Hey everyone. Here's chapter eleven. As always, I hope you enjoy.

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


The rest of the day was spent in the library poring over books with the scent of tea hanging in the air. Kagome and her mother were huddled in a corner at a table over the book with the reversal spell. Toga and Sesshomaru were spending most of the day on their phones and computers talking to contacts that could get ahold of any and all information that you could think of. Izayoi and Inukimi were sitting together in lush chairs going through books about hanyou's and spider demons.

Kagome was starting to get irritated over the enchantment. It would take a lot of work to get everything ready and her biggest concern was being able to get Inuyasha cornered and docile long enough to complete the chant and return his heart to him. The enchantment required her to have a fine powder, a byproduct of several different herbs and ingredients ground into basically dust. She would use it to settle his aura and return him to his natural frame of mind. Afterward she would have to place her hands on him and chant for nearly three minutes straight. The actual chant was confusing and Kagome was struggling to memorize it while her mother gathered all the ingredients and tried to figure out how they could grind them into the fine powder.

Sesshomaru felt her uneasiness and anxiety through their mark and made his way over to her after ending a very informative call. He approached her from behind and laid his hands on her shoulders. Her muscles relaxed instantly and she let out a deep sigh before settling back against his chest.

He nuzzled her neck, "Are you making any headway over here?"

She huffed and nodded, "Yes, but I'm trying to memorize this damned chant and it's proving difficult. I haven't used the old Miko language in years and it's proving more difficult then I remember."

He huffed in amusement, "A little practice and you'll be fine. Any other concerns?"

She nodded, "We haven't figured out how to grind the ingredients yet and some of them are rather coarse. There's lava rocks and sapphires that need to be ground and we just can't imagine what we could use to properly grind it all."

He raised a brow at her, "I can do it. If you can find a diamond mortar and pestle, I can buy it. It would only take someone strong enough to grind it."

She raised a brow at him, "Do you think that the ingredients will burn you?"

He huffed at her quietly, "No. Since our mating I haven't been burned by your aura or purity. I believe that, as you've built up a tolerance to poisons, I have a tolerance for purified holy aura."

She hummed at him and then nodded, "Yeah, actually that makes sense. Okay, well let's give it a try."

"By the way, Kagome, how much did all of this cost", he gestured to the ingredients and the books that littered the table.

Kagome turned sheepish and blushed slightly, "About 66,500 yen...", she trailed off with her voice sounding embarrassed.

His brows shot up and he released her and turned her towards him, "How much will that mortar and pestle cost?"

His voice was harder now and Kagome knew he was angry she'd spent so much of her own money to help Inuyasha.

"Probably a few hundred thousand yen." Her face was sheepish again and she watched as Sesshomaru pulled out his phone.

He started pressing buttons and navigating into his bank account and Kagome was rife with curiosity.

"What are you doing, Sesshomaru?"

He raised a brow at her and continued on without commenting. Once he was finished, he rose his phone so that she could see what he'd been up to. He'd transferred 300,000 yen into her bank account. Kagome blanched and stared at her new account balance in shock.

"Wha-why would you do that? That is so much money, too much! I don't need that!"

He smirked at her, "You're my mate now. I will provide for you."

She wanted to laugh at his determined bossiness but she was still in shock. Before she could argue, he'd pulled a credit card from his wallet and settled it into her hand.

"Use this to pay for the rest of your supplies. If you use your own money, and I find out about it, there will be hell to pay."

She stared at him with her mouth gaping, "but… but", she stuttered until he silenced her with a quick kiss.

She heard her mother chuckle next to them and she turned to find her smiling at them.

"Let him take care of you. Someone needs to." Her voice was gentle and Kagome saw happiness in her eyes.

Kagome nodded and turned to Sesshomaru and planted a kiss on him. She wanted to savor it, but she knew that their parents were watching them. She backed away slightly with a sigh.

"Did you find anything today?" He nodded at her and led her to the table.

He gestured to a mound of documents and a large floor plan. She raised a brow at him while she looked it over.

"We've done some digging, and Inuyasha hasn't moved back into his apartment. Apparently, he cleared all of his belongings and he hasn't been back. One of my connections in the police force checked all the cameras on the street that this house is on. It belongs to Onigumo, but the only resident listed is Kikyo. When I looked the tapes over, I found that Inuyasha and Kikyo are coming and going at all hours of the day and night. It seems they're the only two living in the residence. I had the floor plans sent over and I've been giving it some thought, when you're ready to try the reversal, we should be able to get in and grab Inuyasha. I know you said that you'd have to be close to Inuyasha to make the reversal work. If you stay out of sight, I should be able to render him unconscious long enough for you to work. The only unknown entity here is Kikyo. I'm not entirely certain about the strength and depth of her power. You may be able to erect a barrier and keep yourself hidden from view and sound. It would take some practicing though."

Kagome mulled over all the new information before turning to her mother abruptly.

"Mama, would you be willing to train me?"
Kagome's mother turned and stared at Kagome in awe.

"Really? You want to reconvene your training?" Her voice was rife with hope.

"Yes, I think it is necessary. Now that I know I'm carrying the jewel, and that I will need to use my Miko powers to defeat Naraku and get Inuyasha back, I think we should start as soon as possible."

Kagome's mother nodded with tears in her eyes. In a quick movement she crossed the distance between them and pulled her into her arms and let her tears run down her face. Kagome hugged her mother tightly before she pulled back to look at her daughter.

"I am so proud of you, Kagome."

Kagome smiled brightly while unshed tears filled her eyes.

Sesshomaru watched the scene with thinly veiled happiness. Toga could see the pride on Sesshomaru's face and he clapped his sons shoulder affectionately. Sesshomaru turned a narrowed gaze on his father and Toga chuckled at him.

"Did you find anything on Onigumo?" Sesshomaru asked in a testy voice.

Toga grinned at his son, "Yes actually. Nothing that ties him directly to Naraku, but it's sufficiently incriminating and suspicious."
Sesshomaru raised a brow at him and Toga led him to his laptop.

"He appeared out of nowhere five years ago with a large amount of money at his disposal. The odd part is that there is no record of him before that date and that the money is untraceable. It's as if the money magically appeared in his bank account that day. He then began to invest his money into the political curtain of our country. He started supporting the human's side of the law and was pushing for more rigorous legislation for controlling demons and giving humans more militant and police control."

Sesshomaru's brows furrowed in thought and Toga continued, "Unfortunately, I took a closer look at his investments and I found that he holds twenty percent ownership in our company."

Sesshomaru let out a fierce snarl. He'd worked himself into the ground to build that company and he'd be damned if they had interference from Naraku. He quickly did the calculations of how much damage they would take if Naraku tried to pull strings with the market or if he tried to pull out of the company all at once. Another fierce snarl passed his lips as he realized how grave the situation was for the company.

Toga nodded, he'd already come to the same realization.

