*Author Note: Thanks for reviews as always. I've been very busy, and will continue to be for probably another month or 2. Bear with me. You WILL see some tiny feet running around before the end of this story…but you gotta wait to find out what kind ;). Enjoy, and keep reviewing!*

Kagome pulsed her aura, feeling Sesshomaru's aura ripple somewhere near his study, and started running towards his location. As soon as she started closing in on the study, his aura shifted and moved outside.

"Oh no you don't, buddy," Kagome muttered and sped up, giving her legs an extra boost of reiki. However, by the time she charged into the study, Sesshomaru was already on the far side of the garden.

"SESSHOMARU!" she shouted. "I will jump down this balcony, and if you don't catch me, I will haunt you for the rest of your long life!" Kagome then flung herself down three stories without hesitation. She had barely dropped five feet before Sesshomaru grabbed her and set her on his cloud.

"Kagome," he growled, clearly displeased by her reckless display. "You will desist from such foolish actions!" Seeing her drop from that window almost gave him heart failure. Sesshomaru was not used to being frightened, and he wanted to keep it that way.

"And you will stop avoiding me! We need to talk," Kagome yelled back with equal ferocity. They were on the ground now in the garden.

Sesshomaru immediately turned away. He did not, could not, face her.

"Please. Tell me what's bothering you," she said softly this time. "I don't understand. You've even blocked the mating bond. Please, Sesshomaru. Mate."

What was bothering him? Sesshomaru humorlessly scoffed in his mind. There were too many things to name. He had let her fall into enemy hands. He had failed to protect her. She was almost raped by that filth Naraku. She was beaten, and hurt. She nearly had her soul sucked out by Akira. She nearly died. Everything had been his fault. His cursed prophecy was infecting her. Moreover, she would not be solely his for much longer. His injury assured that. Sesshomaru started walking away.

Kagome ran forward and yanked his shortened hair. Sesshomaru stilled, but still kept his back to her. Normally, such an act would have him baring his fangs in warning and demanding an explanation. Kagome's frown deepened. She walked around and stood in front of him. He looked right above her head. She pulled his face down to her level. His eyes averted to the side.

Kagome's eyes flashed in anger. Wasn't he being a little too obstinate here?

She glared at him for several long minutes before she came to a decision. 'Fine! Be that way.' She pulled the knot loose. Her obi fluttered to the ground. Next came her kimono.

Sesshomaru snapped his eyes back when he heard fabric flapping to the ground. "What are you doing?" He swiftly pressed her into him and covered her backside with his mokomoko.

"Trying to get your attention," she rebelliously answered.

He growled in response, and flew them into the privacy of his bed chamber. Sesshomaru pushed her away as soon as they landed.

"You saved me, you know," Kagome matter-of-factly stated.

He didn't respond. How could he accept her forgiveness, when he had not even begun to forgive himself?

She scowled at the unyielding demon.

"Are you ashamed of me?" she spat. "I was so weak. I got captured without even putting up a fight. Are you ashamed to have someone like me as a mate?" She began divulging all the insecurities that had held her back from seeking him out.

"Or are you disgusted with me? The attempted rape was one of the scariest moments of my life. I couldn't fend him off. But he was killed before anything irreparable happened. Akira killed him, just like that. Ironically, he saved me. A-and for that, I can't hate him. He was behind everything. He made your life living hell. He killed my parents, and your father. He massacred villages and then visited us without batting an eye. He was an incurable monster. And yet, I can't hate him. Are you disgusted with me?" Her eyes reflected self-loathing.

"Or do you hate me? You almost died because I was being selfish about visiting Kaede. I knew the Holy Village hated you, but I still forced you to go there. And then I was too incompetent to see through that illusion. Kaede was completely not right. I was stupid, and you suffered for it. I've become your weakness. Do you resent me? I cost you an arm. Do you hate me?"

