Hello party people. Sorry it's been so long since I've updated, I've been really busy. I hope you're all doing well. I have been struggling with this story and I need a bit of encouragement. I always welcome ideas and constructive criticism, so feel free to comment. Thank you as always for reading and sticking with me.

-Love, KJ

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA! THIS STORY IS FOR MATURE ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY!

This chapter has been re-edited and aadjusted. There are minor changes. Thank you for reading.


Sesshomaru stood rooted to the spot and mulled over his thoughts. He was absolutely appalled that his mother would apologize and then ask him to forgive her. He'd never considered forgiving her for a second, because he'd never thought she would give a damn. He had always assumed they would be mother and son without any affection or attachments. He considered telling her no, absolutely not. She'd made him miserable for hundreds of years. She didn't deserve his forgiveness, but as he thought of Kagome, he knew she wouldn't take no for an answer. Kagome would insist that he, at the very least, make an attempt to get along with his mother. He sighed deeply, agitated about the whole thing.

Forgiving Izayoi, on the other hand, would be an easy matter. Sesshomaru could wholeheartedly understand the dynamic between Toga, Izayoi and Inuyasha. He hoped that he could lead a similar existence with Kagome, but he prayed his children were smarter and better behaved than Inuyasha ever was. Sesshomaru knew that his mother had been correct; there was no choice for himself or Toga to take the human women as their mates, it was simply a fact. Kagome had been born to be his mate and once he'd accepted it, it was obvious that he'd never had a choice in the matter at all. He knew that it would be a sick twist of fate for him to be suddenly courteous and familial with Izayoi and shun his own mother. The court gossips would eat them alive if he allowed it, which he wouldn't.

With another deep sigh, he sat down in a chair and groaned. He'd apparently come to a decision. He'd give his mother a chance, and gods help her if she failed him. As his mind was becoming clearer, he heard the door open softly and someone padding up to him. He recognized the pitter patter of her soft skin against the floor. He looked up to see her looking down at him with a blank look on her face. She was attempting to read him, he realized with growing amusement. He saw her nose twitch and watched her study his face. When the odd mixture of his emotions registered in her nose, she narrowed her eyes and studied him harder.

He chuckled softly at her, plucked her off the ground and settled her in his lap, "You're going to give yourself a nosebleed concentrating that hard."

She wacked his chest softly, "Hey, don't be rude. I'm trying to learn what all these smells mean."

He cocked an eyebrow at her, "Tell me what you think you're smelling."

"Well, you're obviously a bit distraught, anxious, highly annoyed…", she focused, sniffed loudly and squinted at him, "I'm smelling surprise, a lot of it. There is a very small trace of…. Is that, happiness? Hmm. That must be it, it smells like a sunny day."

She continued to study him while his eyebrows rose, "You're very perceptive for a novice."

She chuckled, "Tell me what happened? I wanted to eavesdrop, but Toga told me no."

She pouted at him and he chuckled. He moved a hand to her hair and stroked it gently while he stared off into space and explained his conversation with the mothers. His voice was bland but he knew she could smell his emotions now, and he knew he wasn't fooling her with his cool facade. When he was finished telling her everything, a small smile was tucked into the corners of her mouth, but a little v was notched between her brows, indicating her confusion.

"You don't sound happy. Your mother wants another chance with you. You should take advantage of it. She's good to me, you know. Remember how nasty and haughty she was when I first met her? Now, though, she seems to realize that not all humans are bad. She cares for me, I can smell it. That must mean something to you."

"It does. I told her I had to think about it, but I realized quickly that you wouldn't allow me to shun my mother."

She looked at him with soft affection and caressed one of his stripes with her thumb.

"Let her try to make it up to you. If she doesn't live up to your expectations, you can go back to ignoring her existence."

"Hn. I suppose I could do that."

Kagome noticed that he was pouting slightly and she chuckled at him and tugged on his braid.

"I do have a question though", she asked while blushing. He nodded at her and she continued, "Are the mothers...sharing your father?"

Sesshomaru made a mock gagging noise and Kagome burst into laughter. He settled into a pouty grimace and she laughed again.

"We have things to do. No more sulking."

"I'm not sulking", he grumbled at her.

She leaned her head down to his and captured his mouth in a kiss. He wound his arms around her and pulled her flush against him. She broke off the kiss in a chuckle.

"Your parents are waiting for us. Let's go and we can continue this later."

He grumbled under his breath and she could have swore he'd said 'parents'. She chuckled, grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the door. He rose and walked through the house, up the stairs, and to the library; hand in hand with Kagome. When they entered, they found the four parents gathered around a table with stacks of books and scrolls covering every surface. Their gazes softened upon seeing Kagome and Sesshomaru hand in hand. They turned back to the books they were thumbing through. As Kagome approached the table, her gaze traveled over all the materials on the table.

"I've had an idea", Kagome spoke softly.

Five pairs of eyes lifted to her and she smiled softly, "You all have more experience in the way of researching Naraku. You know what to look for. I've been thinking, you should continue to search for him, while I start researching on how to return Inuyasha's heart to him. I've done my fair share of research projects for school and I know a few stores with links to priestesses. They carry tons of books and I thought I could start looking there."