"As soon as you get the chance, you'll have to go in and reorganize the company from top to bottom and do damage control. We'll have to weed out all possible moles within our own walls. I cannot believe this has been going on underneath my nose. On top of that, he owns property all over japan and it will be difficult to pinpoint where he lives. I'm dispatching some of my most trusted spies, and once they have eyes on him, we can track his movements and hopefully narrow his location down."

Sesshomaru nodded slightly, a deep scowl covering his face. Before they could delve into it further, there was a knock at the door. Toga smiled mischievously and went to let in the visitor. A small old man entered the library and walked toward Sesshomaru with Toga. They chatted amiably and when Kagome noticed the addition, she joined Sesshomaru at the table.

Sesshomaru raised a brow at the man and he snickered, "Ah, Sesshomaru. It has been quite a long time. I haven't seen you since you were just a wee pup. Still the ice prince, or has this lovely little woman melted your heart?"

Sesshomaru growled quietly and Kagome smiled, "I'm Kagome. I'm Sesshomaru's mate. It's nice to meet you."

He bowed at her and then leveled a gaze at Sesshomaru, "Shall we do this, then? I'm assuming you want the…", he trailed off as he eyed Kagome, "item done as soon as possible."

Sesshomaru nodded and Kagome clutched at his arm. He turned to her and he raised a brow.

"It's a surprise. You can come with us if you want."

He turned to Totosai and then added in quiet tones, "You'll need to pull both. I want a set of sai made as well."

Totosai nodded and turned to Kagome with a smile. She smiled and he pulled her out of the room with Totosai leading the way. They walked through the house until they found themselves in the back courtyard. Sesshomaru released Kagome's hand and gave her a chaste kiss before walking to the middle of the courtyard and looking at Totosai with a raised brow.

Totosai motioned at him to begin and Kagome watched the proceedings with an enraptured stare. She watched as Sesshomaru snarled and released his yoki. His body began to shimmer and Kagome watched with mild horror as Sesshomaru's skin began to tear away from his body. He started to grow and his skin ripped the rest of the way and in the place where Sesshomaru stood before, a massive dog demon was standing in his place. Kagome studied him with awe. He was covered in silver fur, the same color as his hair and he was nearly forty feet tall. He had massive stripes across his cheeks and down his snout. His blue moon rested in between his eyes and he growled softly.

Kagome was entranced by his bestial beauty and she found herself walking toward him. She closed the distance between them and as she approached, Sesshomaru laid down on his belly and thrusted his head toward her and licked her with his giant tongue. Kagome broke into laughter as Sesshomaru's tongue enveloped her from her kneecaps to her head. Once he retracted his tongue, she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around his muzzle. She nuzzled her head into his soft fur and he growled in a deep baritone. She giggled into his fur.

Totosai cleared his throat and Kagome released Sesshomaru and backed away a few feet. Totosai approached Sesshomaru with a long metal object that Kagome was sure belonged in a dentist's office. It looked exactly like something you'd use to a pull a tooth and she watched in curiosity as Sesshomaru opened his great maw and Totosai reached into his mouth. With a loud growl and a quiet whine, Totosai ripped one of Sesshomaru's large fangs out.

Kagome could feel the pain through their mark and she ran to Sesshomaru's side. She threw her arms around his neck and whispered into his fur.

"It's okay, love. Just a little longer."

He nearly purred in contentment and Kagome nuzzled into his neck again. Totosai watched the proceedings in wonder before turning back to Sesshomaru with determination. Sesshomaru opened his massive jaws again. With impressive speed, Totosai ripped out the second massive fang. Sesshomaru let out a pained snarl and Kagome rubbed his neck in soothing circles.

"That's good. Should be more than enough here to do what you asked for."

Totosai's voice broke through to them and Kagome turned to look at the man. He had a small smile tucked in at the corners of his mouth.

Kagome felt Sesshomaru body shift against her and she turned to find him standing in his humanoid form behind her. She smiled at him and he gave her a smile. She burst into laughter at the sight. Sesshomaru fangs were gone and had yet to grow back. He looked like a toddler with his teeth missing. He growled at her in agitation.

"I'm so sorry! It's just… you're missing teeth!"

He sent her a baleful glance and she chuckled again, "I bet that's how you looked when you were a little pup. Grinning and adorable with missing teeth."

He growled at her teasing but pulled her to him and kissed her into silence. She giggled up at him as he released her.

"When will your task be finished", Sesshomaru asked with obvious impatience in his voice.

Totosai blinked at them before coming back to earth, "If you want to pay to expedite, I can be done in three days."

Sesshomaru nodded, obviously pleased, "Perfect. We will be here when you are finished."

Totosai nodded and Kagome watched as the tiny, scraggly old man lugged two giant fangs across the yard. Kagome and Sesshomaru followed him to the front door and Kagome watched in curiosity as he approached a brown cow with three eyes. She watched with her mouth agape as the man mounted the cow and began to fly away.

"Did… did you just see what I saw", Kagome asked with confusion laced in her voice.

He grunted at her and pulled her toward the library.


Three days later, Sesshomaru had finally allowed Kagome to move onto a real sword. He taught her how to handle the rapier and she was thrilled to find it was light in her hand. Sesshomaru had started training against her with his sword, and she found that he was even more skilled with his own sword. Kagome lost every spar they did, but eventually, she caught on and started scoring hits on Sesshomaru. Kagome found that Sesshomaru had the habit of anticipating her moves and feeling for her intentions through their mating mark. She, personally, thought that was cheating.

Finally, halfway through their training session, Kagome realized what he was doing. He was analyzing her and using her rapid attacks against her by using his patience as a shield. Once it all clicked for her, she backed away slowly and quickly tried to connect herself to her center. He'd been anticipating that she would lunge forward, so as she stepped back, so did he. He raised a brow at her and she made to attack him from the left before stopping abruptly. He had already countered, though, and was standing far to her right, exactly where he would have needed to dodge to if she'd followed through on her attack. She circled him and approached slowly. When she was about five feet away, she faked right then fell back. As she watched him dodge left, she lunged to where she predicted him to land. He landed in front of her right on time and she saw his eyes widen as she leveled her rapier at his throat.

She sent him a victorious smirk, but she watched him scowl and bat away her rapier and lunge at her. At the last second, she leapt to the side and barrel rolled to her feet. He was behind her in an instant and was about to put his sword to her back when she swung her leg out to the side and whipped it around behind her. She rolled at the last second, but not before Sesshomaru was knocked to the ground, landing right on top of her.

His eyes were widened in shock and before she could laugh at him, he dropped his mouth to hers and consumed it savagely. She squeaked in shock before melting into him and throwing her arms around his neck. He growled into her mouth and she pulled back with a laugh.

"Kagome, how did you know where I was going to be?"

She chuckled at him, "I realized that you were cheating. You were using my quick attacks against me, and you were using our mark to anticipate my movements. You were expecting me to attack you head on, hit after hit. Once I tested that, and realized that I was right, I changed my tactic. I did what you assumed I'd do, then corrected to catch you off guard."

He smiled brilliantly at her, and she held back her giggle as she saw the little fangs that weren't fully grown in.

"You did catch me off guard. Congratulations, not many can."