The guilt-ridden, bottomless cerulean orbs were now dripping with anguish.

Sesshomaru finally turned around and crushed her trembling body to his. Too many emotions were running through him at hearing her bare her fears to him.

"No," he answered. Gods, he needed to do better than that. Sesshomaru released the shield guarding his tightly wound emotions from the mating bond. He let his guilt, remorse, pain, and sorrow flood their connection. He bared all his inadequacies for her to judge.

"Never," he reiterated. "This one could ask the same. Do you deem me unworthy of your affection? You now fear that which you should not." It irked him that Akira had been the one to save Kagome, and not him. Yet he had no right. "I have let your soul be taken twice now. It is purely by your own virtue that you still retain it." Sesshomaru paused, choked by his own shame. "My failure is inexcusable. I have done nothing to earn the title of your mate."

Kagome clutched him tightly. "That's not true. You've never failed me. I trust you, and you've never betrayed that trust," she breathed into his chest. Her hand accidently brushed against the empty sleeve of his missing left arm.

Sesshomaru suddenly turned to stone beneath her touch.

An image of his mutilated doppelganger and her repulsed face flashed in his mind. Sesshomaru didn't know what he would do if Kagome actually looked upon him with that expression, and then cast him away.

This was why he was so desperately avoiding her. His failure, he could and would spend the rest of his life redeeming. But this? He could not come back to her flawed. Unlike Kagura, he did not have regenerative abilities. His form would forever be marred by the unsightly stump. A disgraceful three-legged dog. He slowly met her eyes, half expecting to find them filled with horror.

Kagome noticed his hesitancy and fear. Her hands automatically squeezed the shoulders she had lain them on. Fear was not something that should ever cross the indomitable demon lord's eyes. Especially not when she was touching an injury he had suffered for her sake.

She quickly moved both hands to push the fabric away and caress his missing limb. There were ugly scars covering the truncated bicep. It was a gruesome injury, and Kagome couldn't imagine how painful it must have been. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She couldn't restore the arm. Her healing abilities relied on replicating the surrounding tissue to heal a wound. The regenerated tissue would have no form without a scaffold. This was all her fault.

Kagome kissed the stump almost reverently. She nuzzled it tenderly with her cheek, and locked her guilt-ridden eyes on Sesshomaru's. Her throat constricted when she tried to apologize. An apology really wasn't enough for something like this.

Sesshomaru stared at Kagome in awe at her actions. Though her rejection would have cut him deeper than any sword, he wouldn't have blamed her for recoiling in revulsion. Most beings would shy away from his deformity. But the true cost of an arm was so much more than simple aesthetics. It was a price even he had tried to run from.

However, he could no longer delay the inevitable.

His face solidified into an impassive mask. "Per custom, you are allowed to seek an additional male to offset This Sesshomaru's deficit," he mechanically droned. This heavy price, worsened only by this miserable obligation to inform her. He had forever lost his exclusivity to her. It felt like a crushing vice was steadily twisting and squeezing his heart until it could no longer beat.

Kagome's eyes flashed in anger. 'Not this stupid rule again.' She swiftly removed her face from his shoulder and stepped back. "It is customary to take another lover if your mate loses a limb?" she tried her best to keep the incredulity from her voice.

The reluctance was oozing off of every pore on his body. She could practically feel him wince at the word 'lover' through the mating bond.

Sesshomaru wanted to rip out his own vocal cords. Instead, he responded in a hollow tone, "If a male can not properly perform his duties, then his mate is entitled to…" He couldn't say 'lover'. The word simply refused to form on his lips. "…another," he managed.

"So if I lost an arm, you'd find another female?" Kagome asked, barely holding in her bitterness.

"Unlike a male, a female's primary duty is to bear offspring, not to protect," he technically replied.

Kagome scowled. He was being too literal. "If Naraku had succeeded in raping me to the point that I was unable to bear an heir, would you marry another?" she harshly said.

