Chapter twenty-eight – Recuperation

Sesshoumaru slept well until noon. When he finally woke up, he was relieved to see the change that had happened in his mate overnight. The shadow of terror and sorrow still lingered around her, but she was responsive, and already resembled her usual self in many ways. After having breakfast – for the recuperation of his youki had made him absolutely ravenous, Sesshoumaru finally decided that they would have to visit his mother. The Lady of the West should be informed about Kagome's condition.

The lynx twins, Haruka and Hotaru were called in, and they both started to work on the young lady. After having dressed weeks in the comfortable garb of a priestess, if felt very weird and restraining to once again don the heavy kimono. Haruka clothed her in all of them, layer by layer; from the white silken inner kimono, to the emerald green outer kimono which he carefully tied in its place with a heavy and long teal obi. After he had fastened the obi and tied it with an elaborate bow, he carefully lifted up the uchikake, the outermost layer of them all and a very formal kimono she had only worn once before in the mating ceremony. Kagome realised that was a sign of her changed status as one of the House of the West. She was probably going to wear it daily from now on, after all, Lady Kimiko wore an uchikake at all times. The one Haruka was putting on her now was of deep indigo blue and spectacularly embroidered. It was breathtakingly beautiful, and yet a small part in her sighed in irritation. It was just another layer on top of all the other heavy, clingy and distracting layers she was already wearing.

And then, a realisation tugged at her mind as she glanced down at herself to inspect her clothes.

She noticed other subtle changes in her manner of dress, indicating the change of her status.

The colours of her kimono were of a darker shade than the bright and boldly patterned ones she had been dressed in previously. Furthermore, she could tell that the sleeves of her kimono – though still heavy and distractingly long – were shorter.

Haruka had dressed her as a married woman.

She felt a pang in her chest at the realisation. Although the ceremony had been weeks and weeks ago, oddly enough her mind hadn't yet fully wrapped around the idea that she was a married woman now. Not until this very moment, at least.

Her hands trembled slightly as she demurely sat down on a cushion and allowed Hotaru to start working on her hair. She scarcely noticed the way the lynx demoness slid a comb through her tresses or pulled at her strands occasionally to bend them to her will. No, Kagome was too occupied by mulling over the shambles that had once been her life.

At the generous age of 17 and ¾, she was a married woman. And as if that wasn't enough, she was already pregnant. A dry, sardonic smile tugged the corner of her lip. Well, there were many 21st century girls who had got knocked up by accident at an even younger age. At least there was nothing accidental about her pregnancy; all of it had been very well planned out indeed, it was just too bad that the plans had not been hers or Sesshoumaru's… Besides, at least her child wouldn't be born out of wedlock.

Small comforts those were; she was still mostly scared shitless every time she remembered that she was carrying a life inside her.

Kagome wanted to shake her head, and she would have, if not for Haruka's claws working their magic threateningly close to her frail human scalp.

This life of hers right now… It was even more absurd and bizarre than being stranded 500 years in the past, travelling with mixed bunch of companions, battling demons right and left to collect fragments of a pretty pink magical jewel.

And that was saying a lot.

Hotaru carefully placed in the last, elegant hair ornament. Then, the demoness bowed deep, before she straightened herself and took a step back, signalling that her work was done.

Grunting slightly under the weight of all the layers of kimono, Kagome propped herself to be ready to gracefully rise from the floor, when a hand appeared in front of her. Her eyes widened in surprise when they travelled to lock with the glowing amber eyes that were softly regarding her. A small smile touched her lips as she reached forward and wrapped her small hand tightly around his large one. Leaning to his silent strength, she pulled herself up.

He was not a bad husband at all, she mused to herself as he gently wound his arm around her shoulder. Although the choice had never really been hers, she felt a sense of peace come over her. She could have made a much worse match.

-cCc-

They came to a halt when they reached the thick, elaborately painted shouji screen that lead to Kimiko's rooms. The servant, always appointed at the door, bowed down at them and then slipped the screen open. Sesshoumaru stepped in, and Kagome soon followed.

The Lady of the West was reading a scroll when they entered, her usual 4 attendants sitting silently by the wall of the room. The matchmaker was nowhere to be seen.

Kimiko's gaze briefly flickered in their direction and Sesshoumaru stopped and bowed his head to show respect to the ruler of the West. Kagome quickly lowered her head politely as well.

"Mother," Sesshoumaru intoned calmly, "we have come to talk to you."

