A/N: Someone reviewed saying that Kagome was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. I assure you that that is not the case. Stockholm Syndrome is where a kidnapped person, in an effort to survive, begins to sympathize and empathize with their captor. Kagome has not done so. If she had she would not have been insulted and fearful of being a Breeder. Kagome would not have argued with Sesshoumaru about being a breeder. Cases of Stockholm Syndrome have the victim even resisting rescuing, and starting to believe in the kidnappers' cause. There are several famous cases of this that you can look up (starting with Patty Hearst). What Kagome has done is adapt. She has observed and researched her position (talking to Rin and others outside of Sesshoumaru's house does count as research). She is adapting and slowly coming to accept her place, which has just drastically changed. I assure you that psychology is my specialty, along with writing, and I know what I'm doing. That is why you will never encounter unstable, unrealistic characters in my works, unless there is a reason for me to be including them.

MLMonty

Now on with the show!

Chapter 20 For those of you old enough (18+) or comfortable with smut you may read the full version on Dokuga. The only thing this chapter is missing is smut so it this should be fine for everyone else

Sesshoumaru gave her time. He gave her nearly an hour before he arose from the leather couch and made his way to their room; their room. He savored the words. She would become his Breeder this night. His heart quickened. At last he would know what his mother had described to him. This night she would become his treasure.

He paused outside their door. He could smell her tears. Well, soon he would banish them with moans of pleasure. With a sense of anticipation he opened the door and stepped into their room.

Kagome sat on the bench at the end of his bed. She looked up at him with dread in her eyes. But truly, he didn't look at her face; his attention was fully occupied by the outfit she wore. He had no idea she even possessed such nightclothes. His lips twitched.

She had swathed herself in a big, old thick robe of flannel, cinched tightly at the waist. A high-necked flannel top peeked out between the lapels of the robe. He walked over to her and gently pulled her to her feet. She smelled terrified. With one stroke, he slashed the belt and opened the robe. It was as bad as he had feared: she wore old, thick flannel pajamas, too. And socks on her feet. He was surprised she hadn't added gloves, a hat and a scarf. He couldn't help himself, he snorted. He tried to rein it in, but another snort followed and then laughter, rich, roaring laughter.

He fell onto the bench, laughing so hard he no longer could stand. She watched him in consternation; she had never seen him carry on like this. Truth be told, he had never had reason to laugh like this. He was wiping tears from his eyes, calming himself, only to look at her and go off again.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" She was beginning to wonder if he was alright. She reached out to touch his shoulder, causing him to look up at her and break out in fresh gales of mirth. He shook his head, gasping for air before another paroxysm of laughter swept him away. Poor Kagome, for laughter, like yawning, is contagious, and it wasn't long before she found herself joining him. Suddenly everything was funny. The two of them sat together on the narrow bench holding each other and hooting hysterically.

Finally, he gained enough mastery over himself to gasp out, "Kagome, I can't even look at that outfit. Where did you get it?"

"These are my winter pajamas." She explained between giggles.

"Winter where? Antarctica?" He snickered. "It will never get that cold in Japan. Not even in the northern prefects." He guffawed. "Not even in the last Ice Age was it cold enough for such." She snickered, then cackled, finally letting go with all-out hyena calls. It took a while, but they finally calmed down and he scrambled to his feet, helping her up.

He led her, still chuckling, to his side of the bed, where he relieved her of the heavy robe. Her laughter stilled. Her eyes grew wide. She bit her lip nervously.

Carefully, he unbuttoned the pajama top and opened it and damned near died laughing. She wore a heavy, long-sleeved sweatshirt beneath it. And he knew, beyond any doubt, that there was a pair of matching sweatpants beneath the pajama bottoms; and certainly another layer or two beneath that. Snickering, he unwrapped her like a present, not stopping until he reached the fourth and final layer.

"My Kagome, we must have a discussion on what a male finds alluring on his female in the near future." As he studied the tee shirt and shorts she wore.

"You mean this isn't sexy?" She asked with a gurgle. He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. She gasped at his unexpected move.

"You will always be sexy, no matter what you wear, my Kagome." He informed her, laying his forehead against hers. Then he angled down to touch her lips once more, this time moving gently against them. His lips traveled along her jaw to her ear lobe and he tenderly nipped that sensitive flesh. When he drew his tongue along the shell of her ear, she gasped and jumped at the sensation it created in her. He grinned at her reaction, he could smell her reaction. He would make a point of remembering that his Kagome's ears were like 'on switches' for awakening her desire.

CD

Kagome awoke the next morning when her bed began moving gently under her. She sat up to see Sesshoumaru rising. He looked at her and sat back down on the bed, pulling her into his arms for a morning kiss.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered before kissing her again.

She blushed and accepted his attentions. He released her lips and looked down at her neck. The mark had changed. Now the twining lines were gold, silver and magenta, his colors, in a lovely filigree embracing her neck. His mark; his Breeder mark. The blue of the crescent that stretched from the side of her neck and dipped down almost to the base of it before meeting its twin at the other side of her neck was deeper, richer. His colors, in a lovely filigree embraced her neck; his mark, his Breeder mark. Satisfaction surged through him heating his body as he gazed at it and the woman it adorned.

"Come, let us bathe and then have our breakfast," he said breaking himself away from her. He pulled her from the bed, suddenly troubled by her silence. "Kagome? Are you alright?" Cupping her chin, he lifted her face so that he could see her eyes.

"I'm okay." She answered in a soft voice, barely above a whisper.

Her eyes were clouded, her heart was troubled, hurt. She moved away from him, reaching for the flannel robe from the previous night. She wrapped herself in it and headed for the hall door.

"Where are you going?"

"To my bathroom, to bathe," she said in the same voice that was barely heard.

He watched her leave their room, aware that she was not feeling the same ebullience he had awakened with. Nor was he feeling quite so well now. He had given her pleasure. He had shared his body with her as she had shared hers with him. A frown creased his brow as he entered his bathroom. What had gone wrong?

A/N: My bad. I should have mentioned that at least half, if not more, of Chapter 19 came from ML's incredibly inventive mind. I really only supplied the frame for it, tying our pieces together. I think we make a wonderful team, I am a wild romantic and she reins in my wilder impulses, toning them down with her good sense and incredible ability to create believable characters. And I want you to know that every chapter we write has a bit of both of us, we are intrinsically involved in the writing. I am stunned every time when I submit a chapter to her and she takes it and makes it even better. She is like the salt and garlic in the dish, where I feel like the meat and onions. You gotta have it all so it tastes good.

RowdyJaner