Sesshomaru's aura spiked at the mere suggestion, but he stomped it down to a tolerable level. "No, you are my mate by my choice. I will not take another. I would find an alternative means to procreate with you, regardless of how long it took," he answered in a raw tone.

Kagome's heart melted at his willful words. "Then how can you possibly think I'd take another for something as silly as an arm?" she exasperatedly asked. "Are you so eager to push me away?"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. "An arm is crucial to my abilities to protect you! I would not be able to pick you up and wield a sword at the same time. I would not be able to defend against an attack from more than one direction. I am now crippled! I cannot even dress myself without wasting insufferable amounts of time fumbling with ties. Do you understand? Do you think I'd offer MY mate to bed some wretched brute if it was not necessary?" he exploded. He felt like sinking his claws deep into his soft entrails, or ripping his chest wide open, or melting his throat into a gurgling mass – anything to gouge out the suffocating pain he could no longer endure.

Kagome took a step back from the sheer ferocity of his outburst. This was the first time he had gotten so upset with her. 'No.' Kagome carefully scrutinized the agitated inuyoukai. 'He's upset at himself,' she realized. She wanted nothing more than to cradle him in her arms and surround him with warmth until all the darkness faded from his being. However, she knew he'd never allow it.

There was only one method Sesshomaru would be receptive to.

Abruptly, Kagome pounced on Sesshomaru while shooting a reiki orb from her hand at point blank range toward his open left side.

Sesshomaru reflexively dodged the harmless ball, flipped her over, and pinned her down onto the bed with his only hand. He started withdrawing as soon as he realized what he'd done.

Kagome grabbed his wrist, stilling his retreat. "See, it wasn't so hard to overcome your 'deficit' now was it?" She knew her reiki couldn't hurt him anymore than his own youki, but she had been betting on his flawless deflection of her attack to make her point.

Sesshomaru stared down at the beautifully vulnerable woman beneath him. There hadn't been a hint of killing intent in that attack. He understood her demonstration for what it was. "You are unskilled in close combat," he rebutted.

"Yes, an average attack wouldn't faze you. You are Lord Sesshomaru, first son of Inu no Taisho, and strongest demon of all the lands," Kagome evenly declared. Her eyes bore into his, searching. Where was his usual arrogance? His confidence?

"Whatever limitations are present now can be offset with due training. Am I wrong?" Kagome resolutely said. She would be his confidence until he rediscovered it.

As expected, he rose to her challenge. "This Sesshomaru shall prevail," he solemnly vowed. He would not disappoint her, not when she so wholly believed in him.

"Then I see no reason to choose another," she immediately clipped. Her lips curled distastefully at the last part. She then leaned up and pressed a kiss over his heart. "There is only one I want in this manner," she continued upon seeing his shocked expression. "And there is only one who will ever know me like this." Kagome guided his hand to cup her left breast.

Sesshomaru took in her forceful reasoning as he gazed in wonderment at the barely clothed woman. 'So strong, and yet so fragile at the same time.' She had soundly shut down the vile suggestion he had been honorbound to offer. Any normal demoness would have jumped at the opportunity to significantly raise her status by gaining power over two males. But this was Kagome. It was frightening how perfectly she understood his needs, and how flawlessly she delivered them. She had mercilessly crumbled all his defenses only to rush in and hold together his tattered soul before it fell to ruin. Was this love? His chest swelled with unspoken emotion.

Kagome watched the icy shields leave his honey eyes as he allowed himself to feel.

"You will be required to hold a trial period. Suitors will attempt to woo you. You can only reject them after all prospects have been reviewed and compared to this Sesshomaru," he guardedly said. But his eyes revealed his dread.

'Really, how many times do I have to tell him I love him, and only him, before he gets it?' Kagome internally grumbled. With shaking hands, she slowly began undoing his clothing. She would show him her devotion.

Sesshomaru's hovering form went completely still under her ministrations.