Kagome felt Sesshomaru stiffen next to her. She saw the looks of surprise on her mother's, Izayoi's, and Toga's faces. She shifted her gaze to InuKimi and saw that she was impressed and she could smell the agitation rolling off of Sesshomaru. He obviously didn't like that she was concerned about Inuyasha, but Kagome didn't care. She was doing this for Izayoi; she deserved to have her son back.

"That's a good idea. If you find anything, let us know", Toga's voice was encouraging and she knew he was giving her leeway, a chance to prove herself.

Sesshomaru butted in, his voice cold and holding a tone of sarcasm, "Well if we're not needed here then, we have other things to do today."

He tugged on Kagome's hand, and none too gently. The parent's had their eyebrows raised and Kagome rolled her eyes at them. Obviously he was irritated with her, with them all. She knew he was mad at her for wanting to fix Inuyasha, she could understand why, as well. He'd been given everything he'd ever wanted and he'd had loving parents and had been doted on. Sesshomaru had never even been hugged by his parents, he'd been trained ruthlessly and kept isolated from everyone that could have cared for him. Kagome sighed, knowing that there would be an argument in their future.

As they were leaving the library Kagome and Sesshomaru heard Toga muttering under his breath, "Tantrum throwing toddler."

Kagome felt Sesshomaru stiffen again and she chuckled softly. She caressed his arm gently and he relaxed marginally. He pulled her down hallway after hallway until they were in the back of the house and standing in front of two massive ornate doors. They were so large that they reached the ceiling where the second floor would end and the third would begin. Kagome stared at them with her mouth open and a dumb look on her face. She wondered how large Toga and Sesshomaru could be in their full forms to need a door this massive. Before she could start really mulling it over, Sesshomaru pushed the doors open with one hand and led her inside.

"Show off", she mumbled quietly.

She expected him to chuckle but he didn't. He stared straight ahead with an angry scowl on his face. He led her to the far side of the room and she took in her surroundings with wonder. Three of the walls were midnight black and the fourth was covered floor to ceiling with mirrors. The room was huge. It could fit an olympic size swimming pool in it. On the far wall there were hundreds of weapons either hanging, in display cases, or on racks. Sesshomaru approached them and gestured to the wall.

"Pick one."

Kagome turned to him with confusion on her face. His voice was cold and his face was blank. She searched their mark to feel his emotions but he was blocking them splendidly. She turned back to the wall with a frown and looked over all the weapons. There were knives, spears, swords, bows, maces, axes and so much more. She eyed a small sword with a very thin blade. It looked light weight and she was drawn to it because it was entirely black, even the blade. She pointed to the one she wanted. He looked it over carefully and nodded imperceptibly.

"That's a rapier. It's lightweight and good for speed. We will train for a few weeks before you actually get to pick it up."

He pointed to the center of the room, "Take off the dress and put on your training shoes."

She complied slowly, wondering what was up with his mercurial moods. He was fine until she'd mentioned helping Inuyasha.

She rolled her eyes at the realization. He was pissed that she was trying to save him. She huffed as she pulled the dress over her head and took her shoes off. She rifled through her purse until she found her training shoes. She pulled them on and turned toward Sesshomaru. He was carrying a massive metal barrel and a few boxes that were stacked on top of each other. She rolled her eyes at him again and his eyes narrowed at her when he saw the movement.

"Just for your information, I will not be taking it easy on you because you are my mate. I will probably be harder on you, in fact. So to start, do ten laps around the room."

Kagome's jaw dropped and she blinked at him repeatedly, "Ten?"

He nodded, his face still cold. She grumbled a bit and took off at an even pace around the room. She knew better than to argue with him about it, he would not change his mind. She continued grumbling and she was doing well until she hit lap seven. Then breathing began to get harder and she was using all of her self control to maintain a good facade. When she finished her laps she wanted to lie on the ground and pant. She didn't, though. She jogged over to Sesshomaru and stood in front of him with her spine straight and her head held high.

"Hn", he grunted at her and pointed to the barrel.

"You will balance on this in a handstand. Once you can maintain it for at least ten minutes, then you will do it with one hand."

She looked at him, dumbfounded. She couldn't do a handstand on regular ground. Let alone on a damn barrel. She turned to the barrel and approached it slowly. She put her hands on it and kicked up and pushed her bottom half into the air. Unfortunately she over pushed and flipped right over the other side landing on her back hard and knocking the wind out of herself. She groaned in pain and pushed herself back up and turned back toward the barrel.

He shook his head at her, "Try again, I will stabilize you this time."

She nodded, irritated and sore, already. They were barely fifteen minutes in and she was sore. She put her hands back on the barrel and pushed off the ground again. Her weight started to go over again but this time Sesshomaru was there and he grabbed her legs and hips and stabilized her balance. Once she was in the proper position he released her. She wavered a bit and then let her body take over. She remained balanced and was sweating with how difficult it was. She was focusing on keeping her balance when Sesshomaru spoke up.

"So, I'm curious. Why exactly do you want to save Inuyasha?" His voice was cold but she could hear the agitation in it.

Kagome's balance wavered again and she refocused again to keep from falling.

"For Izayoi", she grumbled out. Even speaking made her nearly topple over.

She felt confusion roll through him from her mark. He circled her and eyed her suspiciously.

"Explain", he growled out.