She smiled brilliantly and then they heard a knock at the door. Sesshomaru growled quietly and rose to his feet, pulling her up with him.

"Enter", he growled.

They watched as Totosai entered with two cases in his hands. The cases were sleek black and Kagome was instantly curious. He approached them and handed them to Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru nodded at him.

"As soon as she decides she likes them, I will wire you the money."

Totosai nodded and left to go find Toga. Sesshomaru turned to Kagome and she felt nervousness run through her from their bond. She smiled encouragingly at him. He smiled slightly at her then set down the smaller case. He raised the case and stabilized it in front of her and nodded. She reached forward tentatively and flipped open the clasps. She gasped as she raised the lid to find a beautiful bone white rapier. Its handle and hilt were black and the blade was deadly sharp. It gleamed at her and she noticed a slight aura was enveloping it. She reached her hand out tentatively and grasped the handle. She gasped as she felt Sesshomaru's yoki flow around her and the rapier. She looked up at him and saw satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. She picked it up and gave it a few swings, noting its lightweight feel. It hummed in her hand, obviously accepting her ownership of it. She turned back to Sesshomaru with a beaming smile.

"I love it. It's perfect. What is it made of?"

He looked at her curiously, "My fang."

She gasped and then it all clicked together for her. He'd given her a custom sword, made from his own fang. He was entrusting her with his own essence and she was eternally grateful.

"I love it, it's so beautiful. Thank you so much!"

She saw that there was a scabbard in the case as well and she grabbed it and attached it to the waste of her training uniform. She slid the sword into its sheath and then launched herself at Sesshomaru. He dropped the case and caught her. He smiled at her before she laid a kiss on his lips. He set her back down and grabbed the second case. She raised her brows in surprise, two presents?

She flipped the clasps and open the second case. Inside there was a pair of sai that had the same porcelain gleam as her rapier. She grabbed the handles and spun them in her hands the way he'd taught her. She felt their aura's accepting her and she grinned wolfishly.

"These are amazing. How did you know I like daggers and sai's?"

He chuckled, "I realized you were partial to daggers when you fought those demons in the alley. I've seen you eyeballing the sai's every day. I figured you would enjoy having them and learning how to use them to your best ability."

She smiled up at him before slipping the sai's in her belt.

"I'm armed for bear, now. What could stop us?"

He smiled at her slightly before it dropped and his face became serious, "Kagome, you must be careful. I cannot afford to lose you now. Just because your training is progressing, does not mean that you are invincible. Only take calculated risks."

She nodded, realizing that he was worrying about her. They straightened up the training area and Kagome noticed that Sesshomaru was being more silent than usual. He set the precedent for keeping his thoughts to himself, but this was different. She could feel that he was rough around the edges, and it worried her. She turned to him and approached him from behind. She reached out and set her hand on his back. He turned with his demon speed and pulled her into his arms, flush against his chest.

"I'm serious, Kagome. You need to be careful. This is not training. I will not let you get killed", he snarled at her.

She kept her face buried in his chest and raised a hand to run through his hair. She focused on her contentment, happiness, and love and tried to push it through their mark and get through to him. She felt his muscles relax and she caressed his head and leaned back to look at him.

"I know you're scared, though you'd never admit it. We will get through the upcoming battles. We'll do it together."

He gathered her closer and nuzzled her throat. After basking in her scent for a minute straight, he gave her a chaste kiss, straightened his posture and finished putting everything away. Once he was finished, he walked to the door and turned to Kagome, holding out his hand. She joined him and they walked to the library, hoping to find Toga. Upon entering, they found him seated at the table bent over the floor plan of Kikyo's house. His computer was playing the footage outside of her house. He was scribbling furiously in a notebook and barely registered them as the approached him.

"Did you find something, papa?"

He nodded slightly before gesturing to the floor plan.

"There's an uncharted portion in the floor plan, dead space. I've been watching when they come and go, and they usually stick to a pattern. There are specific times when Inuyasha is in the house alone. Kikyo always goes out at around seven and doesn't come back until ten. Inuyasha arrives around eight and stays in for the rest of the night. I believe if we could get in when he's there and she's gone, we have a chance of recovering him. The dead space could be where Inuyasha is staying, or it could just be a hidden room. I'm not sure, but if you do get the chance to check out that room, I'd advise it."

Kagome and Sesshomaru studied the floor plan and eyed the section of the house that he was talking about. She wondered how she would remember it all, and prayed that Sesshomaru would memorize it so she wouldn't have to.

"I don't have to memorize this, do I? I am already memorizing the reversal, and I don't think my brain can handle much more memorization. Five straight minutes of chanting will be difficult to remember."

Toga eyed her warily, while Sesshomaru looked concerned.

"Kagome, I realize that the reversal will take a lot of time and energy to memorize for you, but if you don't learn the lay out of this house, and you get separated…", his voice trailed off in horror at the idea of what could happen to her.

She flitted her gaze between the two over bearing youkai that were staring her down.

She groaned and rolled her eyes, "I'll try, but the reversal is my priority."

They both nodded and Toga sighed in relief.

"Why don't you spend the rest of the day meditating and working on the reversal? Father and I need to come up with a plan to get into the house."

Kagome nodded, "Maybe I'll call my mom and see if she wants to come over for some training."

Sesshomaru rose a brow at her and sidled closer to her.

"What is your mother's name, Kagome? I've only heard you call her mother. And my father just calls her Mz. H."

Kagome chuckled, "It's Ayumi. I can't believe I didn't tell you that when I introduced you."

Kagome's words were barely out of her mouth before the library door opened and her mother strode in. Kagome smiled slightly as she observed her mother closely. She was radiating pride and strength and she looked beautiful. She was wearing traditional Miko garbs and her long black hair cascaded down her back in a loose braid. She walked with confidence and approached the couple. She grabbed Kagome's hand softly.

"Let's get to work, shall we?"

Kagome smiled at her warmly, "Yes, lets. Can we do meditation first?"

Ayumi's eyes widened and she nodded before pulling Kagome out of the room and down to the back gardens. She led them to a small grass clearing that was surrounded by flowers. Kagome collapsed to the ground and closed her eyes, taking in the beautiful scent of summer. The scents of growth and life filled her with happiness. Slowly, she sat up and took her meditation pose, noticing that her mother was already in place and focused. Kagome's mind almost imploded when she remembered she hadn't told her mother about someone being in her center. She growled and Ayumi opened her eyes and rose a brow.

"How could I forget to tell you? Sesshomaru taught me how to reach my center and when I did, there was someone else's aura in there with mine. I managed to isolate it and it crystalized into a little ball. I have no idea where it came from, how could someone get into my center?"
Ayumi looked startled, "That's not possible. There are few ways for someone to get in without you strictly allowing them. Sesshomaru can, because you're mated, but in truth, they should only be able to get in without you, if they share some of your soul or if you're linked."

Kagome looked confused, but her mother's eyes widened into saucers.

"Give me your hands, Kagome. We're going in together. I need to look at something. Can you let me in?"