She then removed the remaining pieces of her own undergarments. Kagome was blushing fiercely. She hadn't quite thought the idea through, but she was determined to show her mate how much she wanted him, and erase whatever insecurities he had left on the matter. Kagome flipped on top of Sesshomaru and straddled his bare body. "Don't move," she commanded, congratulating herself for keeping a steady voice.

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru was barely breathing. Kagome had never initiated a sexual encounter before. It wasn't uncommon for a demoness to take the more dominant role, but he had never willingly submitted himself - ever. Kagome leaned over his supine body, and Sesshomaru's pulse skyrocketed. The vulnerable position reminded him acutely of his time in the dragon dungeons.

Kagome was bewildered by the trill of distress coming from her mate. "Sesshomaru? Sesshomaru, look at me," she called with concern.

Flashing eyes shot open and locked on her face. His erratic breathing visibly calmed. "Tell me what just happened," she gently cooed.

Sesshomaru swallowed thickly. "This Sesshomaru is unaccustomed to remaining in such a vulnerable position."

His statement was as monotonous as ever, but Kagome instantly caught the haunted look in his eyes. He was remembering his unpleasant past. Kagome immediately knelt down beside him. She was only just realizing how much he was sacrificing to comply with her seemingly innocuous wishes. "I'm sorry, I was thougthless. Do you trust me?"

Sesshomaru looked into her innocent, pleading eyes. It was ridiculous to compare his pure mate to any of the ugly darkness associated with his childhood. However, it happened everytime he was so exposed, regardless of who was looming over him. His misplaced fear was unacceptable. Kagome was his mate! She would sooner chop off her own hand than hurt him. "Yes."

"Let me help you," she reassuringly said. Slowly, she crawled onto the foot of the bed. "Don't close your eyes. Look only at me. Feel only me." Sesshomaru propped himself up with his one arm to gaze into her deep cobalt eyes.

"Trust me, and listen carefully to my words," she softly told him.

Sesshomaru nodded mutely. He was not at all comfortable with surrendering control to anyone. However, for her, he would try.

Kagome gave him an encouraging smile, silently promising that she'd never abuse the gift he was bestowing.

Kagome took a deep breath. She hoped she didn't do this wrong. In her studies, she had learned the basics of how inuyoukai used body language to communicate. She wanted to assure her mate beyond a shadow of a doubt her continued affection for him.

Tentatively, she nuzzled the underside of his chin before retreating to the bottom of the bed and tracing her hand along his ankle.

"I know you blame yourself for my kidnapping. But let me ask you, why did you want a strong mate?" She kissed the flesh she had been stroking so lovingly.

Sesshomaru tried to concentrate, but it was impossible to give an educated response with her wreaking havoc on his person. He suspected the effect was intentional in order to hinder his arguments so he would have no choice but to follow her logic.

"For strong progeny? Because of instinct? Or maybe so she would not succumb easily to the vices of your enemies? Afterall, what progeny can be born if she cannot defend herself and her young? You cannot be with your mate every second of every day. Thus, you're implicitly trusting your mate to take care of herself to some extent, no? It is clear that the Lady of the West must not be a burden, but a pillar for the West. We are partners. Do not blame yourself unless you blame me as well." She moved to the other ankle, pressing her petal soft lips to his sensitive markings.

Sesshomaru shuddered, both at her words and the sensations she was eliciting. It was like she was casting a spell over him. With each candid phrase, she soothed a shard of guilt and insecurity within him. And with each weight she lifted from his soul, his buried desire for her came to the forefront.

Kagome gave a discreet nudge, and his legs naturally parted, allowing her to settle between his feet. "There will always be dangers. Trust in me to at least stay alive long enough for you to come."

She languidly traced his calf with her wet tongue. "I don't think you realize how much strength you gave me," she murmured . "You make me feel so safe, even from afar. I didn't doubt for one second that you'd save me. I kept fighting because of that."