She huffed at him again, "She lost her son to Naraku and Kikyo." She groaned at the effort of speaking and balancing. Her arms were screaming at her, they were already tired and sore.

"They literally ripped his heart out. How would you feel if it were our son? What would you do? Probably slaughter everyone involved in the entire thing and you- Shit! This is hard!" She groaned again.

"And you would probably stop at nothing to fix him. She doesn't have that luxury. She's just a normal human. All she has is us and our parents to help her. We can't let her down."

He sat in front of her, she could see him in the periphery. He stared at her and wondered how on earth a sweet pure creature like her had lived so long and how he'd managed to get lucky enough to call her his mate. Then guilt began to seep into his heart. He had been sure that she wanted to save Inuyasha because she still had feelings for him. Obviously he was being a jealous lout. He knew he should apologize but he still didn't like the idea of apologizing, to anyone. He needed to swallow his pride though, she was his mate, and she deserved an apology.

He cleared his throat, "It has been ten minutes. Switch to one hand, use your dominant for now."

"Are you fucking kidding me? My arms are screaming right now!"

He growled at her, "Kagome…".

She grumbled and readjusted her balance and went to one arm. She started to fall again and he grabbed her again, stabilizing her balance. She got her body under control and he released her. She kept her balance by a hair, struggling immensely not to fall over.

"I… apologize for being...difficult. I thought you... still had feelings for him..", he trailed off.

Kagome's mind exploded and she shouted at him, "What?" She tried to raise her hands to her face, forgetting where she was. She crashed down into the barrel with her face and they both heard a sickening crack.

"Oh shitfuckdamn!", she howled as she brought her hands up to her nose.

It was gushing blood and she knew it was broken. Sesshomaru was at her side in an instant.

"Oh, damn. This is my fault", he said with mild panic in his voice.

"Yeah, it's your damn fault. How could you say something like that? You know that I picked you, you know that I chose to be your mate! Why would I do that if I still had feelings for him- ow shit, don't touch it!"

He'd raised his hand to her nose to check if it was broken. He'd barely touched her when she'd howled at him. She swatted his hand away and lifted her hands to her nose tenderly. She winced as she placed her fingers on her tender flesh. She began focusing her reiki into her hands and she pictured exactly how her nose should look. She funneled her powers into her fingertips and in a few moments her wound was healed. She was still covered in blood but at least her nose wasn't broken anymore. She poked it gently and winced as she realized that it was still sore. It would bruise like hell and she couldn't wait to see Toga's face when he found out how she acquired it.

She looked up to Sesshomaru and saw that his face was guilt ridden. She smiled at him gently and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Big jealous man, it's not your fault. I was just mad. It's my fault for losing my temper. If I'd been paying better attention and kept my anger in check I wouldn't have fallen. Besides, if you don't get injured during training, then is it really training?"

He chuckled softly and leaned in to kiss her. She wrenched back as his nose touched hers.

"Gentle, damn that hurts. Can we move on from the barrel now? I think we've covered that part pretty efficiently."

He chuckled again, though she could still feel the guilt through their marks. He got up and grabbed a towel from the other side of the room and handed it to her. She started cleaning the blood off of her face gently. He picked up the accursed barrel and took it back to the far side of the room and returned with two long bamboo sticks.

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Seriously, like in every bad ninja movie?"

He chuckled and tossed it toward her. She caught it and stood to face him.

"I'm going to teach you the basics of swordsmanship. Once you have the basics down we will move on to more difficult maneuvers and eventually I'll allow you to use a real sword. Eventually."

She pouted a bit and then Sesshomaru launched into the training. After a few hours she was dead on her feet. They'd been training for nearly four hours and she was panting, bruised and her face hurt like hell.

In their last spar, Kagome had tried to corner Sesshomaru, but in the blink of an eye he was behind her and then he knocked her to her ass by sweeping her feet out from underneath her. She stayed on the ground, groaning in misery as he stood above her, scowling down at her.

"You're not even trying anymore. For the last thirty minutes you've been just charging in with no plan."

She groaned again, "Yeah, because I'm exhausted. Listen, love, I'm covered from head to toe in bruises and my attention span is shot. I need food and a nap and-", she was cut off as he covered her mouth with his hand. A smile was on his face as he chuckled at her.

"Okay, okay. That's enough for today. We will train again tomorrow. You're correct, you need to eat something proper. Come with me."

He held his hand out to her and she grabbed it and tried to get up. Her legs wobbled underneath her and she fell to her ass again. She groaned and Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. Crouching next to her, he lifted her up and set her feet on the ground. She swayed a bit on her feet and he wrapped an arm around her waist. She put her arm around him and they began a slow trudge out of the training room. They made their way through the house again and Kagome noticed he had a shit eating grin on his face. She narrowed her eyes at him and he chuckled.

"What's so amusing?" She asked with a hint of irritation in her voice.

He chuckled, "I was just thinking that you were supposed to have been training all last week with Kaede, but you must not have done any physical training."

She wacked him with her free arm. He chuckled again and ruffled her hair.

"Well, not to worry. I'll get you in ship shape. We will now be training twice a day, a minimum of eight hours a day."

She blanched, "Eight hours a day? Holy shit, how can we fit eight hours of training in when I have to work?"