"So I see," the demoness intoned smoothly.

Sesshoumaru walked deeper into the room and then sat down on the tatami, a respectable distance away from his mother. Kagome followed him, and seated herself by his side.

"This Sesshoumaru has come to inform you about the reason for our return," he spoke in a formal tone.

"Reason?" the Lady of the West asked calmly.

Sesshoumaru glanced at the woman sitting by his side. Kagome was nervously nibbling on her lower lip. He grasped her hand in his and gave it a small, reassuring squeeze.

"My mate is expecting," Sesshoumaru announced formally.

Kagome glanced at Kimiko and saw the surprise that was briefly reflected in her golden eyes, before the initial shock gave way to a profound smugness.

"Is that so? Why, that is remarkable news indeed, my son." Kimiko paused, and turned to look at Kagome. "At long last, the House of the West shall have the next in line and a new heir. You have done well, Kagome."

Kagome's cheeks flushed slightly. She hadn't really done anything.

Then, a chilling thought suddenly struck her. Swallowing nervously, she whispered in a small voice.

"But what if it's a girl?"

The Lady of the West elegantly arched her brow.

"If the pup shall be a female, then she will be the heir of the West in any case," the demoness said firmly. Then, her painted lips twitched into a quirky smile.

"I would presume that the vassals of the West should have got used to the rule of a female by now."

Kagome bit her lip and lowered her head, feeling caught up somewhere in between foolish and relieved.

Kimiko regarded the miko for a moment in silence. Then she spoke.

"Bring forth the chest," she called to her attendants.

Two of them immediately hurried to fulfil their Lady's order and soon carried over a small lacquered wooden chest, placing it onto the tatami before Kimiko.

Kimiko opened it, and then with both hands, picked a narrow object, approximately 11 inches of length.

"I was going to give this to you earlier, but I did not have the chance as you decided to run off right after the ceremony," Kimiko said to Kagome. "Take it."

Kagome bowed her head slightly, and then carefully picked up the object, receiving it with both hands as was the custom. She carefully studied the gift that was of black lacquer. And then she suddenly realised what it was. It was a tantou.

She wrapped her hand around the handle and pulled of the scabbard, unsheathing the bright, slender blade of the dagger.

Her wide eyes flew to regard the Lady of the West.

"But… I thought it was forbidden to carry a weapon inside the castle," she said, while admiring the knife in her hands.

"A demon has no need for a weapon, even without one, he is able to go for a kill. For a human, however…" Kimiko's golden eyes flashed. "You have no claws or fangs with which to tear the flesh. So take this kaiken. Carry it with you at all times."

Kagome nodded and then sheathed the blade. Carefully, she tucked it into her obi, the heavy layers of silk concealing the weapon.

"Thank you, my Lady," she said politely.

Kimiko said nothing, but a slight smile tugged the corner of her painted lips.

-cCc-

During the course of the next week, Kagome took them all by surprise. Occasionally she still had her darker moments, and often the nightmares plagued her. But she was determined to put her traumatic experience behind her. Since the day of her fifteenth birthday, when she had fallen down the Bone Eater's well and wound up 500 years in the past, a lot of things in her life had changed. She had bid goodbye to many of her modern comforts. She had witnessed war, famine, poverty and ruthless demons. She had been in battles herself. She had seen how the humans struggled, daily, giving all they had to just live another day longer.

That kind of tenacity had always impressed her, but now, to her surprise, she found that same power within herself.

She had given up all the life she had known. She had not fully come to terms with that loss yet, but she was getting there. She was coping. She was enduring.

She was determined not to let any of her trying experiences break her.

Witnessing that fire within once again return to the miko, filling her being with its bright flame, made Sesshoumaru feel so relieved that he was startled by the sheer depth of that feeling. He had all along acknowledged that he had feared for her, but only now when the danger seemed to have passed, did he realise just how much concern he had held for his mate.

The Lady of the West had made certain arrangements. Kimiko had felt that it would be best if Kagome would have some company. It would make her feel safe and take her mind off of things that would be hurtful for her to remember. While Sesshoumaru had agreed with his mother that Kagome should not be left alone, he did not take to his mother's plans well. They had argued about it one night, when he had tried to explain to his mother that he was always there, by her side, that he could well take care of his own mate without her butting in. Kimiko had shaken her head, recognising the possessive jealousy of an inu male immediately. It was quite odd to hear her own son speak in such tones.
"You are too anxious for her well-being, son. Maybe even more anxious than she is! That anxiousness will catch on and spread to her too. She needs a calm and healing atmosphere. She will not get that if you hover by her side, watching over her every step. She can take care of herself, Sesshoumaru, you would only smother her."