Kagome smiled sheepishly, "Okay, but if you see something not meant for your eyes, I don't want a lecture."

Ayumi grinned and chuckled softly, "Duly noted."

They both closed their eyes and Kagome took a deep breath. She imagined the river with Sesshomaru at its bank. As she watched the water flow away, the image started to turn white. Kagome imagined her mother there with her. Kagome's ears popped painfully, and then her mother was standing with her in the pure white entrance hall. Kagome nodded to her mother and grabbed her hand, leading her toward the room where the blue globe had been contained. She pushed open the door with a flair of her silver aura. The massive doors swung open and there, on a white pedestal, sat a small sea-blue orb. I pulsed faintly as it felt Kagome's aura enter the room. Kagome flared her aura out and it surrounded the small orb as they approached. Ayumi waved her hand over the orb and Kagome dropped her aura. Ayumi's lavender aura approached the orb and surrounded it. Kagome watched as it gently poked and prodded at the orb before Ayumi recalled her aura. It floated in front of her as she raised to cup it in her palm. Kagome heard her mother's gasp and was mildly startled when her mother took off at a run out the doors. She took off after her mother and they sprinted through a veritable maze of white hallways that all looked the same. After a moment, Kagome saw as her mother's aura hovered near a door and tried to push it open. She almost chuckled, but held it in so she wouldn't seem rude. Kagome's aura was massive and she knew that the only person who could open the doors in her center, besides her, was Sesshomaru. Toga might be able to, but she doubted he would ever need to. Ayumi withdrew her aura and Kagome released hers with a shockwave of blinding silver light. Her aura formed into a wave and rolled through the door, effectively opening it.

Ayumi's aura darted forward again and sped into the room, the women hot on its tail. She sped to the far side and Kagome gasped at what they found. A small orb, similar to her soul, but much smaller, was hovering in the corner. Kagome noticed that it wasn't whole, it looked like a quarter of an entire soul. She gazed at it warily before her mother grabbed her hand and ripped her out of the room.

"Seal it. Seal it now", Kagome's mothered ordered in hushed tones.

Kagome threw her a sideways glance before complying with haste. She formed a chain with her aura and wrapped it around the handles. It materialized and her aura returned to her. She turned to her mother and she nodded at her.

"We're done for now."

Kagome nodded and felt her energy rise as she left her center and opened her eyes. Her mother's gaze was alive with fire and Kagome nearly flinched at its intensity.

"It's her, Kagome. It's Kikyo. That was the piece of her soul."

Kagome blanched and then let out a feral snarl. Her aura exploded out of her body and it took her a moment to reign it in. She knew what had been said about her, that she was a reincarnation, but that term didn't seem fitting for what she'd just seen.

Kagome felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to find Sesshomaru standing behind her looking mildly worried. She smiled at him softly before turning back to her mother.

"I'm going to the library. I have to look into this and find out if I can rid you of her. You are not her reincarnation. If you were, that piece of her soul would have fused with yours. It looked like she was just waiting and meddling with your progress. I cannot fathom how she got it there in the first place."

She turned to Sesshomaru, "Can you stay with her and continue her meditation?"

He nodded and as Ayumi rose, he took her seat.

"What happened, Kagome?"
She explained as best as she could. He looked positively murderous when Kagome was finished.

"If she has access to your center, she could have been derailing your progress for years. She could be the reason that you were accident prone, or why you used to have such little focus."

Kagome nodded, knowing that the bitch had to go. He relaxed a bit as he felt her determination wash over him.

"While you meditate, I want you to run through the reversal chant in your head. If you can repeat it in your center, it should be easier to memorize."

She nodded and closed her eyes, delving back into her center.

Ayumi spent hours in the library before running home to check on Souta. She found him asleep on the couch in front of the television with a pizza box resting on his chest. She smiled at him tenderly. She turned off the T.V. and removed the pizza box before covering him with a blanket and kissing his forehead. She went to the kitchen and put the kettle on, then went to her bedroom to dig through the closet for an old book. She found the one she wanted and flipped through it. She finally found the enchantment she was looking for and she looked it over dubiously. It was generally used for possession. An exorcism of sorts. She wondered if she could tweak it and make it work to remove an uninvited soul. Kagome would have to approach it first, though. Ayumi wondered idly if the soul had come to her for a reason. Many thoughts ran through her head as she gathered up the supplies she'd need to make the enchantment work. She mentally re-wrote the chant to tailor it for Kagome. Once everything was ready, she went down to make her tea and check on Souta.


After their morning training session and work out, Kagome joined Sesshomaru and his parents in the library. She sat on a carpet in the corner meditating while Toga and Sesshomaru argued over the best plan for infiltrating Kikyo's house. Kagome's mind was filled to the brim with questions about how Kikyo had invaded her center in the first place.

Sesshomaru glanced over at her occasionally when agitation would roll off of her. He had no doubt that her aura was stifling to his father and mother. It sent peace over him in waves, though. He watched as her face occasionally pinched in frustration but after a few seconds it would smooth out and her serenity would wash over him.

Sesshomaru had been discussing their entry tactic. Toga was planning on watching the camera's while Sesshomaru and Kagome entered the house. He wanted them to split up, have one of them go through the back and one through the front. Sesshomaru did not agree. He wanted his eyes on Kagome at all times, though he could see the merit in attacking from both sides. He'd argued with his father until he'd relented. Toga finally agreed on the condition that they had a camera placed to watch the back door, just in case someone returned early. Once they were finally on the same page, they decided to go over the plan once they were in the house. It basically consisted of: get in, grab Inuyasha and use the reversal on him if there was time, check out the dead space from the blue prints, and get the hell out of there. If they had time, they could look for information, but Toga didn't think it was necessary. He believed that once Inuyasha's heart was restored, he could give them all the information they would ever need. Sesshomaru hoped he was correct, but if not, they would continue their research, and eventually they'd weed him out.

Sesshomaru turned as the doors opened and Ayumi came rushing in looking the exact opposite as she had yesterday. She was carrying a few books and her arms were piled high with ingredients. She came to the table and dropped her things over their plans and they all looked up to her with curiosity. Except Kagome, who was still meditating in the corner, completely oblivious to their conversation. Ayumi shot her a glance before proceeding in hushed tones.

"I've done some research, I don't know how much the rest of you know, but I'll just start from the beginning. When Kagome was born, a light floated into the room and enveloped her. When it did, I didn't sense any malice coming from it, so I did nothing, assuming that she had been a reincarnate and that the other soul had joined hers. Obviously, I was mistaken. I looked into Kagome's center and found that a piece of someone else's soul was hiding out inside her. When I examined it, I realized it was Kikyo's, the same entity that joined her at birth. The soul did not merge with Kagome's, which means that Kagome is not a reincarnation. Yesterday, though, I noticed that the soul was angry and at war within itself. Suffice to say, we must get it out of her as soon as possible. I found an enchantment that should remove it. It's usually used for possessions, but I have made some adjustments that should work. I have gathered all the-", she broke off as Kagome's aura flared out dangerously and everyone turned to see her levitating inside a silver barrier.

