Eri: Well, I'm sorry yet again for the lack of punctuality on the update. My job has me working a good 40 hours a week and I'm also in full time school so it's kind of hard to get much done around here. Please forgive me and Review. This chapter takes an...interesting...turn. he...he...

Chapter 25: Sesshoumaru in modern times

Sesshoumaru woke to the feeling of Kagome in his arms. He had not intended to fall asleep but he was grateful for the moment's peace. He nuzzled closer to Kagome. She was so soft, smelled so good, and looked so calm and happy. Kagome woke to his nuzzling and giggled softly, squirming. He stopped his actions and held her tighter.

"Morning Koichi." She whispered.

"Morning" he responded.

"You fell asleep didn't you." She stated.

"Hai."

Kagome smiled. She loved having her Sesshoumaru so close. She wished that they could stay this way all day. Tucked under the warm and comfortable blankets, wrapped in one another's arms. She knew it wouldn't be long before Sota came in jumping the way he always did though. She grumbled under her breath about not wanting him to come.

"I have to warn you, my brother has a habit of bouncing on my bed to wake me." She said just to inform him.

"There will be no jumping today."

No sooner than he said that did Sota come flying into the room. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Sesshoumaru. He knew that jumping on a demons bed was a bad idea.

"Uh.. Kagome, mom says that breakfast is ready." He said, still standing in place.

"Ugh, thanks Sota. We'll be down in a minute." She answered him. "I just have to get dressed first."

Sota smiled nervously at her, eyes glancing to Sesshoumaru before he left. Kagome had to laugh at the look on her brother's face. He had been extremely nervous of the handsome demon lying next to her on the bed. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. Her actions earned her a raised eyebrow.

"He doesn't know what to think of you. That's why he didn't jump on the bed. Maybe I should bring you here more often." She said playfully as she squirmed out of his grasp. He held on a while longer until he decided that he should let go, smirking the whole time. Kagome was grateful to finally be free of his grasp. Some days getting away from him could be very difficult. Sesshoumaru sat and watched as Kagome changed and they spoke of some very random things. Mostly Kagome explained to him how the computer on her desk worked. Sesshoumaru seemed quite interested in it, but he was merely faining interest so she would continue speaking, but he was still listening and understanding the information she was telling him. It might have proved important some day.

On Kagome's part, she was grateful that Sesshoumaru was easy to explain things to. She remembered how difficult it had been to explain how the computer worked to Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru did not need her to dumb her words down very much. She just couldn't use technical terms. It wasn't that Inuyasha wasn't smart, it was just that he had the attention span of an earthworm. He stopped paying attention when she used any words large than 8 letters.

Kagome decided to show him what the speakers did. She turned them right down so as not to hurt his ears. She tended to leave them up to loud for even a humans ear. That was just how she liked her music. There was no telling what that would do to Sesshoumaru's ears. She picked a song to play by Puffy Ami-Yumi. She looked on with amusement as her koichi sniffed at the speakers, trying to figure out how such a small box could make such a sound. She could tell that taking him out in public was going to be interesting. However, first she was going to have to find him some normal clothes. She searched the house high and low and when her search had been exhausted she came up empty handed. That meant she was going to have to take him clothes shopping.

"Take your armour off. We can't go in public with you wearing that." She looked at his swords. "Yea, those should go too. The cops will bust you for sure."

Sesshoumaru glanced wearily at his attire. He did not desire to remove his armour or leave his swords behind. Kagome noticed the look on his face and smiled at him. She walked beside him, touched his arm and reached up on her toes to whisper into his ear.

"Don't worry. People from this time are pushovers. You won't need your swords."

At this Sesshoumaru smirked. He had not doubted he could defeat them should they endanger Kagome. He just preferred not to get h is hands dirty. It was also a comfort to have his swords at his side in case he needed them.

