that she wrapped around her to assure her that she didn't fall off. She clambered on, with his help, and he loped outside, glad for the chance to get out. She glanced down at Sesshomaru, who preferred to be separate from his bonded.

They had been tasked with traveling down the coast into the warmer regions, and helping with the border patrol and aid of a group of small villages surrounding a larger city that housed middle and upper class demons. They were to maintain the peace and make sure that trade went smoothly, and that no harm should come to any of the residents. She was looking forward to the warmer weather, and more than that, the sea and the demons, who she hoped were open to beings of all walks of life and who could help her dispel any lingering misconceptions about demons that she had. She and Sesshomaru met less and less the busier they were, and the time passed slowly with out his instruction. He still aided her with her weapons practice, but at the current juncture, it was nearly impossible to get away from everyone long enough to get in any lessons from the cultural and mythological side of things.

The travel was easy as soon as they cleared the mountains, and the warmer weather put everyone into a better mood. On especially warm days, Kagome would take long stints off of Daisuke, and moved around her group, weaving into and out of conversations, inevitably gravitating towards Sesshomaru, who would nod his head towards her, a brief smile or a ghosting of his fingers across her arm would reassure her that her lessons weren't over and also served to prove to her that they were still friends, which it was difficult to say sometimes, as during the recent training sessions he was particularly brutal and often left her cradling a bruise or nursing a wound.

Daisuke wasn't too fond of these training sessions, and he did his damnedest to be present at every last one of them. If Sesshomaru got to be too rough for his liking, he would stand between them until Kagome shooed him back to the sidelines. Today, they were scheduled for yet another training session, even though Kagome was sporting a large bruise across her stomach.

"Okay, Kagome. Today we are going to try hand to hand, as you are still awkward and slow when you don't have a weapon in your hands. Prepare yourself." Sesshomaru drawled, flicking a lock of his hair over his shoulder in a detached way. Kagome gave him an earnest nod, sinking into a defensive position that he had taught her, which was good overall if executed properly. However, her feet were still too far apart, and her positioning of her arms and hands left big, wide open gaps that made her an easy target.

He moved forward, deliberate in the swing as he punched her in her chest, and then sweeping her off her feet in a kick that knocked her over easily. He ignored her dog's warning growls, smirking down at her.

"Did you learn anything, Ka-Go-Me?" He asked, peering into her pained face. She grimaced as she sat up.

"Well, I'm never going to perfect my footwork, and you hit really hard. Do I get a treat?" She chuckled at herself as she struggled to her feet, rubbing her chest gingerly.

"Well, perhaps you are half right. Try again. Remember, fluidity is your friend. Don't be stuck in one position."

Kagome sighed, trying to ignore the pain in both her rear and her chest, trying to focus on sensing his aura, and allowing her gut to lead her movements. Her head was almost always wrong, but if she let herself get into the fight, she came away with considerably fewer cuts and scrapes. She shivered as he disappeared from her line of sight. She sunk into the same position, her legs a bit closer together, and her arms angled higher and closer together.

He reappeared behind her, and she sunk lower, avoiding the blow to the head that would have sent her reeling into a tree. She turned, redirecting another blow away from her and sending it glancing away from her form. She hissed a bit, pressing the heel of her hand hard against his forehead, just a bit of her powers leaking through. Sesshomaru bared his teeth to her, and swung again, this time aiming for the still tender flesh of her stomach. She turned with his momentum, wrapping her leg around his and pulling him to the ground, a hand poised just above his neck glowing bright with her powers and singeing the hairs on the back of his neck.

She smiled, clambering off of him, reaching down to help him up. She ignored the familiar tingle she got when his hand was in hers, and instead grinned as she pulled him to his feet. She giggled at his glare, and pumped her hand into the air, giggling as Daisuke barked at her.

Sesshomaru smiled despite himself, and leaned towards her.

"We are all but alone, Kagome. If we go farther into the forest, not even Inuyasha could hear us." Kagome nodded, walking deeper into the wooded area with him. They came to a stop at a large tree, whose branches drooped a bit and Kagome giggled like a small girl, climbing up the tree with ease, leaning back against the trunk when she was satisfied with how high she was. Sesshomaru smirked, hopping easily into the tree with her, and it only grew at her huff.

"Show off…" She muttered, shoving him a bit, and he laughed softly as his hand wrapped around her wrist to keep her from falling off. She blushed a bit, and settled back against the tree.

"How did your mom and dad get together, Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked, swaying her legs to the sound of the wind rustling the grass and leaves around them.

"Why?"

"Well, I know that humans, at least the ones in the higher classes are to become acquainted by the meeting of the families, then they are to spend a bit of time together, are married, and soon after children follow. Does it work like that in demon societies as well?"

He shifted a bit, leaning against her, fiddling with a leaf in his hands. He sighed softly, one leg propped up as he settled fully against the tree.