Ayumi double blinked, then continued, "I've gathered everything we need, but first Kagome will need to confront the soul and ask it what it wants. I believe it came to her for a reason, since it wasn't malicious originally. Once she's spoken to it, we can proceed one of two ways. We can either ask it to leave her, or force it from her center."

She watched and studied everyone's faces individually, noting the emotions passing over them. Sesshomaru looked angry but determined, while Inukimi looked ready to destroy something. Toga looked thoughtful and Izayoi looked concerned. Noting her worry, Ayumi rose a brow at her.

"Will it hurt Kagome? We can't risk doing anything that would hurt her."

Ayumi shook her head before Izayoi had even finished, "No, it shouldn't. The only way it would is if we forcibly removed it without Kagome's consent. Obviously, she's just as determined as we are, so there should be no issue."

They all nodded and turned to find Kagome meditating peacefully on the ground again, barrier nowhere in sight. Sesshomaru gestured toward her and Ayumi nodded. He went to her and sat down across from her. He raised his hand to her face and stroked her cheek softly. She cracked a small smile at him before resuming her meditation.

"Kagome, I need you to go to your center and ask Kikyo's soul what it wants."

He saw as Kagome's brow furrowed, but she nodded her understanding.

"After that, we are going to get that thing out of your center. So just make certain you get as much from it as you can."

She nodded again and they watched as she began to glow and silver wisps began to dance around her.

Kagome retreated into her mind and when she was in the white entrance hall, she padded down the cavernous hallways, following her aura to a doorway. She saw the chains that she'd placed and raised her hands to them. Her aura surrounded the chains and her thoughts rang out clearly in the corridor.

"Be gone."

The chains turned to ash and she pushed the door open to find the piece of soul exactly where they'd seen it yesterday. Kagome rapped her aura around her like armor and approached it after closing the door. As she neared, it began to pulsate and shimmer. She stopped about five feet away and lowered herself into a seated position. The piece of soul lowered itself to her eye line. She raised a brow at it before deciding to begin her line of questioning.

"You're Kikyo, aren't you?"
Kagome watched as it shimmered violently, and she saw magenta light trying to escape the dark blue orb.

"Yes."

Kagome stiffened as the sound floated to her ears. It was similar to Kikyo's voice, but not the same.

"Why are you here? Why did you come to me?"

She watched as it began to vibrate and eventually the surface began to crack. Magenta light streamed out of the cracks, and eventually the piece was half magenta and half blue.

"I came to you for help. My soul has been compromised. I lived a simple existence, but after being resurrected, my soul started to turn dark. There was barely a sliver left of my pure soul on the day that you were born. I felt it when you came into this world. You, the true Shikon Miko."

Kagome let the new information filter through her head at mock speed while she tried to focus on what the soul was saying.

"When I felt you come into this world, I tried to separate the pure portion of my soul and come to you. You allowed me entry, even as an infant. You felt the purity of my soul and tried to harbor me. I thought that once I was separated from the growing darkness, that this piece of my soul would be safe. I was wrong. As the rest of my soul's evil intention grew, my soul began to darken and turn as well. It began working against you. Trying to sabotage your growth in power and intelligence."

The soul fell silent, giving Kagome time to mull things over. Kagome had noticed that it still hadn't told her what it wanted. She furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Okay, I understand. But what do you want from me now?"

"I want you to kill me, my body I mean. Once you do, my soul can finally depart and I will be free."

Kagome felt its sincerity, "My family wants to banish you from my center. What will happen when they do? Will you go willingly?"

"Yes, I will go willingly. I will return to the rest of my soul, and I will no doubt be corrupted, but it will be worth it. I've given you my message, now all that is left is for you to complete the task."

Kagome nodded, "If you're sure. Will the rest of your aura leave as well?"

"Yes. You should be free of me, if your mother found a proper way to exercise me from you. I will try to override the darkness in the rest of my piece of soul so that it will leave willingly."

Kagome nodded, stood, and made her way back to the entrance room. In mere moments, she opened her eyes to find Sesshomaru sitting across from her, staring at her with worry in his eyes. She smiled at him tenderly, and watch as his worry melted a bit.

She turned to find everyone staring at her, and she cracked a smile at them, "You guys look like you've seen a ghost."

Their faces relaxed and Kagome gestured to her mom, "So are we going to do this thing then? The spirit said that it came to me to ask me to destroy Kikyo and set her soul free. It wants to be free and it will willingly leave my center."

Ayumi smiled at her daughter and nodded, gathering a few ingredients and a book and motioning for Kagome to join her. They moved a carpet and Ayumi instructed her to sit on the ground in her meditation pose. She drew a circle around Kagome and then placed fist size crystals around her in a circle. She sprinkled lavender water around the circle and then flicked some on Kagome for good measure. Kagome glared at her mother, a little warning would have been nice.

When the preparations were finished, Ayumi sat cross legged in front of Kagome while holding a book and looked at her daughter dubiously, "I need you to clear your mind entirely. Don't go to your center, don't envision the river. Just clear your mind and envision yourself surrounded by white, a void, so to speak."

Kagome nodded and closed her eyes. She imagined a white void, going on for eternity and she heard her mother begin a chant. After a minute of chanting, Kagome felt a force pulling on her heart and mind. She took a deep breath to relax, and heard Sesshomaru whisper quietly behind her.

"Keep calm and remember that you want to let this soul go."

She nodded imperceptibly. She relaxed and felt the tugging sensation morph in a free-flowing energy. It felt like wind was blowing through her, and she struggled to maintain the imaginary void. After another couple of minutes, the flowing stopped and the room fell silent.

"Ka-Kagome… open your eyes…", her mother's voice was filled with fear and Kagome's eyes shot open.

A pink mirage floated next to her in the circle. It was Kikyo and Kagome stiffened at the sight of her. The mirage bowed to her and then dashed away, out of their sight. Kagome looked around the room and noticed that everyone was staring at her with incredulous looks on their faces. She turned to Sesshomaru and raised a brow as she saw the look of pure shock on his face.

He motioned at her and she looked down to see that she was glowing silver, brighter than ever before. Her aura was cocooned around her and it was massive. It was at least twice as big as when she'd gone into her center mere moments ago. She looked up to find Toga and Inukimi looking uncomfortable. She cocked a brow at them and Toga let out a wry chuckle.

"You mind reigning that in? As much as I hate to admit it, you're suffocating me."

Kagome let out a squeak and retracted her aura into herself. As she did, the small circle around her shuddered and then turned to dust, not being able to contain her full aura any longer. She looked to Sesshomaru and saw that he now had a shit eating, prideful grin on his face.

"She must have been blocking more of your aura than we knew."

Kagome nodded as she realized that her power had grown, yet again. She groaned a little and everyone's brows raised at her in question.

"This means more rigorous training, doesn't it?"

Sesshomaru laughed and nodded and she looked to her mother whose head was jerking up and down repeatedly.