Quickly he obliged her in removing the articles she requested. "If my swords must go, so must Junseisubeta." He said, smirking at the sword on her side. It appeared she had completely forgotten about it. Her face turned red as she unstrapped it.

"Yea, I guess I got so used to it being there I forgot it was there." Kagome said. Once she had removed it she said "Now my hip feels naked without it..."

"Naked hm?" Sesshoumaru raised an elegant eyebrow yet again.

"Not literally smart ass. It's more like metaphorical nakedness."

"Indeed. Kagome, what are these 'Cops' you spoke of earlier?"

"Oh, they are the police. That are the enforcers of the laws of the land and they punish you fairly. However, I'm using the term fairly rather loosely. Some cases you can't be proven innocent even though you really are." She answered, drifting into thought.

"Indeed. Then they are like my guards and the lower lords?"

"Exactly!" Kagome was glad that he understood. She couldn't really think of another way to phrase it.

Once they were ready Kagome came barrelling down the stairs, Sesshoumaru walking gracefully behind her. Kagome was rather excited to show Sesshoumaru her time. He was much easier to explain things to that Inuyasha. She ran to the kitchen, nearly tripping over her cat Buyo.

When Sesshoumaru stepped into the kitchen he noted the scent of Kagome's mothers cooking. He had smelt it before now but he had not really paid it any attention. She had fried up some eggs and bacon.

"Good morning you two! Breakfast is already on the table for you." Oyume said with a smile.

Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to protest to eating human food but Kagome elbowed him in the ribs before he could speak.

"Thanks mom!" She said, dragging Sesshoumaru to the table to sit. "Just be nice and eat it." She whispered to Sesshoumaru. He glared at her but picked up a piece of bacon. He tossed it about in his fingers disgustedly like a child playing with a mud ball. After a short while he hesitantly threw it into his mouth with the utmost of manners. He had prepared himself for something horrible but found that he actually liked it. Much to Kagome's surprise he willingly finished his plate. He didn't use his chopsticks but she was impressed none the less.

Sesshoumaru noticed Kagome's shock and decided to further shock her on purpose. He reached over and picked up a piece of bacon off of her plate and threw it in his mouth. Kagome's jaw nearly hit the table, causing Sesshoumaru to smirk. The only distraction that she received was her father clearing his throat, and she was grateful for it.

"So what are the plans for today?" She asked trying to take her mind off the not long gone shock.

"Well, I was planning to show Lord Bushi here around after dropping Sota off at soccer practice. You guys are welcome to come along." Oyume said.

"Well actually, I was going to go get Sesshoumaru some modern clothes with the money I have saved up." Kagome said. Her mother hmmed for a moment and looked at Bushimeiyo.

"Yes, you could do with a change while you're here as well."

The two men sighed inaudibly and looked at each other with a mutual pity. Just then they heard the front door open. It was Ji-chan. Kagome and Oyume went wide eyed. They knew what would happen when he saw the demons. There would be ofudas. Many many useless ofudas. The quickly warned the demons and prepared for the worst.

Ji-chan had lived on the shrine when Oyume and Bushimeiyo first came through the well. He warmed up to them enough to adopt Oyume as his daughter and it had been so long since he had seen Bushimeiyo that he might not remember him. Kagome and Oyume moved to stand in front of them but they could not make it on time to stop the flying ofudas. There was a lot of yelling and it took about 50 ofudas before they could convince Ji-chan that they were good demons.

Kagome was grateful that everyone was alive afterwards. Sesshoumaru did not look impressed in the least. Kagome sighed and helped him pull them off. She had honestly forgotten about Ji-chan's lack of patience with new demons. He must have put 100 sutras on Inuyasha before he got used to him. She knew they hadn't seen the last of those damn useless pieces of sticky paper.

"Sorry, he doesn't like demons much." Kagome said to both Sesshoumaru and Bushimeiyo.

"Ji-chan." Bushimeiyo said to the old man. "I can't believe you don't remember me. Oh well. It has been what, 15 years?"