Sesshoumaru had at first been furious with his mother, but after he had calmed down enough he had seen the wisdom behind her blunt words. He relented, fading into the background to allow Kagome some space. He still lingered nearby enough to know how his mate was feeling at all times.

Kagome was surprised the first day when the demons had arrived, but the surprise had soon turned out to be a pleasant one. Sesshoumaru had always been by her side, especially whenever they had been in the castle. His presence had been an anchor to her, but now when the other demons came to her, when they filled her room with chatter and laughter, did she realise how lonely she had felt. In this castle, she had had no friends, no family, only Sesshoumaru.

But that was changed now.

There was the tall and willowy adolescent Inu youkai Miyako, who had been Kagome's sparring partner when she had been trained by Kenichirou. She was young and lively and ready to laugh. She reminded Kagome of her friends in her own time, and at the same time Miyako's presence startled her. Though the demoness was physically centuries her elder, they were almost the same age in terms of mental maturity. Kagome looked at Miyako and thought that she should be like she was, young, full of life and a cheery smile often visiting her lips.

When had her naïveté deserted her? When had the life crept up on her, branding her with worries that should belong to an older person?

Kagome could not tell.

There was also Miyako's mother, lady Tomoko, the mate of lord Hirota whose arm Kagome had purified as a show of her competence when she had first been introduced to the court of the West as Sesshoumaru's mate-to-be. Kagome did not know the lady well; she had only briefly met her during the mating ceremony, where lady Tomoko had taken over the role of her mother. She soon realised, though, that the demoness was kind and gentle.

The third addition to the company was the matchmaker. While Aiko was wise and older, in the way of the kitsune she was also mischievous and forever young. Her cunning ensured that there never was a dull moment to any of them. On top of that, she knew plenty of tales, old legends and hilarious jests, with which she would fill their afternoons when they would all sit around in the room, each of them busying themselves in some way. Lady Tomoko often painted, and her daughter Miyako practiced calligraphy. Kagome would often read or occasionally try to calm her mind by performing the tea ceremony for her companions.

And then there was Izumi, the faithful servant who always lingered at her heel like a shadow. While the tanuki's constant presence had at first been almost unbearable to her, now she found comfort in it. What she had initially perceived as harshness, she now realised was stern affection. While Izumi still had the moments when she appeared as her strict teacher, Kagome could now see that the servant truly cared for her.

With these 4 companions, she at times felt like she was indeed a lady, leading her own court only in a miniature size.

-cCc-

It was a warm afternoon, and the 5 women decided to enjoy the glowing warmth of the spring sun. After a stroll in the gardens, they settled down at the polished wooden veranda giving out to the small garden. Lady Tomoko took out her painting tools and soon started to sketch small ink paintings to give her idle hands something to do. They spent a moment in a comfortable silence, before young Miyako spoke.
"I am really glad that you returned, Kagome-sama," the adolescent demoness confided. "Why did you leave after the ceremony?"

The question was bold – inquiring to the personal matters of their lady was very rude. Even though all the female youkai present had been filled with curiosity as to what had possessed the young lady to slip into the night with the lord, none had dared to ask. But as Miyako was still young and had as of yet not officially come of age, her rudeness would be pardoned.

Kagome herself, of course, having not grown up in a demon court – or in a court of any kind, for that matter – did not even fully understand how impolite such an inquiry truly was. She realised the question was personal, but she did not mind answering it.

"Because I made a promise," she replied simply.

"A promise?" Miyako echoed, curiosity evident in the tone of her voice.

Kagome nodded. She straightened herself slightly, and her eyes took on a faraway look.

"Few years ago, when we first found the Jewel of four souls, a crow demon snatched it and flew away. I launched an arrow at the demon, but back then it was one of the first times I had ever even held a bow in my hands. I missed the demon, but my arrow hit the jewel. And the Shikon no tama shattered."

Miyako gasped lightly.

"What happened then?" the adolescent demoness asked, already transfixed by the story.

"Since I was able to sense and see the shards of Shikon no tama, I made a promise with Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru's younger half-brother. That we would restore the jewel together - he needed my abilities in detecting the shards and I needed his strength."