Ayumi looked perplexed for a moment, "Kagome, I can teach you everything I know, but I honestly don't think it will be good enough. After I've taught you everything I know, you'll need to find a miko or priest with immense spiritual power to train you."

Kagome nodded and turned to the rest of her family. That's when she noticed a head poking through the library door. She nearly shouted in excitement.

"Souta! Souta you little rascal, get over here!"

Little rascal, he was not. Souta was nearly eighteen now and he was easily six inches taller than Kagome. He was filling out well and was turning into a fine young man. What Ayumi hadn't told Kagome, was that he'd begun to show signs of having spiritual powers himself in the last two months that she'd been absent.

Souta smiled brilliantly and ran to Kagome, successfully tackling her to the ground. She laughed jubilantly as she enveloped him in her arms. She was mildly surprised that Sesshomaru didn't growl at him, but when she looked over at him, she saw he had a small, curious smile on his face. He tapped his nose once and she realized that he could smell that they were siblings, thus jealousy wasn't necessary.

She giggled and sat up with Souta next to her. A frown quickly covered her face.

"I'm so sorry I've been gone so long. We've been so busy, I haven't come to see you in ages. Oh, you must hate me. I'm so sorry Souta."

The kid looked mildly alarmed as he saw tears spring to his sisters' eyes. Attempting to do damage control, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

"Kagome, don't worry. I know you have a lot on your plate right now. That's why I came with mom today. I wanted to see you, but not distract you."

He sent her an assessing glance before smiling at her, "You look happy. I'm glad you're doing well. He's taking care you, right?"

Souta's voice held sarcasm, but Sesshomaru growled quietly anyway. Souta broke into laughter when Kagome smacked Sesshomaru in the chest.

"Yes, this territorial, bossy demon is taking very good care of me."

A wide grin split the siblings' faces as Sesshomaru scowled. The rest of the day was spent in relative bliss. Kagome and Souta caught up with each other while Kagome was perched in Sesshomaru's lap. Ayumi talked with them while Inukimi and Toga continued looking into Naraku. Izayoi had joined everyone in their conversation, and she noticed that Sesshomaru was oddly silent. Usually he would join the conversation, even if only for a moment; to ask questions or point something out. Izayoi noted the firm set of his brow and realized that he was rife with worry. She knew that he was concerned for Kagome's wellbeing going into this mission, but she hadn't realized how thoroughly distraught he was until this moment. She sighed internally. It was all because of her son that they were in this position. The guilt was overwhelming. She nearly squeaked when she noticed that Sesshomaru was now gazing at her. He'd smelled her guilt and worry and became curious as to why she was fretting now.

The room fell silent and Sesshomaru glanced up to Kagome and realized she'd asked him something. He raised a brow at her, indicating that he hadn't been listening. She chuckled at him.

"When are we going to retrieve Inuyasha?"

"The day after tomorrow. Tomorrow I was planning to take you to the demon market to obtain proper armor for you."

Her eyes lit up in wonderment and she smiled brilliantly, "That sounds wonderful. I've always wanted to see the demon market. Will it be okay that I'm there?"

He scoffed, "Of course. You're my mate. They'll respect your position and treat you accordingly."

Kagome heard the unsaid, or else, that came with his statement. She chuckled at him and he rose a brow at her.

The sun started to set and Toga and Inukimi wrapped up their work. Kagome started to nod off against Sesshomaru's chest while Souta and his mother had been talking. Sesshomaru rose from their seat with her in his arms and nodded to everyone.

"This little one needs to go home. I will see you all tomorrow. It was nice to meet you, Souta."

Souta bowed slightly to Sesshomaru as he turned toward the door. As he passed through the door, he felt a hand on his elbow. He turned to find Izayoi smiling up at him tentatively.

"Everything will go well. Try not to worry too much. If you get too distracted, it will be dangerous."

Sesshomaru nodded and Izayoi patted his arm before he left.


As promised, Sesshomaru took Kagome to the demon market. Kagome was speechless as they walked through it. It must have covered an entire mile of the city, and she was struck by its diversity. There were demons of every kind milling about and browsing stalls. She noticed there was a distinct lack of humans, but she saw a few manning stalls or walking with their mates through the market. As they exited the fringe and made their way into the thick of the market, Sesshomaru sent a pulse of his yoki at her.

She turned to him and he bent his head to whisper in her ear, "Remember how we exited the restaurant the other day? I need you to do that again. Focus on keeping your thought's hidden."

She nodded, all at once realizing the importance of her image. She was Sesshomaru's mate, and she could not afford to make him look weak. She squared her shoulders and straightened her spine until she was walking as regally as Sesshomaru. She let a mask of indifference cover her face as she looked straight ahead, never deigning to look at anyone directly. Her peripheral vision was having an excellent day, though, and she was taking in as much of the market as she could without letting her scent spike in excitement.

From what she gleaned from her periphery, there were hundreds of stalls and shops selling everything you could imagine. She saw shoes, weapons, clothes, books, ingredients, food and so much more. The market was drowning in luminous color and booming with noise. A demon stalked toward her, oblivious to his surroundings and Kagome and Sesshomaru released their auras simultaneously. The man raised his head with a slight growl on his face until he recognized the auras.

The market turned deathly silent as everyone started to notice the interaction. The great and powerful Lord Sesshomaru was visiting the market and he was with a woman. Not just any woman, but a stunningly beautiful human woman with a massive aura. Their aura's stunned the on-lookers, nearly suffocating some of the weaker beings. Kagome let her aura return to her slowly, and Sesshomaru did as well. The demon that had nearly bumped into her looked near tears. Kagome knew that it wasn't above Sesshomaru to behead someone that touched his mate, or nearly did. She let her mind work fast, trying to figure out a way to look bad ass, in control, and save the demons life. A thought struck her.

"You nearly ran me over. See to it that it does not happen again. Next time, I may not be so gracious."

She hissed out the last word and flared her aura at him. She saw him flinch, and she felt bad for scaring the demon who hadn't truly done anything wrong. She waved her arm at him, effectively dismissing him. He lurched away from them and ran out of their sight. Sesshomaru leveled the crowd with a glare, and they all went back to their business. Kagome had the distinct feeling that they were just pretending to be busy now. She wanted to laugh, but knew it wouldn't look proper.

Sesshomaru tugged on Kagome's hand, pulling her further into the market. Once he found the shop he was looking for, they slipped inside. The shop was relatively empty, with the exception of a demoness that made Kagome want to squeal in fear. She wasn't particularly strong, but the way she looked sent tremors down Kagome's spine. The demoness had black marks on her face, over her eyelids, and down her face. She had two normal arms and legs, but what really struck her was the woman's six spider legs that extended out from her back. Err, cephalothorax, I guess? If she's a spider then she wouldn't really have a back...

She was torn out of her rambling thoughts by Sesshomaru clearing his throat. Sesshomaru, having sensed Kagome's distraction, cleared his throat to bring her back to reality. He watched with satisfaction as she double blinked, then turned to him with focus in her gaze. He turned back to the spider demon.