She gasped, "Oh my god, work! I haven't been to work in like two weeks!" Panic started to race through her veins and Sesshomaru flared his yoki out to calm her.

"Don't worry, I called them and told them you were very ill."

She looked at him affectionately and then a thought struck her, "Sesshomaru, do you think I should quit my job? I haven't been in weeks and now I've got training to do and research to start. I don't even like my job, and if I don't quit, I'll be taking time away from you and our manhunt for Naraku…", she trailed off, a million thoughts were rampaging through her mind.

He looked at her with amusement dancing in his eyes, "Do you want my opinion as your trainer, or as your mate?"

"Both, I think."

He looked pensive for a moment before speaking up, "As your trainer I would say you should quit. Then you could focus on your training and research. As your mate I am conflicted. I want you to quit so you can focus on training and research and spend more time with me, but I also know that you don't follow orders. I'd never ask you to give up working for me, that wouldn't be fair. If it were 500 years ago, I'd probably just lock you up in the mansion and never let you out of my sight, but seeing as how we are progressive now, I will tell you that you can do what you like. Within reason."

She smiled at him with tears in her eyes.

"You are so sweet and considerate. I'll quit, it will be the best thing for both of us."

His eyes widened at her but he shook his head and a smile grew at the edges of his mouth.

The two entered the library to find the parents all sitting around a table that was piled high with books. They were all reading and they raised their heads upon their entrance. Concern lit up the mothers' faces and Toga's, but a knowing grin was on Kagome's mothers face. Three of them were next to Kagome in an instant, fretting over her.

Toga was growling softly, "Why do you have two black eyes?"

Kagome chuckled and Sesshomaru looked almost sheepish, almost. He knew his father would be pissed.

"Sesshomaru had me doing one handed handstands on a barrel and then proceeded to ask me if I still had feelings for Inuyasha. Needless to say I got distracted, fell and broke my nose. I healed it, but it didn't seem to take the tenderness or the bruises away."

Toga leveled a hard stare at Sesshomaru and was about to speak when Kagome's mother joined them. She was laughing heartily at the sight of Kagome.

"Kagome, why must you torment Sesshomaru? Toga, no worries, even if Sesshomaru hadn't distracted her, she would have ended up battered and bruised anyway. Since the day I started training Kagome she always comes home with cuts, scrapes, bruises and broken bones. Every time we trained she'd find a way to injure herself. Worry not, she is a walking hazard and nothing can change that."

Toga's face softened and he let out a gravelly laugh.

Sesshomaru smacked his palm to his head, "That explains so much. I knew you were accident prone. Do I have to put you in bubble wrap?" He asked with an accusatory glare and a sarcastic tone. She scoffed at him and the parents all laughed.

"I'll be fine tomorrow, but in the meantime, we are going home. I need a bath and some food. Then a long night's sleep."

The parents all said goodbye and she hugged each one while Sesshomaru stood off to the side conversing with his father. When Kagome was done saying her farewells, Sesshomaru nodded to the three mothers and made his way out of the library with Kagome leaning on him heavily. As they made it to the car, Sesshomaru sent Kagome a sideways glance, "I'm driving."

She was about to argue when she realized she would probably fall asleep on the way home. She shrugged and nodded and he sighed in relief. He settled her in and by the time he was in his own seat, she was asleep. He chuckled at her, that woman can sleep anywhere.

After he pulled into his parking spot and cut the engine he turned to look at Kagome. The bruise on her face looked really bad and he knew it would take days to heal unless she could find a way to make it disappear. He looked over the rest of her and noticed she was covered in bruises and scrapes and as he recalled, he didn't give her any of them. She'd fallen, tripped or ran into something causing her bruises. He smiled fondly at her and reached toward her to wake her up.

He ran his fingers across her face and she didn't wake a bit. He tried nudging her shoulder and when that didn't work he tried nudging her with his yoki. She still didn't wake and he was starting to get impatient. He finally just ended up poking her in the ribs. He'd forgotten that she'd fallen and bruised her side, so basically he'd just poked one of her bruises. She hissed and looked around wildly before settling her narrowed eyes on him. He held up his hands in a peace gesture.

"You wouldn't wake up so I poked you, but I'd forgotten you have bruises everywhere."

He rolled his eyes at her and she began laughing.

"We're home, let's go."

She nodded and reached for the door handle. Before she could open it, Sesshomaru already had. He pulled her out and she groaned as her body protested. They rode up the elevator in silence and trudged their way to the door. He led her to the bathroom and she looked at him in confusion. He sat her down and turned the bath on.

"Stay here, I have to get something."

She nodded, too tired to argue and waited for him to return. After about five minutes he came back in with at least ten bags of ice. She blanched and reached over the edge of the tub to find the water was freezing. She groaned and shook her head.

"No, no. Absolutely not."

He chuckled but ignored her. He sliced the bags open with his claws and began dumping them in one by one until the bathtub was full of ice water. He pointed at it and she groaned.

"Sesshomaru, no way in hell. I'm already miserable and now you want to make me a popsicle!"

He chuckled but then put on a serious face, "Kagome, your body took a beating today. You're going in that tub one way or another. You're staying in for at least 6 minutes. Preferably ten. It's your choice, do you want to get in willingly, or do I have to toss you in?"
She groaned, knowing he wouldn't let her out of it. She nodded her head and he smiled at her softly.