Ji-chan blinked at him trying to remember him. It was the look on Oyume's face that caused him to recognize the demon standing in front of him.

"Bushi...!" He proclaimed before receiving a smile and pouncing on said demon. "It's been such a long time! Why did you not visit a poor old man on his lonely shrine?"

"HEY!" shouted Oyume, Kagome and Sota in unison.

"You are not alone on this shrine old man!" Sota yelled.

"Well that's not what I was saying. I was merely stating that I was lonely. I said nothing of being alone…." Ji-chan said trying to dig his way out of the whole he had made for himself. The rest decided just to shrug it off. They were used to Ji-chan's antics, all but Sesshoumaru.

"Anyways," Bushimeiyo butted in, "Oyume and I decided that it was best that I did not show myself until they were aware of what they are. That is why I have not visited you old man."

Kagome decided that she'd heard enough. She excused herself from the room for the moment. She went outside instead of listening to their mindless chatter. It had been so long since she'd visited her shrine. 'Huh, that's a strange thought….I'm "visiting" my own house…' She had not realized until that moment just how much she had come to think of the castle as home. She was startled by the thought and was startled once more by the feeling of a hand being laid on her shoulder. She jumped and turned around.

"Oh, it's just you. You scared me." She said, panting from shortness of breath.

"I apologize. I merely wished to join you." Said the deep but warm voice of Sesshoumaru. She smiled at him, very grateful for the company.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

"About…"

"The Shrine. I had the strangest thought. I thought to myself that it had been a while since I visited the shrine. Then I thought about how strange it was to be visiting my own house. I suppose I never really thought about how much your castle has become my home." She said, thoughtfully.

"Our castle."

"Hmm?"

"Our castle. You said it was mine. It belongs to us both. You are the lady of the castle."

"Oh, right."

The silence between them was a comfortable one. Kagome had never felt so at peace around anyone in her life. She turned around and leaned into his chest. She wanted to be as close to him as possible. A pair of large strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer still to the warm chest behind her.

"We'll be leaving soon." She said, pausing before she spoke again. "I have to warn you. You probably won't the clothing of this time very comfortable."

Silence met her words.

"If you desire it, I shall wear them but in your time only." He said. Kagome smiled and hugged his arms gently.

"Thank you Sess."

"Sess?" He asked.

"Yea, I like it. It's short but not embarrassingly so. Don't you think?" She answered his question with one of her own. He nodded in response.

Before another word was said Bushimeiyo came out of the house, Oyume and Sota in tow. Kagome pulled herself out of Sesshoumaru's arms, walking towards the car. Sesshoumaru followed her like a lost puppy. Oyume climbed into the drivers seat, Bushimeiyo into the front passenger seat and the other three were crammed into the back with Kagome stuck in the middle of them. Kagome was not overly happy about her lack of ability to move.

Sesshoumaru on the other hand was in awe of what was going on around him, while managing to keep a stoic face. He had nearly growled at the car when it started up. He had never seen such tall buildings in his life. They even dwarfed the height of his castle. He watched as people passed by on bicycles, cars, on rollerblades and many other ways of transportation. He saw a police car and automatically knew what it was thanks to Kagome's explanations.

"Those are skyscrapers." Kagome's voice jolted him from his amazement to look at her.

"Those tall buildings you were eyeing. Skyscrapers."

"A suitable name."

Kagome chuckled as she resisted the urge to say 'Indeed.' She kept herself silent. It wasn't a good idea to mock him in public, especially when there is another taiyoukai there. Whether it was her father or not, it was still a bad idea.

Before long they had dropped Sota off and were on their way to the mall. Kagome couldn't wait to get Sesshoumaru modelling for her. Sesshoumaru would protest to it, but if she told him that it would make her happy he would do it for her. She grinned evilly at the thought and looked at her favourite youkai. She smiled normally. He was watching a train pass. She couldn't help but notice how his hair moved in the wind of the open window. He was taking in the strange sights and smells of her time.