None of the demonesses present missed that expression in the priestess' eyes. There was a slight smile on her lips and her blue eyes were alight.

"Over the course of time, another people joined into our group. They all – everyone save for me – had their personal reasons to take on this quests, for each wanted to have revenge on the vile hanyou Naraku, who was attempting to collect all the shards of the Shikon no tama."

She paused, her hands restlessly fingering the silken sleeves of her uchikake.

"I was appointed as the guardian of the Shikon no tama. It was my duty to help on the quest of seeking the jewel shards. I had made a promise. And even though I vowed myself to Sesshoumaru, even though I stepped to be one of the House of the West… I did not want to forsake my duty and my promise. I had to leave."

"But you did come back," Miyako said, a smile lighting her features.

"I did," Kagome agreed, inclining her head. "And a part of me still regrets that decision. In coming back, I have given up my duty and renounced my former promise."

"Then why did you come back?" Miyako asked, gasping lightly.

Kagome turned to look at the young demoness.

"Because I felt that was of the best interest of this child I am now carrying in my womb. It would have been selfish of me to insist on continuing the quest, even when this body of mine was housing a new life within."

Miyako nodded slowly. Then, she leaned to the priestess and took her hands in her own.

"I am still ever so glad that you returned, lady Kagome," the youngster declared.

"Thank you, Miyako," Kagome replied with a gentle smile.

-cCc-

A week or so after Kagome and Sesshoumaru had returned to the castle, Kenichirou arrived. He said he had been summoned by the Lady of the West. He told her he would have come sooner, had not his own mother stalled his departure.

"It is all your fault," he said gloomily to Sesshoumaru. "Now that you are all nicely settled down, my mother seems to have been drawing out her own plans for me."

"You never know, maybe mated life would agree with you," Sesshoumaru said, his eyes flashing with amusement.

"Are you kidding me?" Kenichirou spat. "We are not like you canines. The idea of binding ourselves to a single partner for the rest of our lives does not hold nearly as much appeal to the feline kind."

"Well, as the heir of the East I do not think you can avoid such union."

"I know. And I have come to terms with that a long time ago. It is just that I do not believe we are in any kind of a hurry. I doubt my parents are planning on dying anytime soon, and we are living in peaceful times. I see no reason for such a rush."

"Indeed."

"And if all else fails, there is still my stupid little sister," Kenichirou reminded acidly.

"Hn."

"So. What is new with you? Why are you suddenly back here?"

"It was unavoidable."

"I suppose so, but why now?"

"The life on the road is not at all suitable for a woman who is with a child."

"… What?"

"Is your hearing suddenly lacking, my friend?" Sesshoumaru mocked. "Or are you just dense?"

"Do you mean you… That Kagome-chan is…?"

Sesshoumaru nodded.

Without any kind of warning, Kenichirou gripped the inudaiyoukai in a rib-crushing bear hug.

"Congratulations! That is great news!"

Sesshoumaru gave a warning growl and Kenichirou released his friend.

Sesshoumaru spent a moment carefully rubbing his offended side, while he looked at Kenichirou through narrowed eyes.

Internally, he was contemplating on whether to tell Kenichirou about the attack on Kagome. After a moment he decided not to. He remembered how furious the eastern heir had grown the last time Kagome had been attacked, and something told him that this time Kenichirou had been even more enraged if he was to learn the nature of the attack. If Kenichirou was to sense some moodiness from Kagome, Sesshoumaru could always explain it away using the pregnancy as an excuse.

-cCc-

She moaned at the feeling of him moving inside her. His hands were resting on her hips as he held them steady.

Her hands clung to his shoulders for support as she straddled his lap. She allowed her eyes to roam, taking in the sight of him.

His broad chest was pale and muscular, his golden eyes half-mast. The expression on his face, curling corners of his lips and everything, made the fire in her veins course even hotter. Moonlight cast an eerie hue to the strands of silver flowing down his back.

He moved again, and she closed her eyes in bliss.

She felt her back brush against something. Her eyes shot wide open as she soon identified the something to be a lean and bare male chest.

A clawed hand circled from behind to cup her breast. By her ear, she heard the throaty laugh of Kenichirou.

Then, a pair of sneaky fingers crept over her body, heading towards the apex of her legs.