Her hands slid higher. She rubbed the insides of his thighs, and placed feathery kisses all over his powerful legs. "My broken cheekbone, the whip marks…I wore those injuries with pride. They were proof that Naraku had to revert to physical abuse to get a rise out of me. He had to break me physically because he couldn't do it mentally. It's because I was so confident in you."

Sesshomaru's head lolled back. It was so hard to maintain eye contact against her tactile assault. Whatever misgivings he had about her position above him was long gone. All he could think about were her tender touches and consoling words.

"Naraku showed me an image of you fighting all those demons. Probably even worse was how you looked right before killing Akira."

She skirted to the side of his hips, drawing intricate patterns along the two stripes pointing to his erogenous zone. The markings were slightly thicker here compared to those found on his extremities. "You can be monstrous, but you are not a monster. I love you just as you are. Only you."

The words loudly resounded in his mind. Sesshomaru's member twitched into erection against his toned abdomen.

"That is what mates do. Until you stop loving me, you will never fail me," she whispered, sending hot puffs of air across his markings.

Sesshomaru groaned. A drop of precum collected at the tip of his now throbbing penis. This was pure torture. Her words, combined with her sensual ministrations, were driving him insane with desire. She understood him too well. She knew exactly how to tear down his resolve and force him to acknowledge her forgiveness.

Kagome hovered over his engorged member before bypassing it to lick his pearly fluid that had dribbled down just above his navel. His abdominal muscles jumped, and his eyes darkened with lust. It was the sexiest thing Sesshomaru had ever seen in his long existence, short of her body. Her eyes then darted up to his, questioningly, as she wet her lips to contemplate his flavor. She must be delusional if she thought he'd object to her tasting him.

Kagome was now straddling his left thigh, and running her soft hands along his ribcage, and tracing each defined muscle. It was fascinating to watch every sinew bunch and relax beneath her fingers. Then, her hands went to cup his phantom wounds. The holes through his torso had healed without a scar, but she remembered where they were. "Thank you for protecting me."

She gently suckled his nipples, trying to convey her gratitude with actions, knowing her demon lord appreciated them over words. Kagome rolled the hardened pebble in her mouth, intermittently increasing suction and teasing it with her teeth.

Kagome moved on to his arm, touching the stump of his left limb.

Sesshomaru immediately tensed and angled away from her, trying to hide his deformity.

Kagome stilled him and wrapped her hands around the stump. "You are beautiful." She traced the ghastly purple discolorations. "I see your strength." She rubbed the hideously elevated scar tissue. "Your determination." She pressed feathery kisses to the lumpy, irregular cross-section of his truncated limb. "And most importantly, your love." Her swirling ocean depths met his tortured golden suns.

"How can I possibly think of this as a deficit? I will treasure all the feelings that resulted in this wound. There is nothing to be ashamed of. It's beautiful," Kagome gently pledged.

'You're the beautiful one,' Sesshomaru thought. He brushed a lock of her wild tresses behind her delicate ear.

Kagome slowly began licking a path down his torso. Sesshomaru's head fell back.

Abruptly, he felt a searing wet heat engulf his member. Hissing, Sesshomaru snapped his head up only to see his mate suckling on his shaft. "What are you doing?" he exclaimed even as his hips arched to meet her lips.

Kagome disengaged with a quiet pop. She shyly looked up. "Did I do it wrong? Did you not like it?"

Sesshomaru couldn't quite comprehend the questions while pleasurable tremors were still quaking his body. He desperately tried to pull together his scattered thoughts. "Is this a common human practice?"

Kagome's eyes widened in disbelief. "Uh…you've never…? How-don't…uhm…Don't demonesses give oral pleasure like this?" she finally blurted out. Her face immediately flushed and she moved to hide her embarrassment.