Oyume pulled the car into the mall parking lot. She was blushing intensely because Bushimeiyo had been staring at her for the last 5 minutes. He was more interested in his mate than the passing scenery. Kagome jumped out almost before the car had stopped. She was so excited to come here. She hadn't been to the mall in a very long time. The last time she had been there was over a year ago with her friends.

Sesshoumaru sighed at Kagome's new found energy. She would definitely be going crazy in these "stores" as she calls them. He was not looking forward to the strange articles she would have him in before the day was through. He could already see the sparkles in her eyes. He growled softly in dislike.

Kagome grabbed Sesshoumaru's hand and made a run for the entrance. They were gone before Oyume and Bushimeiyo had even closed their car doors. They shook their heads at their daughters excitement but relished the moment alone.

"I remember being that excitable." Oyume said.

"Yes, she is very much like her mother." Bushimeiyo responded snaking an arm around her waist and leading her into the crowd.

Kagome's eyes sparkled with delight when she found her favourite store. She had always loved the men's clothing there but never had someone to try it on. Inuyasha was the only exception and even he only tried on red shirts and blue jeans. He had refused to try on anything else. Kagome continued to drag Sesshoumaru in the store, picking up anything she thought would look good on him. She measured some of the pants to his waist just to get an average size to look for.

Sesshoumaru knew that he was in for a long day just by the number of articles of clothing she picked up. He sighed and followed her into the change rooms. She dumped everything in his arms and pushed him in. Sesshoumaru tried to make sense of the jumbled mess of cloth in his arms. He took a stab at putting some of it on. He was fairly successful until the zipper of the jeans caught his skin in a very painful way.

Kagome sat waiting for him to come out. She heard a loud crash and a growl. Her eyes shot wide as she ran to his stall and kicked the door open. She found him sitting pantless on the floor growling at the jeans. She laughed. She couldn't help it. It was funny.

"Let me guess, the zipper." She said between dying down laughs.

Sesshoumaru nodded.

"Yea, I apologize. I probably should have warned you to clear the zipper before you do it up. It's just that girls don't have that problem and I forgot that you would." She said crouching next to him. "Are you alright?"

"Hai." He answered. "Though I suggest you refrain from laughing at this Sesshoumaru."

"Sorry." She said softly. She had not intended to laugh at his pain. She had been caught off guard by what she saw. She reached a hand out to him, though she knew he would not need her help.

Now that he was aware of the dangers of teeth near his nether regions, he carefully continued dressing as Kagome took her place outside once more, anxiously awaiting.

Sesshoumaru made his first entrance looking very uncomfortable in a pair of black jeans and a black tank top. Kagome's jaw nearly hit the floor. This outfit was definitely a keeper. Sesshoumaru looked as though he wished to tear the jeans from his body, but it was only his pride that was keeping him from exposing himself.

Sesshoumaru was definitely not comfortable. He despised the clothing he was wearing. He was ready to tear it apart when he caught the sweet scent of Kagome's arousal and smirked. If it did this to her, it would be worth wearing for a short while before tearing it off in the heat of passion.

"Ok, that one we kept." Kagome said with a smile.

Sesshoumaru nodded his agreement and snuck back into the change room.

'Ok Kagome, breathing is necessary.' She thought to herself as she tried to coax herself into breathing. Her lungs had ceased to function at the sight of him. 'Thank you Kami!' She scolded herself for thinking that way but refused to stop. She never thought that this day would come, but now here she was. 'Oh the twists that life can bring.'

A few shuffling noises later and Sesshoumaru stepped out wearing a skin tight red t-shirt and blue jeans. Kagome smiled, knowing that he had achieved the zipper properly. However, the clothes did not suit him. Kagome could clearly see that he hated it and she wasn't a big fan either. She shook her head in disapproval and watched Sesshoumaru inaudible sigh. She smirked. 'He didn't like it either.' Kagome couldn't help but wonder what he would think of the next one. She grinned evilly.