"Good girl", he said gently as he lifted her and moved her to the bath. He peeled off her training outfit and left her in her sports bra and underwear.

She hissed in agony as her body submerged in the freezing cold water. She groaned and leveled a glare at him. He looked at her softly and she wanted to punch him.

"Stay here, I'll go make you some food."

She mumbled curses under her breath and he chuckled as he left. She remained in the tub, feeling numb all over. She saw the merit of an ice bath. She couldn't feel the pain in her muscles anymore, but the ice was crisp and biting against her skin. After ten minutes Sesshomaru came in with a fluffy bathrobe and pulled her out. Her teeth chattered and her body shook relentlessly. He dressed her in the robe and rubbed her arms, trying to slowly warm her. She followed him him to the kitchen and he set her in a chair. She sat and watched him finish their dinner and admired his body the entire time. He walked around the kitchen with ease and she felt lucky that she'd managed to make this man her own. She sighed happily and he looked up at her. He tapped his mating mark and she colored as she realized that he probably felt everything she'd just been feeling.

She blushed and tried to distract him, "Can I have chamomile tea?"

He smirked and nodded his head and put the kettle on to boil. He pulled out two mugs and a small box of tea.

"Thank you for training me. I know I'm not the easiest person to train."

He chuckled, "That may be true, but you're my mate and I won't let you go untrained and be at risk. It will get easier eventually and you won't always be so sore."

She grunted a bit and then lit up as he set a plate of food in front of her and some tea. She smiled at it and began eating with renewed energy. He watched her dig in happily while he ate his own food. Her food was gone in no time and as soon as she finished a hiccup escaped her. Sesshomaru laughed, "You ate too fast."

She grumbled at him and more hiccups escaped her. She drank her tea slowly and tried holding her breath. Sesshomaru watched with amusement as she tried multiple techniques to get them to go away. Finally, after fifteen minutes her hiccups were gone and she sighed in relief. He chuckled at her and went to put the plates in the sink. He noticed she was starting to nod off in her chair and he laughed and went to put her to bed. He gathered her into his arms and carried her to their bedroom. He settled her on the bed and she pulled her robe off blindly and climbed under the blankets. Sesshomaru watched as she burrowed into the bed with a smile on her face.

He pulled his clothes off and made his way to the shower. Afterward, he walked into the bedroom to find Kagome passed out sprawled across the middle of the bed. He smiled softly and joined her. After a few minutes he drifted off to sleep to the melodic sound of her breathing.


The next two weeks consisted of training and research around the clock. Kagome was run ragged the first week. Sesshomaru kept her so busy with training that she slept like a rock every night and he had to drag her out of bed in the morning. He was making her run at five in the morning everyday and at first it was torture. By the end of the two weeks she was beginning to enjoy running with him. He hadn't been lying when he'd said that it would all get easier. The physical aspect was slowly but surely improving. The swordsmanship training was still incredibly difficult for her. She was accustomed to archery and using her miko powers. She was attempting to adjust but she knew that Sesshomaru was getting impatient with her. He was using a mere fraction of his speed and strength and he still trounced her every time. She was getting just as irritated as he was. She couldn't understand why the swordsmanship wasn't sinking in.

Today they had a training session before she went to another shop to look for a book that could help her free Inuyasha. She'd just finished talking to Toga as she walked into the training room. She was surprised to find him sitting in his traditional feudal era kimono in the middle of the room in a meditation position. She raised a brow at him, dropped her bags and joined him. He reached behind him and handed her a package without even opening his eyes. She opened it to find a traditional female kimono. It was gorgeous midnight blue silk with silver swirls covering the ankle and wrist areas. She gasped when she found an intricate necklace at the bottom of the parcel. It was similar to the one he gave her in the feudal era. The new one had a crescent moon with a teardrop sapphire dropping from the tip of the crescent. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Tears filled her eyes and she bent down and threw her arms around him. He chuckled softly and enveloped her in his arms.

"Thank you. It's beautiful."

"You are welcome. I figured it was time to give you a new one. It has been five hundred years. Go change, we are doing something different today."

She cocked her head at him and did as he asked. She checked the doorway to see that the door was closed. She pulled her clothes off and started putting the kimono on. She was almost finished when she got to tying the obi and hit a wall.

"Can you tie this for me?" She looked up to see him staring at her with hunger in his eyes. He didn't answer, he just kept staring.

She chuckled and tried again, "Sesshomaru, can you tie this for me?"

His head snapped up and he looked in her eyes. She saw as he struggled to remember what she said. Eventually he saw her standing there with the obi in her hands. He nodded and rose, looking slightly flushed. He walked behind her and tied the lovely silver sash around her trim waist. His hands lingered a while, running from her waist to her neck. He leaned in and nuzzled her neck before going back to his seated position. He pointed to the spot in front of him and she sat in the same pose.

She cocked her head to the side when she noticed he was staring again, "Is it the outfit? Why are you staring?"

He smiled softly, "That kimono is almost an exact replica of the first one I ever gave you."

She smiled and looked down at it, now recognizing it.

"I've always enjoyed seeing you in traditional clothing. Especially with my native colors."

She blushed and smiled at him. He cleared his throat and put a serious face on.