Sesshomaru shot his hand out and halted her hasty retreat. "Demonesses use other attributes to give pleasure," he bluntly explained, gazing at Kagome's breasts meaningfully. "However, fangs are not…compatible with more sensitive fleshes."

Kagome wanted to melt into the bed. How could she have forgotten about the fangs? Of course no demon of right mind would put his prized penis anywhere near those razor-sharp things.

As the miko drowned in mortification, Sesshomaru contemplated the implications of her bold actions. It was perfectly logical that humans would perform such acts considering there were no hindering mechanics. And judging by his mate's insecurity, she had never conducted such behavior before. She most likely learned of these matters through her miko education. The possibilities sent a thrill up Sesshomaru's spine.

He gave her a firm tug.

Kagome reluctantly looked back at him. Sesshomaru was staring at her lips with unerring intensity. She was instantly transfixed by his hooded orbs.

"Show me," he huskily whispered.

His throaty request ignited her blood with liquid heat. Her embarrassment was forgotten. Kagome's eyes glazed with arousal as she settled in front of his member. It was nestled in downy silver fur, and perfectly arched toward his abdomen. The rigid length was covered in velvety, blush colored skin. She charted the delicate veins along the shaft before gripping the base tightly.

Sesshomaru's breath hitched and a pearlescent drop oozed from the slit at the tip of the thick mushroom head.

Kagome stared, mesmerized by the translucent moisture. Her tongue stretched out almost involuntarily to lick it away. She prodded into the slit, greedily seeking more of the salty fluid. His penis twitched, forcing her little pink tongue just a tiny bit deeper.

Her lips slipped onto the head and peeled the foreskin down to engulf the entire glans. She began an unhurried rhythm of sucking, swirling, and nipping it.

Sesshomaru strained against the little temptress, trying to drive more of himself into the warm haven of her mouth. However, she simply pulled back further. He moaned in frustration. To be denied bliss so close was utterly maddening. Gods, he needed her to quicken the pace or he'd flip them over and fuck her like the beast he was.

"Kagome," he breathed. Sesshomaru didn't intend for it to sound like begging, but the pleading tone was unmistakable.

The miko immediately pushed his entire length into her throat. Both groaned loudly in pleasure. The vibrations from her mouth sent Sesshomaru spasming. He growled long and low, already on the verge of cumming.

Slowly, Kagome began bobbing her head up and down his penis while maintaining suction. He was absurdly hard, and the feeling of him hitting the back of her throat brought tears to her eyes. However, the discomfort was worth seeing the powerful demon lord pawing the sheets for stability and writhing in unadultered pleasure.

Sesshomaru grabbed the back of her head and began pumping wildly into her erotic little mouth. He was reaching climax too fast. "Kag…can't…nngg…" he panted hotly. Quickly, he pulled her silken locks, trying to spare her the strong taste of his seed.

Kagome unexpectedly resisted his move and continued to lavish his painfully engorged member with her decadent tongue.

"AH!" he shouted. Her blunt teeth scrapped the underside of his penis and Sesshomaru exploded in her mouth. He arched high off the bed, taking Kagome with him. He flooded her mouth with his thick ejaculate.

She swallowed the musky fluid, sucking him clean. Thankfully, the uniquely salty, spicy taste was nowhere near as bad as some of her patients had complained of. Kagome straightened back on her knees and watched the small tremors rack Sesshomaru's glistening body. His eyes were still tightly shut. Female pride bloomed in her chest.

Crawling up his outstretched frame, she lowered her head next to his ear and murmured, "I only see you. Trust in me."

Sesshomaru collapsed her to his chest, purring his approval.

Kagome woke in the dark hours of the morning to find the bed cold and empty. Panic flashed through her mind at the thought that her conciliation with Sesshomaru had been a dream. But then an answering pulse of reassurance floated through the mating bond.

The miko plopped back down on the futon. It was too early to get up, but there was no way she was going to fall back asleep without her mate's warmth. Getting dressed, she drifted through the castle, following Sesshomaru's vibrant aura.