Oyume took Bushimeiyo into a men's clothing store. She didn't need to take him into the same types of stores and Kagome took Sesshoumaru. They did not need him to blend in with the younger crowd. He looked great in modern business clothing. He was getting a few funny looks from passers by who noticed his abnormal appearance. He was standing at the counter with Oyume to pay when a little girl and her mother passed by.

"Mommy, Mommy! Look at that man! He has really pretty hair!"

Bushimeiyo couldn't help but smile at that. The child was so innocent. He was a little disappointed when the girls mother shushed her and walked away quickly.

Oyume turned and smiled at him. She knew what was going through her mates head. She had thought it many times herself when she first came to this time period. She laughed at the thought of what they must have looked like the first time they came through the well.

Once they had found enough clothing they went out in search of their daughter and her future mate. It wasn't long before they found a very amused Kagome and a very irritated looking Sesshoumaru. Bushimeiyo's eyes lit up with the same amusement as Oyume took pity on the uncomfortable taiyoukai.

"Why Sesshoumaru! You look absolutely uncomfortable!" Bushimeiyo blurted out, earning himself a glare.

"Oh come on Sesshoumaru. At least you can move in this one!" Kagome mocked.

"Well let us see how well I can move!" He said loudly as he chased a screaming Kagome. It was rather obvious why he was uncomfortable. He was wearing a kilt. Kagome had picked it as a joke. She didn't think he'd actually wear it.

It wasn't long before Kagome was dodging racks of blothing to get away, laughing all the while. Sesshoumaru grinned, faked a left and tackled her from the right.

"Perhaps you are correct. It appears that one can still move in this. Perhaps we should buy it." He whispered playfully as he held her down.

"NO! It was a joke! Let me go!" She squirmed under him. He kissed her forehead and let her up. Kagome jumped up and straightened her clothing, still smiling.

Sesshoumaru ducked back into the change room and put on his normal white clothing efore returning to the others.

"We shall pay for these and leave now." He said, throwing Kagome the outfits he had deemed acceptable.

"We'll leave the store yes, but I must take you somewhere Sesshoumaru-sama. Kagome and Bushimeiyo will find some place to eat in the food court." Oyume said as Sesshoumaru raised an interested eyebrow at her.

'This woman is full of as many mysteries as her daughter.' "Fine." He answered, seeming disinterested.

Once they left the store the group parted. Oyume led Sesshoumaru through the seemingly endless mall until she found the jewellery store.

"Ok Sesshoumaru. My daughter is putting herself through the demon ritual for you. You owe it to her to go through the human ritual." She led him to the engagement rings. "Choose one, and in a moment that feels right, ask her to marry you. Then you will have a small wedding here and after that you will be free to mate as you will." She finished.

Sesshoumaru understood her. He did not wish to partake in anything human but he knew he owed it to Kagome. He turned his eyes to the many rings. He found one that intrigued him. It had a golden band and a pattern of diamonds on the front that shaped the ring into a v shape. In the centre of the v was a large diamond in the shape of a cats pupil, held to the ring by a small band of diamonds. He asked to see it and the jeweller removed it from the case.

"That ring is a very unique one. It is over 300 years old. It is a protection ring. Any girl who has been given it by her future husband has been instantly protected by a holy power from anyone who means to harm her." He said with an air of knowledge.

Sesshoumaru nodded, then thought of something. "What is Kagome's ring size?"

"We wear the same size. Try it on me." Oyume said, holding her hand out. Sesshoumaru obliged.

Perfect fit.

Eri: YAYYYY! So exciting:D:D:D:D:D another chappie:D well, lemme know what you think. I'm doing full time school and work. It's kinda hard to find time to write.