In an instant, she forgot everything else and willingly succumbed to the pleasure coursing through her body. She eased herself against Kenichirou's bare chest, and as the snow leopard demon's hand idly played with her breast, she arched her back, drawing her mate deeper within her. Her head fell back to rest against Kenichirou's shoulder, and through hooded eyes her smouldering gaze sought out the beautiful face of her mate. His whole expression was filled with passion, and that sight was simultaneously so erotic and romantic that it tugged deep at her heartstrings.

.

.

.

Kagome woke up with a start and sat up on her futon. She took a shaky breath before she buried her face in her hands while a strangled moan escaped her lips.

She had not just dreamed about a threesome with two demon lords. No way.

She snorted. Even the traumatic experience of a near rape could not keep her lecherous subconscious in check.

Well, on the other hand, it might just be a good thing, a sign of recovery, assuring her that she did not have any lingering trauma after the horrifying experience.

Unless the incident had somehow managed to screw her subconscious up completely. For a second she feared that the inner lecher would only be getting more bold and experimental now, that just plain old "normal" sex was not enough for her perverse mind anymore.

Then she felt the slight whiff of the all too familiar nausea and quickly reassessed her earlier assumption. No, it might just as well be that something completely different was screwing her up. Another likely culprit was her cursed hormones going haywire. She was not at all certain of all the ways a pregnancy progressed, but she knew that the expecting mothers often became completely messed up, and they'd always roll the blame on the rampant hormones. Kagome sighed in exasperation.

She was fairly sure that she was already messed up enough as it were, without the additional havoc wrecking of the hormonal hurricane.

-cCc-

In the morning, she woke up and all was normal again – until Kenichirou joined them at their room for breakfast. The sight of the Eastern prince sharply reminded Kagome of the dream she had seen last night. She had to constantly battle the blush of embarrassment that obviously attempted to set up a permanent residence on her cheeks. She kept her eyes mainly on the food, for she could not meet Kenichirou's sincere eyes.

After the breakfast, Kagome hastily excused herself, saying she would go see Miyako-chan and lady Tomoko. She left the room, Izumi trailing after her steps as usual.

Kenichirou frowned as he glanced at the miko's retreating back. She had not met his gaze once all morning, to his utter bewilderment. What was going on? Why was she suddenly avoiding him?

Turning to look at Sesshoumaru, Kenichirou decided that he would try to solve this mystery.

"Do you think I have done something to displease Kagome-chan lately?"

Sesshoumaru quirked his brow.

"I do not suppose so, but who am I to say what a female finds displeasing. Why do you ask?"

"Because she is avoiding me. She does not even look me in the eye anymore!"

Sesshoumaru frowned.

"That is odd," he conceded. "The two of you have never had any trouble getting along," he added dryly.

"It must have been something I did," Kenichirou pondered glumly.

"Try not to dwell on it," Sesshoumaru advised, glancing at his mate out of the corner of his eye. "After all, there is no logic to the mind of a female."

"Save for that they almost explicitly find the male the offender. Thus, whatever is was that Kagome-chan took offence of, must be my fault."

Sesshoumaru quirked his brow.

"If you are that well advised in the ways of women, why did you even bother asking me?"

Kenichirou shrugged.

"Because she is your mate," he replied simply. "It would only make sense that you'd be the one who would know her the best. It should be you in whom she confides."

"Well, she has not confided in me regarding anything relating to you. She has not spoken one bad word about you, of that this Sesshoumaru is certain."

"Hmmh," Kenichirou hummed, his brows knit together in a frown.

Sesshoumaru shook his head lightly.

"Well this is rare," he said after a while, a mocking smirk twisting his lips. "I do not recall you ever having much trouble with females."

Kenichirou shrugged.
"I do not, usually," he easily conceded. "And I would not have, now, if I only knew what I have done to upset Kagome-chan."

"What was her name again?" Sesshoumaru asked, remembering the mischievous and playful Eastern aristocrat, a stunningly beautiful daughter of the General of the East.

Kenichirou just looked at Sesshoumaru, one of his eyebrows comically raised.

"Ah yes… Sachiko."

Kenichirou flinched ever so slightly, instantly recalling the female with whom he had outrageously flirted on several occasions.

"She has nothing to do with this. Besides, she always instigates our… conversations."

"Indeed?"

"I – " Kenichirou fell suddenly silent as his eyes narrowed instantly. "Are you teasing me?" he then asked incredulously.

"Would this Sesshoumaru do something like that to such an old friend?"

Kenichirou shook his head, suddenly grinning widely.

"I have no idea what Kagome-chan is doing to you, but I am loving the results," he mocked back, and then amiably patted Sesshoumaru's shoulder.