When she reached the dojo, Kagome couldn't help her reaction to the captivating demon lord. He was loosely drapped in a pair of hakama, obviously having had trouble tying it tight. His now shoulder length hair was fluttering freely in the winds of his youki, and his eyes were closed in concentration.

Sesshomaru had started his training to ensure no being could oust him from his position, both as lord and mate. He had developed a new kata that utilized the length of his reach, as well as his legs, to compensate for the loss of his left arm. The wide arcs and high sweeps tested his flexibility and balance. The movements were so big that they seemed wasteful on initial impression. However, he was positive that with practice, the motions would smooth into an unpredictable, distracting, and impenetrable defense.

Gradually, he increased the speed of his kata until his arm seemed to come unhinged and blur around him in a deadly haze while his feet kicked out at irregular intervals. The haze quickly died down until his arm could once again be tracked by Kagome's human eyes.

Her arousal permeated the air and Sesshomaru finally stopped and turned to her. The technique was overwhelming, but apparently took a toll on the demon. His joint was not yet strong enough to sustain the movements for long at such speeds. He needed to improve his balance and flexibility in his legs as well. Kagome noticed all this. She knew he wanted to get stronger. But even this imperfect display of power was stirring her lust.

When Sesshomaru made to move toward her, Kagome finally snapped her oogling eyes away. "Ah, sorry to interrupt. I didn't mean to…but you were so…"

Sesshomaru drowned out her awkward explanation with a seductive rumble. "Mate, is there something this Sesshomaru can help you with?" He had the ridiculous urge to flex his muscles and strut in a most inappropriate way. He was NOT trying to entice his miko. He was NOT trying to impress her. It wasn't like he wanted a repeat of last night's oral pleasuring…

"That was good. You could add blades to the tips of your boots, no?" Kagome tried to divert his attention.

"Hm."

"We could even get some armor to drap from your left shoulder."

"Hm."

"I-I should go discuss it with Totosai." But Sesshomaru had already cornered her.

Just as he was about to swoop down and claim her lips, the dojo door banged open. He snarled instead.

"L-L-Lord S-S-Se-Seshomaru, t-there-"

"Cease your rambling, Jaken," Sesshomaru darkly ordered.

"Yes, my lord! Right away, my lor-" Jaken squawked.

"What. Is. It?" he cut off again.

Jaken cowered at the thought of delivering the terrible news to an already irate demon lord. "Suitors," he finally croaked.

Sesshomaru immediately straightened from Kagome's form and shuttered his face with a cool mask. "Prepare Lady Kagome, then take her to the reception hall," he ordered with his trademark stoicism.

As Jaken hurried off to find Umi, Kagome grabbed Sesshomaru's hand. "Will you be there with me?" she asked with barely veiled trepidation.

The frigid demon lord blocked the mating bond before responding, "This Sesshomaru cannot interfere. Per custom, this one should not be present until the final selection. Some allow their original mate input during this stage, while others will introduce their primary mate only after choosing."

Kagome knew he did not want her to feel or see his struggle. He did not want any to see how deeply this truly affected him. The miko hugged him gently from behind. "And if I requested your presence starting from the beginning?"

"You may be construed as weak-willed. One may suspect this one of trying to influence you," he whispered.

"Then how do I show others your continued value in my eyes? How do I let all know that it is YOU I want and return to?"

Sesshomaru spun around and pulled her tightly to his chest. If there was such a thing as falling in love all over again, he was experiencing it right now. Her words warmed his very core. "At the end of the day, call this Sesshomaru to escort you to your private quarters," he finally answered her.

"None shall see our private quarters but you," Kagome replied, understanding his unspoken plea. With a reassuring squeeze, she quickly released her mate and left to prepare.

Sesshomaru could still feel his wrist tingle from where her soft hands had rested.