"I am aware that we have been having some difficulties with your training in swordsmanship so I thought we might be able to try something different today and maybe it will help."

She nodded, indicating she was eager to try anything that could help her atrocious skills.

"We're going to meditate."

She groaned loudly. He raised a brow at her and she looked at him sheepishly.

"My mother has tried to teach me how to meditate but it never went well."

He grinned at her, "Yes well, no offense to Mz. H, but she doesn't know how to properly motivate you."

She cocked her head at him and he elaborated on the exercise, "I want you to rest your hands on your knees and close your eyes. Keep your spine straight. Now, I want you to think of things that make you feel safe and calm…", he trailed off, noticing the little v that was hitched in between her eyes. After a few moments the v disappeared and he saw her relax and her shoulders drop..

"What are you picturing?"

"A river. You're sitting on the bank watching the water flow."

He cocked his head at her in curiosity, "Why does that relax you and make you feel safe?"

"The flowing water is relaxing. It represents change and constants all at once. The river is always there, always flowing, but the water is never the same. One drop of water will never fall in the same place. The rain of today is not the rain of tomorrow, but that river is there today and will be there tomorrow. It relaxes me to know that change is always happening, but something will always be there, they may change slightly over time, but they won't disappear altogether..."

She trailed off as she felt a multitude of emotions flow through her from their mating mark. After a few moments the feeling of serenity washed over her and she continued.

"I feel safe because you're there. No matter how strong I grow, I will always need you to protect me. You're my mate, and I trust you with my life. I know when you're near that I am safe."

A tidal wave of emotion rolled through her and she opened an eye in curiosity. He was staring at her with a massive amount of affection and she could feel what he was feeling. She thought it felt like love, but she wasn't sure. He still hadn't said it but she knew they'd get there eventually.

He cleared his throat and she closed her eye again, "Now picture the ones you love, the ones you want to protect."

She saw her family at the riverside. Sesshomaru, her mother, Souta, Toga, Inukimi, and Izayoi were sitting on the riverbank staring out at the water. Sesshomaru saw as a small smile lit up her face.

"Now, I want you to think of the reason we are doing this training. You're doing this to bring down an enemy, protect your loved ones and to protect yourself. I want you to think this over; is there anything you wouldn't do for them?"

He had barely finished speaking when she answered him, "No. I would do anything to protect them."

Her aura flared up around them and he could smell the determination wafting off of her.

"Now that feeling you're having right now, explain it to me."

"I feel calm, resolved and… strong. Like there are no barriers I couldn't break to get what I want."

"Perfect. I want you to memorize this feeling. I want every bone in your body to remember how this feels, and I want you to remember how you found this. The way you meditated, the things you pictured led you to feel this."

She memorized the feeling with determination and then a steely calm and resolve washed over her and she opened her eyes with a gasp.

"Oh. Wow, this feels… intense…", she trailed off with surprise.

He smiled softly at her, "Now, we are going to start your swordsmanship training again, and this time, I want you to carry this feeling with you. There is nothing you cannot do."

She nodded and they stood and began the training session in earnest. Sesshomaru was pleasantly surprised to find her focus on point and she was learning things at a much faster speed then in the last two weeks. She had more precision and was moving faster then he'd seen her before. She didn't fall or run into anything accidentally during the training. Their training session lasted longer as well. Usually she could only last four hours, but he pushed her to six hours and she didn't complain once. She took every task head on and she was showing impressive improvement.

As he called the training to a close a small smile lit up his face, "You did very well today."

She beamed at his compliment and ran toward him and leapt into his arms. He laughed softly and caught her. She wound her legs around him and encircled his neck with her arms. She bent her head to his and captured his mouth in a kiss. He groaned at the contact. They'd been training so hard that he hadn't been able to have any alone time with her. When they got home she'd shower, eat and pass out and he missed touching her dearly.

He responded aggressively, battling her tongue with his own. She groaned into his mouth and ran her fingers over his marks. He pushed her up against the wall and ran his hands down her body as she let her hands wander into his kimono. She groaned as he nipped at her lip and ran his hand over her clothed breasts. The sensation set her on fire and she wanted to rip his clothes off.

As she was reaching for the tie on his obi they heard someone clear their throat at the door. Sesshomaru growled angrily and unlatched himself from Kagome's mouth to look at the intruder. Toga was standing in the doorway with a shit eating grin on his face and Sesshomaru wanted to punch him in his smug face. Kagome blushed deeply, giggled and hid her face in Sesshomaru's chest.

"Sorry to interrupt son, but Kagome's mother called and said that she called the store that Kagome was going to be visiting and the owner said they might have what you're looking for. She also told me that they close in an hour and if you leave now you can still make it."

Excitement lit up Kagome's features and annoyance mixed with rage were carved into Sesshomaru's face. He growled angrily and released her from the confines of his arms. She giggled and went to retrieve her bag.

"Thank you Toga! I appreciate it, I had forgotten all about my little information expedition."

Toga laughed and wiggled his eyebrows, "I bet you did."

Sesshomaru growled in warning and Kagome turned beet red. She turned to Sesshomaru and kissed him chastely and went to leave before stopping abruptly.

"Shit, we rode together. Can I take your car?"

Sesshomaru nodded, "He can take me home, or I'll borrow one of his cars. I'll meet you at home."