-cCc-

To say Kagome was freaked out was a crude understatement. Sesshoumaru had left somewhere, and the ladies that had usually been attending her were gone as well, leaving her all alone with Kenichirou.

As much as Kagome loved the Eastern prince, she dreaded this scenario, and begged silently for someone to save her, to either give her an excuse to leave, or to have someone else enter the room so that they would no longer be alone.

She sat still, her panicky mind unable to concentrate on Kenichirou, and his conversation.

The dream was still fresh on her mind, and that made facing the feline decidedly awkward. She was certain that her cheeks were burning in embarrassment and all she could hope was for the ground to come and swallow her whole.

The mental image was very vivid and detailed, the moonlit tatami in the room, the powerful inudaiyoukai cradling her in his lap, while she was cradling him deep within her… And the broad, leanly muscled chest against which she rested her back, belonging to the other demon lord right behind her…

Wanting to escape that haunting and disconcerting dream image, she pushed away her flighty thoughts and forced herself to concentrate on listening to whatever Kenichirou was talking about.

"Sesshoumaru has been in a bad mood for a while now," the eastern prince was saying, "and I really think that the two of us should come up with a way to cheer him up."

His yellow green eyes suddenly glimmered with mirth.

"Are you thinking what I am thinking, Kagome-chan?" he asked slyly.

The miko's reaction to his teasing was completely unexpected.

Her blue eyes rounded in an almost comical manner. Colour drained from her cheeks and her mouth opened as her jaw dropped. Then, she snapped her lips tightly shut as she blushed furiously.

"I don't think that is a good idea," she managed to croak in a small voice. "Excuse me."

Thus, she fled the room, leaving a stunned daiyoukai staring in her wake.

-cCc-

That night, Kagome lay still on her futon. She stared at the dark room while her mulled over that dream. She still felt slightly freaked out about it, after all the dream had been very disturbing in a sense. And that was why she could not sleep.

She had taken to Kenichirou right from the start. The snow leopard demon was her dear, dear friend, and there was something very profoundly wrong in dreaming about the Eastern heir in a sexual light. It was kind of like trying to imagine what sex with Hojo was like – he was nice looking enough if a bit plain… But no matter how hard she'd try, she just couldn't picture it at all because Hojo had zero sex appeal.

Well, Kenichirou of course was much, much more attractive than Hojo… but then again, Kagome had not as of yet encountered a single daiyoukai whom she would have thought to be unattractive. But acknowledging Kenichirou's attractiveness didn't make her desire him.

Kagome shook her head and let out a sigh.

Stupid, perverted subconscious, plaguing her with confusing dreams…

With a start, Kagome suddenly realised something that had eluded her the whole day. There was a part of that dream that had not felt wrong to her at all. Not even now when she was awake and looking back to the dream.

Since when had she consciously started thinking about Sesshoumaru in sexual manner? Her widened blue eyes darted to stare at the demon lord sleeping on the nearby futon in disbelief. His face seemed peaceful in his sleep. His clawed hand rested atop of the covers and she could see just a glimpse of pale skin peeking from where his yukata was parted. His long silver tresses were fanning the futon and the covers, like tiny streams of moonlight.

She stared at him, the tangle of her mixed feelings painfully throbbing in her chest. He was not attractive, that word did not do him justice. He was breathtaking.

She did not need any dream to remind her about the time they had been together; the night of their mating had sneakily etched itself into her memory. She remembered well the care and respect he had showed to her that night, with each of his touches. He had been gentle with her. He had not rushed her. He had wanted her to feel good. She was very grateful to him for that.

Slowly, she began to realise that it had been then. After that night… Their mating, together with his consideration for her had been the two factors why she had slowly come to see him in a different light. The dreams that kept pestering her were tangible evidence that deep down inside, she did desire him.

In her mind, his existence had pushed out from the tiny box into which she had initially locked him in.

He was no longer just a friend to her.

Kagome lay back down onto her futon and burrowed under the covers. She did not, however, close her eyes and try to sleep. Instead, she laid awake, still gazing her mate who slept on the futon next to hers.

Right before she fell back to sleep, a single thought echoed in the confines of her disturbed mind.

What the hell am I getting myself into?

-cCc-

Chie: Tantou (or tantō) is a Japanese knife, whereas kaiken is a type of tantou that was usually carried by women. A woman usually received a kaiken as a part of her wedding gifts.