Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha!

Curse my inability to type anything interesting for you guys today... Sorry!

Here's the next chapter, since my words seem to have left me otherwise!

That night, Kaoru was lying on the roof of the house, looking at the stars. One more night…then it will be here… But…how can I even think this is natural? I know he's the one for me, but for us to progress so fast…I was kissing him like I'd known him for months.

She rolled over and curled up, scrubbing her hair with her nails. I don't like this! Sure I'm probably going to be his wife by the dawn after, but it's going by so fast! She got up and started to pace, not even the stargazing helping with her nerves. I thought it would be the day before I'd be like this, but it all suddenly crashed down on me! I was so happy about this, why now the doubts? It's driving me nuts!

The soft sound of footsteps on the roof tiles next to her had her looking up. It was Sesshomaru, of course.

"Your pacing sounds through the house. What has you so agitated, Kaoru?"

She sat down and heaved an enormous sigh. I guess since he's the only one here, he's the only one I can tell it to. "I'm getting cold feet."

He raised an eyebrow in question, sat down beside her and lifted one of her bare feet, feeling it. "It isn't cold."

"It's a figure of speech. It means I'm having second thoughts."

"Why?"

"When we kissed, it felt so wonderful, yet I felt so shy and had thoughts that I wouldn't be good enough for you. That once you saw me exposed, you would recoil in disgust."

He sat down as well and brought her closer with his arm. "It should be I who should be having second thoughts, for I am not whole and perfect. I suppose you noticed that I only have one arm."

"I was told that your half-brother cut it off with his sword, the Tetsusaiga."

His hold tightened on her. "Yes. I thought with one arm, I wouldn't be good enough for you."

I feel so guilty, not telling him about my wings' powers now. I have to tell him, so I can heal him and have him the way he wants to be for me. "Would you want to have your arm back?"

His eyes widened. "You have a way to have it restored?"

She nodded. Her wings spread and began to glow. To heal those who have been harmed… A burst of energy came forth, and he lifted his left arm, restored to its original state. The glow receded, and her eyes widened when he lifted her up, standing.

"Your powers restored what I had thought would be forever lost. What would you wish for? Anything your heart desires, it will be yours without fail."

Anything I want? That might be the best promise ever. But what do I want that he would be satisfied with? I'm sure just a little thing would make him think I underestimate him. He's probably expecting something huge, like the heads of all his enemies on a silver platter. I don't think I would care to have him running all over Japan killing everyone and being away from me. Now that I think about it, all my desires are simple things. Yet…I think I have one that ought to give him a challenge.

"It doesn't matter what's happening, you will be present to see each of our pups born. I don't care about how important anything else is, I want each pup to see its father's face right after mine."

"Even if I pup you until you're sick of having them?"

"Yes."

"If that is your desire, I will grant it."

"Thank you."

She lay back down on the rooftop, and he did the same next to her. As she stargazed, she thought about how easy things had gotten within the space of a day. After tomorrow, it will be a leap into the unknown. I'll have my first time and be married in quick succession. I wonder if my cycles of fertility will be like a yokai more than a ningen, because of who I'm going to be married to. I hope it manifests soon, so I can tell when to expect it. I hope I can have beautiful pups so he won't have to lie about their homeliness. I'm already bad enough, he doesn't need to have ugly kids along with a hideous wife.

She looked down from the stars, towards her mismatched outfit. Sure I switched my pants and t-shirt for more feminine ones, but I still look like a boy. I doubt that even if my hair was long and flowing would I look any less masculine.

"Kaoru."

She looked over at him and noticed he wasn't watching the stars, but her, yet again. Why does he keep doing that? "Yes?"

"What about the stars gives you such comfort?"

"I'm sure that each star is a tenshi, and that the light they give is like my wings. It gives me peace that they're watching over me as I live down here, the only one who has ever descended." I'm sure no one else will, either.

"What troubles you?"

"It's nothing."

"It isn't 'nothing' if it gives you such a sorrowful look on your face."

I don't want to tell you, damn it! I don't want you to see my weaknesses! Why I think myself so repulsive! My past!

She gasped when he took her wrist and ran his fangs along where her pulse point was, her stomach fluttering at the sensation. Her face went hot, and he looked deep into her eyes. In a low, alluring voice, he purred, "Tell me."

Before she could stop herself, she began to speak.

"Ever since I'd been old enough to walk in my first life, I'd been abused physically and mentally, being told I was so ugly I couldn't even pass as a boy, let alone a girl. I was dressed as a boy, forced to act like a boy, my hair was cut short and mussed so it wasn't even sleek. Every day since then I was forced to be as hideous as possible, made to be addicted to so many substances I couldn't even count them, it was a miracle I hadn't died before my sixteenth summer."

His eyes narrowed at her narrative and waited for her to continue.

"Even though it was apparent I was being beaten every day by the constant bruises, no one seemed to want to step in, not my teachers at school, my classmates, my peers, my neighbors… It got progressively worse as I got older. When I failed to go into puberty, my father snapped, and began to scream at me for being such a failure child, demanding why I'd ever been born to him and my mother, why I was such a revolting creature, that I didn't deserve to live, for my face was the most unsightly thing in the whole world. I was mute, so I couldn't even scream as I was slowly and painfully beaten to death…"

Her hands clenched into little balls and she began to rant. "Why did I have to be born at all? Haven't I made people suffer enough? I don't know why I even deserved to be given this chance again, for I'll just be thrust into another bout of abuse—"

Her mouth was covered by his hand and he turned her face to him. "You are not ugly, Kaoru. To prove it, I will show you what you look like right now."

He picked her up and leapt easily from the rooftop to the ground, to a pool of water so smooth it reflected the sky, but she struggled, even though it was in vain.

No! I don't want a final blow to my confidence as a boyish female! My face is an insult to all nature! Please—

She was put down at the edge and he placed a hand on the back of her head, pushing her over so her face was parallel with the water's surface. "Now look."

As he had done so, she'd squeezed her eyes shut. He shook her head in retribution.

"Look, or are you so afraid that you'll crumble at the sight of yourself? Or are you implying that this Sesshomaru is a liar once again?"

Kaoru, he's right. You know that. You're letting your past control you. Just open your eyes and look. Sango thought you were cute enough to flirt with, how bad can it be?

Her eyes opened slowly and she saw herself for the first time.

A girl with chaotic short, yet shiny, burnt orange hair that almost fell into her eyes, which were a soft, jade green, stared back at her. She had a well-proportioned face, which she'd only seen in carvings and paintings of angels. Her pale skin made her look delicate, that there wasn't any reason why she wouldn't turn heads in public. Along with her body that was curved in subtle yet beautiful ways in all the right places, she thought, I'm not ugly at all! Then why was I told such? Was it…perhaps…my father thought that his daughter couldn't be more beautiful than his wife?

"It is clear your eyes have finally opened. Even with your short hair, you are anything but ugly. If you were hideous, I would not have accepted you as my future mate."

She turned from her reflection to see his serious expression. He means it, every word. She smiled and leaned herself against him, whispering, "Thank you, Sesshomaru."

He put an arm around her, clutching the back of her neck. "You're welcome, Kaoru."

So Kaoru finally sees the light! She's beautiful, for what kind of angel would she be if she really was as ugly as she'd been told?

Sesshy is healed and announces his affections even more vividly! I can't wait for the next chapters to come up! Can you?

Please review!