He tossed her the keys and she ran out of the room. Toga looked to Sesshomaru with the shit eating grin on his face again.

Before Toga could poke fun at him, Sesshomaru growled at him, "Not a fucking word dad."

Surprise registered on Toga's face for a moment, Sesshomaru had never called him dad before. As Sesshomaru finished putting things away and made for the door he realized Toga was still there. Toga threw his arm around Sesshomaru's shoulder and looked at him with paternal love.

"You've never called me that before. Why now?"

Sesshomaru stiffened slightly as he realized what he'd said. He cleared his throat and thought about what had changed.

"Well, Kagome is probably the most prevalent reason. She knows how to influence me", he said it with mock annoyance but Toga saw right through it.

Sesshomaru continued on cautiously, "Also, I no longer hold ill-will toward you concerning Izayoi. I understand, now more than ever, why you chose to mate a human woman. That in mind, I know you've changed since you mated her, as I have. I can no longer continue on in my old ways, as too much has changed."

Toga looked over at his son with shock and happiness. He patted his arm affectionately and Sesshomaru stiffened uncomfortably a bit at all the physical contact he was receiving.

"Kagome has made it clear to me that I must make an attempt to get along with mother after she apologized to me. I am trying, though the entire concept is foreign to me. I hold no negativity toward Izayoi, I actually quite enjoy the little human. She's similar to Kagome. And as for you, Kagome has made it clear that she loves you and that I should try to forgive you as well."

Toga felt emotions barreling through him and a small tear rolled down his face, "That woman, is the best thing to ever happen to you."

Sesshomaru could smell the tear and turned to his father with alarm.

"I am proud of you, my son, and I love you. Never forget that."

Confusion and shock rolled through Sesshomaru like tidal waves and he was exceptionally uncomfortable. Toga could feel the unease rolling off of him and laughed heartily.

"By the way, have you told Kagome that you love her yet?" Toga eyed him studiously.

"No." Sesshomaru was growing more uncomfortable by the minute.

"But you do love her, correct?"

Before Sesshomaru could govern his thoughts, they escaped out of his mouth, "Of course I do, who wouldn't?"

Toga grinned from ear to ear and clapped him on the back. He mumbled something quietly and Sesshomaru could have sworn it was 'that's my boy'. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and continued walking with his father toward the garage. Toga brought up business and they were debating on demon-human relations when they arrived in the large twelve car garage.

"So, do you want a ride, or do you want to borrow one?"

Sesshomaru eyed all of the cars and a sleek black Ferrari caught his eye. Sesshomaru pointed at it and his father burst into husky laughter.

"Of course you want to take that one. Fine, but if you crash it, you're buying me a new one."

Sesshomaru scoffed, "Like you can't afford a new one on your own?"

Toga laughed again and grabbed the keys out of a drawer and tossed them at Sesshomaru. He caught them and turned to the car with an excited grin on his face. This will be fun, Sesshomaru mused with satisfaction. Sesshomaru got in the car and pulled out of the garage. He dialed Kagome and she answered after the first ring.

"Hello love, is everything okay?" Kagome's voice was laced with concern.

Sesshomaru felt warmth spread through him at her term of endearment. "Everything is fine, I just wanted to know if you want to go out for dinner tonight."

Kagome giggled through the line, "Like a real date? Yes, I'd love too. I'll meet you at home at six and we can have dinner at… seven thirty sound good to you?"

Sesshomaru smiled, "Sounds good, don't be late."

Just before he hung up the phone he heard Kagome's laughter float through. He smiled to himself, her laughter was like a drug to him.

Across town Kagome was entering a small shop called the Crystal Wolf. It was well known as a new age witch apothecary but when kagome had researched it she'd found that it dated back nearly four hundred years and that they carried mostly herbs, stones, candles and some fake spell books for 'magical tourists'. In the back of the shop they kept an extensive book collection for legitimate priestesses and she assumed sorceresses.

As she walked through the door she felt herself walk through a small barrier and she glanced around alertly. As she studied the area she noticed two crystal pillars the size of candles stationed next to either side of the door. She rose a brow at them and moved to study them more carefully. As she inspected them she noticed small inscriptions at the base and was trying to decipher them when someone walked up behind her and cleared their throat.

She turned to see a small woman looking up at her with a smile on her face. She was in a traditional kimono like Kagome was and she had a rag tied around her like a makeshift apron. The woman held her hand out to Kagome and she looked at it cautiously. Taking the challenge, Kagome extended her hand and grasped the woman's in a firm handshake. When their skin touched, Kagome felt holy power surround them and she raised a brow at her and released her own aura. Her aura engulfed the woman's and Kagome saw her eyes widen in surprise. Kagome chuckled, released the woman and reigned her aura back in.

The woman appraised Kagome openly, "Very well done, young lady. I am Akira. You must be Kagome."

Kagome's brows rose and the woman laughed, "Your mother called me an hour ago. I've known her for quite some time. I wasn't sure it was you, but now I am."

Kagome smiled at Akira and followed her to a small room at the back of the shop. Akira thumbed through the shelves looking for a particular volume while Kagome looked around the room in wonder. The room was equipped from floor to ceiling with bookshelves that were full of old books. After a few minutes Akira found the volume she'd been searching for and brought it over to Kagome. She cracked open the book and flipped to the middle. Kagome stared at the book in wonder; it was massive. How was she supposed to find one reversal in that veritable dictionary? She watched as Akira continued to flip through the book until she found what she was looking for. She exclaimed happily and tapped the page.