"My mother and father… They loved each other, once. My mother was of high breeding, and she was always so perfect. Calm, cool and collected always. My father was the one and only omission to this fact. They met at one of the several festivals that are common during times of prosperity. They were joined within the fortnight, and the impending heat allowed for the begetting of pups.

They did not know each other for a long time. The call of the bond hardly ever takes time for surfacing. But, after my mother had her litter, and after the subsequent death of my brothers and sisters, they drifted apart. My father believed that the purity of our bloodline was too much for us to be able to cope as a demon. Although he cared for me, a demon has a strong desire for pups. It is an instinctual desire that only grows more the older the demon is. And that is what drove him to Izazoi."

Kagome cocked her head to the side, looking up at him, a small smile on her face. She resisted the urge to grin and jab him in his side.

"You really love Inuyasha, don't you?" His quiet huff only widened her smile, and he looked down at her, resisting the urge to smile as well.

"So, do you also desire children?" It was not unexpected, but he took a long moment to answer none the less.

"It is instinctual. One cannot control these age old desires." He cut his eyes at her,

"And you, Kagome? Do you have a strong desire for begetting pups?" The blush was unexpected, but her answer seemed obvious.

"Well, yeah. I have a bunch of brothers and sisters. I mean, the whole reason I joined this institution was so that I could protect them. I mean, Souta doesn't even know how to defend himself from bullies his own age. There was no way he could do what we're doing. I like to believe that it was maternal instinct that kept me here. I'd like to marry for love, but my mom is an important person. Unfortunately, I'll have to go to balls and galas and make small talk with stuffy boys who don't know what they are doing and that don't know anything but their stiff formal robes, their luxuriant food, and their over controlling mothers." She wrinkled her nose in distaste, causing Sesshomaru to bark out a laugh at the unexpected absurdness of it all.

"You know, being one of us means that you are partially separate to your mother and her house. As long as you are on duty, you won't have to follow any of that." Her smile made his heart do a funny flip in his chest, and his hand sought hers.

"Oh, really?" She smiled, leaning towards him. He remained where he was, cocking an eyebrow at her advance.

"What is that that you are doing? Why are you coming closer?" Kagome blushed, leaning back at once, brushing her hair back from where it had fallen in her face.

"Well, you know, a… a kiss?" She asked slowly, her face flaming under his careful scrutiny. He cocked his head like a confused puppy.

"What is the purpose of this 'kiss'? I am not familiar with this. I take it is a human custom?" Curious by nature, Sesshomaru wanted to know all about it.

"Look, I'm sorry for even trying it. You don't have to tease me." She huffed, smoothing her hair back again, cutting her eyes to his.

"I assure you I have never heard of a kiss but in passing."

"Let's just forget it." She suggested, moving a little in preparation for getting up. Sesshomaru seized her wrist, looking into her eyes.

"No. Show me. I desire the information" Her face sprung back to its cherry red, whatever color lost from her ire doubling in intensity. She shifted closer to him, and nodded, bracing her hands on his knees.

She licked her lips in nervous habit, and she could feel his eyes on them, waiting for whatever he thought a kiss was.

"C-close your eyes" He nodded, slipping them closed. She leaned in further, hesitating an inch away before she closed her own eyes and pressed closer, ghosting her lips across his surprisingly soft ones.

Shuddering at the soft, gentle pressure that she used to join them together at the lips, Sesshomaru held her upper arms in his hands, pulling her a bit closer, following her when she attempted retreat.

That couldn't be it. It had only been a couple seconds long.

He licked her lips gently, causing her to gasp into the kiss. He shuddered in pleasure in the taste of her that flooded his mouth. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, searching for more of the delicious taste. She gasped again, pulling away from her aggressor. She was red as much in embarrassment as in anger.

"You said y-you didn't know about kisses. I-I don't appreciate you poking fun at me…" He grasped her chin, pulling her lips to his once again. He wanted more, and he always thought that she talked a bit too much.

Kagome was at a loss for words. She had intended a gentle touching of lips, not his mouth plundering hers. She moaned into the kiss, the hands on her arms almost burning her. She felt a funny tingling in her stomach, a feeling she hadn't gotten when she had kissed Ken behind the barn.

Finally, he pulled away, and both of them glanced at the thin thread of saliva that connected them for a few more moments. She ducked her head when he sat back, blushing at him. He licked his lips, smiling slightly.

"Thank you for the experience. I now know why Inuyasha spends so much time smelling of human saliva." He grinned at her brighter blush, and grabbed her hand.

"I truly didn't know what a kiss was. I would like to practice it more in the future. Come let's wade through the stream before we go back." He smirked triumphantly. "You smell less than an upright human of your heritage should." He grabbed her gently around her waist.

The renewed tingle deep in her stomach caused a new shudder as she followed him to the stream. Maybe, the cool water could make it go away.