"This is my mate, Lady Kagome. I've come to acquire some armor for her, as you well know from our conversation yesterday,"

She nodded and approached Kagome with a bow, "My lady, I am a spinstress. I spin the material for the clothing, and am a seamstress. My name is Charlotte. I am pleased to have you in my shop."

Kagome burst into laughter before she could quell it. She turned sheepish under Sesshomaru's glare. She turned to the spider demoness who looked, frankly, partially confused and partially amused.

"My apologies, Charlotte. I only found it fitting that as a spider demon, you would be named Charlotte."

Charlotte smiled kindly at her, she liked the human. She had a great sense of humor. She looked up to the lord's face and found confusion written there. She chuckled at him.

"It's a children's book that humans are fond of, My Lord. Charlotte's Web; it is the tale of a spider befriending a pig that was the runt of the litter. My mother was quite fond of it."

Sesshomaru nodded, realizing that Kagome had not insulted the demoness, yet they had apparently bonded over such a trivial matter. He nearly rolled his eyes at the women, they were so simple and complex at the same time.

Charlotte waved to them, bringing them to the back of the shop. Kagome saw that there were a few mannequins with armor adorning them. In the center of the room, Kagome spotted a set of lightweight armor that was entirely black. It looked like a demon slayer's uniform from the feudal era, and she liked it immensely. She noticed that it seemed to be her size. She turned to Sesshomaru with a raised brow.

"I called her yesterday with your measurement so that she could have them nearly done when we arrived."

Charlotte nodded, "All that's left is for you to pick the finishing touches. Color and adornment, should you wish it."

Kagome thought carefully. She loved the black, but she felt it was missing something. She nearly squealed when she realized what it needed.

"I would like it to be all black, save for a silver crescent moon over the left breast, where the heart is."

She heard Sesshomaru's slight intake of breath, and saw charlotte's eyes widen. She turned to Sesshomaru and saw a grin hiding in the corners of his mouth. She smiled brilliantly at him and turned back to the demoness.

"That will be an easy adjustment to make. If you'd like to wait, it will only be a few hours."

Sesshomaru nodded and made to leave, but Kagome wanted to ask Charlotte a few questions.

"Charlotte, do you only do armor, or can you make other garments as well?"

Charlotte's eyes widened at Kagome's friendly approach, "I can create all different kinds of clothing. I do kimonos and traditional wear, as well as human clothing and demon every day wear. My special talent is being able to imbibe my creations with special abilities. I can use ingredients to make a garment more flexible, lightweight, or resistant to poison. That is why I am well known for my armor. It can lend a good advantage to warriors, though the cost is never cheap."

Kagome looked her over carefully, she was stunning once you got past the extra legs. This woman had obvious talent.

"Do you work freelance or do you stick with clients?"

Charlotte nodded, seeing where Kagome was going with this, "Both. I've worked for Lord Sesshomaru's family for decades, but I also take anyone willing to pay the price for my goods."

Kagome smiled wide, "Well, then I'd like to keep you on retainer. If you don't mind, that is. I would love to pick your brain about some idea's I've had."

Charlotte's eyes widened in awe, where had Lord Sesshomaru found this wonderful human? She smiled at Kagome softly.

"I would be honored, my Lady."

Kagome scowled, "Please, call me Kagome. We'll be back in a bit, and then we can exchange numbers!"

Charlotte nodded and Sesshomaru pushed Kagome toward the door with a roll of his eyes. Seeing that they were alone in the front of the shop, he pulled her into his arms and planted a kiss on her lips. She smiled up at him.

"That was marvelous, by the way. What you did in the market."

She smiled and blushed, obviously still not used to praise.

"What would you like to look at?"

Kagome shook her head, "I'm not sure. Can we just wander the stalls for a while?"

He nodded and led her out into the market again. For the next two hours, Sesshomaru followed closely as Kagome flitted from stall to stall, looking through the wares. She found a stall selling books and he watched as she held in a squeal of excitement. She thumbed through the volumes until she found two that interested her. One was a book full of enchantments, and Kagome couldn't tell if she'd be able to use it, or if it was for sorceresses. She didn't care though, she wanted it. She found another book that was, apparently, a romance novel written by a demon. Once she'd found the ones she wanted, she looked up into Sesshomaru's eyes with what he was learning to call, the puppy dog face. He thought it was quite beneath her to apply such tactics toward him. She could have anything she wanted, all she needed to do was ask. But as he stared down into her oceanic gaze, he knew he'd allow her to get away with it.

He fought back a smile as he nodded at her and paid for the books. He watched her attempt to hide her excitement again, and he wanted to chuckle at her. They wandered for a little while longer, before coming upon a food stall. It looked to be meat skewered on a stick and he realized that he was hungry. As he looked to Kagome, he noticed she looked like a dog eyeing a bone. He ordered a few and paid, then walked with Kagome back toward the spinstress' shop. He watched as Kagome scarfed down her food and he maintained as much dignity as he could, though eating in public was never his favorite activity.

They entered the shop to find Charlotte waiting for them at the counter. She had two parcels and a box waiting on the counter, ready to go. Kagome eyed the clothing excitedly. She couldn't wait to try it on. Sesshomaru payed Charlotte a hefty sum, and then the two women exchanged numbers. Kagome and Sesshomaru made their way back out of the market with no incidents and got into the car. She placed her new belongings in the back seat and settled in for the drive home.

Weariness settled over her during the drive. She knew that tomorrow they'd be attempting to retrieve Inuyasha, and she'd been meditating her butt of in order to memorize the reversal chant. She'd finally gotten it done correctly, and she knew that she was ready. Nervousness had begun to spread in her mind. They were practically waltzing into the lion's den tomorrow, and she was terrified that something might happen to Sesshomaru. She knew that Naraku and Kikyo wanted her alive so that they could get the jewel out of her and torture her. She could live with that, but if they got ahold of Sesshomaru, she didn't know if she could manage to get through it. He was, for all intents and purposes, her life now. They spent nearly every waking moment together and she loved him dearly. He wasn't a target, as much as he was a nuisance to them. If they could kill him, she'd be easier to subdue, and she knew that they knew that.

She tried to stamp down her worry as she felt Sesshomaru's keen gaze on her. She knew he was already worried about what would happen tomorrow, and she didn't need her emotions making it worse. She'd finally decided that she was going to tell him that she loved him. She would tell him tonight, so that tomorrow, no matter what happened, he would know that she loved him. She didn't expect him to say it back, she knew he hated voicing his emotions.

She stayed silent during the ride home, and Sesshomaru felt a multitude of her emotions rolling over her. He wondered, at first, what was going through her head, but he finally realized that she must just be nervous about tomorrow. It was natural, of course. Tomorrow was the first battle that she would participate in since she'd begun her training. He was internally praying to all the kamis that she came out in one piece.

As they pulled into the garage, Sesshomaru grabbed her packages in one arm, and led her to the elevator with his other. When the elevator closed, Kagome wrapped herself around him in a tight hug. She breathed in his scent and tried to memorize it, all the while praying everything would be okay tomorrow.