"Found it! This should work for what you're trying to do. I'll let you buy the book, but make sure you keep it secure. I can also gather all the supplies you'll need. Do you have somewhere safe to keep this book?"

Kagome thought about Toga's library that was brimming with novels filled with magic, history and who knew what else.

She chuckled, "I have the perfect place for it. Probably the safest place in the country."

Akira nodded, seemingly approving and exited the room. Kagome could hear her rummaging around in the shop, gathering items. Kagome studied the book more carefully. It was a return spell, rather than a reversal. Kagome read over the general instructions and bristled as she realized she'd have to get up close and personal with Inuyasha in order for it to work. In his current heartless state, that would be highly dangerous. Sesshomaru would not like it. She sighed, it didn't matter if he didn't like it, it had to be done, for Izayoi.

Kagome noted that the spell would require her to have her hands on Inuyasha and she'd have to have at least five minutes with him before it would be complete. It didn't say he had to be conscious though, if she could knock him out, it might be possible. She was reading the last lines of the enchantment when Akira came back through the door. She had heaps of jars and parcels in her arms. Kagome thought about how difficult it would be to get all the items back to the apartment by herself.

"Can these be sent to the Taisho estate? I'm not sure I'll be able to carry it all."

Akira dropped the items on the table and turned to survey Kagome, alarm was written on her face.

"L-lord Taisho? Toga? You mean…. The great dog demon general and king of the Inu, Lord Taisho?"

Kagome looked her over and noticed that she seemed concerned and a bit afraid.

"Yes, I'm mated to his son, Sesshomaru."

Akira's eyes widened in shock, "You mated a demon? But… but you're the….", she trailed off and continued in a whisper, "but you're the Shikon Miko! You're supposed to hate demons…", she trailed off again with confusion permeating her entire frame.

"Hate them? No, not at all. Not all demons are evil, you should know that. Lord Toga and Sesshomaru are the finest demons I know. They may have done bad things in their past but they're different now."

The woman looked skeptical but Kagome smelt her fear start to wane and eventually she looked curious. As she packed all of the items into boxes Kagome could tell the woman was brimming with questions. Kagome chuckled softly and Akira looked up at her.

"I can tell you have questions, ask away."

She blushed a bit and then finally spoke up, "I've heard many things about Lord Sesshomaru. He's supposed to be the most dangerous daiyoukai alive. How on earth did you manage to tame him?"

Kagome burst into laughter, "Tame him? Oh, perish the thought. No one could tame that man. He's just misunderstood. I only showed him what it's like to be loved and cared for and eventually he came around."

Akira eyed her like she was a goddess sent to the earth, "You, my Lady are a miracle. I don't know how you did it, but congratulations."

Kagome smiled at her, "Thank you. Oh, I can pay for the shipping, can you have it delivered by tomorrow? I've got to start working on this as soon as possible."

The woman nodded and pointed at the book in question, "Oh, I'm taking that with me. I wouldn't risk it getting lost in the shipping process. Do you have a concealing bag by chance? If I catch any trouble on the way home, no one would be able to take it from me if I had one."

The woman looked thoughtful for a moment then clicked her tongue, "Not exactly, but I have something a bit different. I call it a mary poppins bag. The general idea of a concealment bag is that no one but the wearer can see it. In this case, you attach a small charm to the book and put it in the bag. If anyone reaches into the bag besides you, the bag will be empty, but when you reach in, you'll be able to pull the book right out."

Kagome watched as the woman opened a cabinet and pulled out a bag that looked like a cute hippy hand bag. Akira pulled a charm out of the cabinet and set it in as a placeholder for the spell and closed it. She handed Kagome the book and Kagome put it in the bag. Akira grabbed the bag and upended it and reached her hand inside. Kagome's eyes widened when nothing came out. She watched as Akira dug around and found nothing. She handed Kagome the bag and Kagome reached in and wrapped her hand around the book and pulled it out.

"Wonderful, this is perfect. Thank you so much for all of your help. How much do I owe you?"

Kagome followed Akira to the shop's front room and she payed for her things. Kagome wasn't surprised at how expensive the bill was, but she knew it would be worth it in the long run. Gathering her new bag, she emptied the contents of her purse into it and made her way out of the shop. She figured it would look less conspicuous if she was carrying one bag, instead of two. She made her way down the alley and toward Sesshomaru's car, but before she could make it to the street, two aura's whipped around her and she raised her head.

There were two demons in the alley with her; one behind and one in front of her. She sighed heavily, she knew that it was going to be difficult to get the book home without anyone noticing. She'd been certain that someone was having her followed. She had felt eyes on her when she'd gone into the shop and again once she'd walked out. The demons both had wicked smiles on their faces. She noticed that they were humanoid, like Sesshomaru, but they both had black hair and glowing red eyes, similar to Naraku. She reached into the concealment bag and texted a quick message to Sesshomaru: Delayed. Come to the store. Emergency. She wrapped her hand around a dagger she'd been training with as the demons began to stalk toward her.


As always thank you for reading and sticking it through with me. I will try to update again soon.