She released him as they reached their floor, and followed him to the apartment. Once inside, Sesshomaru handed her the packages and nudged her toward the bedroom. A look of excitement covered her face and she snatched the packages up and booked it into the bedroom. He chuckled at her retreating form.

In a few minutes, Kagome returned and Sesshomaru nearly groaned in satisfaction at the sight of her. He thought she looked alluring in her training uniform, but this was so much more alluring that he felt himself harden just looking at her.

She was covered from head to neck in black armor that clung to her body like second skin. It was the darkest shade of black, and it contrasted beautifully to the smooth ivory of her face and hands. The boots were made of dragon skin, and he knew that she loved them by the way she placed her feet out in front of her and stared at them in awe. All in all, the armor was like spandex, but with a compact chest plate, arm guards, and shin and thigh plates. The back had extra reinforcement over her spine. He'd asked for it specifically because he'd known that if humans got spinal injuries, most either died or never walked again. She looked positively deadly and ravishing. His eyes fell on the crescent moon that adorned her heart and he felt his chest swell with pride and possession. Now everyone that saw her in it would automatically know that she was his.

She cocked her eyebrows at him, "Well, how does it look?"

He growled at her and pulled her into his arms, "You know how it looks. You're stunning, Kagome."

He lowered his mouth to hers and pulled her into a long and invigorating kiss. Before long, she was flush against him, panting and moaning into his mouth. She broke away from him with a content sigh.

"I'm going to change. Want to come with me? I have something I want to tell you."

He raised a brow at her before nodding and following her into the bedroom. He watched, on baited breath, as she began to take off her new armor. He was waiting, impatiently, for her to elaborate. In no hurry, Kagome took off the chest plate and the limb guards one by one before turning to Sesshomaru with affectionate eyes.

"I know that we've only been together for a few months, and that we've only been mated for a few weeks. All of that aside, I thought you should know that I love you, Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru's insides seized at her words and his chest grew warm. He rose to join her but stopped as he saw her peal the shoulder of her armor down and saw a small lacy strap adorning her shoulder. He stood there in shock, with his mouth hanging open, as Kagome removed the rest of her armor. She had a lacy black thong and matching sheer black bra on and when she peeled the outfit off her legs, he thought he'd have a heart attack. She was wearing black stockings that were held up by a small lacy garter belt. He gulped audibly and Kagome saw that his eyes were turning crimson. She took a step toward him and found herself in his arms on the bed.

His lips travelled over her porcelain skin in fevered passion. He trailed his claws over her abdomen and growled in pleasure as she trembled with need. She groaned as she felt his mouth kiss down from her breasts to her naval. She jumped a little, then moaned as he dipped is tongue into her naval. He kissed his way down to her thighs, and made a point to avoid where she wanted him most. She groaned in need as he pulled her panties aside and blew cold air over her tender flesh. He brought the pad of his thumb to her pearl and stroked it gently, with barely any pressure while he trailed kisses over the joint of her pelvis. She moaned heavily, mewling his name. Her moaning quickly turned into begging as he allowed his mouth to travel downward, toward her peak. She ground up into him, attempting to get the pressure she wanted, but he chuckled at her and kept his touch feather light. He ran his tongue over the tender skin of her hip and she mewled in delight. He applied a bit more pressure on her pearl, and he heard as her pleasure began to grow. As she neared her climax, he noticed as her eyes started to clench shut and her moans grew breathy. When she was nearly there, he bit one of his claws off, slid it inside her and latched onto her clit with his mouth.

She came immediately, moaning, writhing and calling his name. He felt it as her cavern gripped his finger deliciously. After she'd stopped convulsing and he'd lapped up her release, she pulled him onto the bed and pushed him to his back. He complied, willingly, wondering what the little minx was up to. She motioned for him to sit up and removed his clothes with lightning speed. As she pulled off his pants, his erection sprung free and stood at attention. He groaned as she wrapped her hands around it at the base and began stroking him firmly. She slid her thumb over the tip before sliding his stiff cock into her mouth. He nearly leapt off the bed as she took him into her wet, warm mouth. She began a torturous rhythm, gliding her tongue over him and sucking him with wonderful pressure. She noticed as his thighs flexed underneath her and she wanted to smirk. She looked up into his eyes from underneath her lashes as she took him to the hilt. He groaned and cupped the back of her head with his palm, all but begging her to go faster. She complied with a wicked grin and allowed him to guide her movements with his hand. He gently nudged the back of her head, pushing her to a faster rhythm that had him growling in ecstasy. She felt as his cock twitched in her mouth and his legs flexed again in rhythm. She knew he was getting close, so she lowered her free hand to his soft egg shaped stones and rolled them in her palm. She felt him convulse a bit and resisted the urge to smile. Without missing a beat, Sesshomaru pulled her up and placed her in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she steadied his cock at her entrance. Without waiting another second, he thrusted inside her.

She called out his name and she pressed him down into the bed and began her own rhythm. Gliding up and down, she felt her pleasure begin to bloom in the pit of her stomach. Keeping a steady, torturous rhythm, she raked her nails across his chest and he growled in pleasure. He felt as her walls began to grip him desperately, and heard her moans begin to rise in pitch. Seeing his chance, he grabbed her hips and began thrusting into her mercilessly, driving her to her orgasm. She cried out in pleasure and he felt her gripping him tightly. He rolled them and positioned her underneath him and ran his hand over her chest, freeing a nipple. Lowering his head to the tiny bud, he flicked his tongue across it and Kagome mewled softly. Latching onto it, he brought his hand to the other and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger.

Kagome moaned and he watched as pleasure began to build in her again. His pace was torture for her, he'd thrust in slowly, then pull back and thrust twice quickly. Then slowly twice, and fast again, three times. Her nerves were nearly fried and her entire body was over sensitive and every touch sent lightning through her veins. As her need kept climbing, she watched as Sesshomaru brought his face up to hers. He cupped her face in his hands.

"Say it again", he demanded in a growl.

She moaned softly, as he slid in slowly, torturously.

"I love you, Sesshomaru."

He growled and lowered his mouth to hers, feasting on it. He ripped his mouth from hers and buried his face in her neck.

"I love you, Kagome. Only you."

Surprise and pleasure rocketed through her as he said it and almost instantly, he started thrusting hard and fast and she was lost. She came in a tidal wave of sensation and emotion and she felt when he reached his peak. He growled and latched onto the side of her neck and their aura's exploded into the room. He kept stroking slowly until he had no more seed left to give her, and she had stopped shaking in the aftermath. He gathered her into his arms and rolled so that she was lying across his chest and he was still nestled inside of her.

She raised her head to look into his eyes, "Say it again."

A small smile lit up his face, "I love you."

He heard her intake of breath before she kissed him passionately. When she came up for air, she had tears in her eyes.

"I love you too, Sesshomaru."


Hey everyone. Thank you for reading.

Feel free to leave a comment or review. Feed back helps the writing process a lot, and I want to know if you're all enjoying the story!

Also, check out the first chapter of my new story, Business Associates! I just posted it!

- Love

KJ