No prompts.

Sesshoumaru was concerned that he'd given Kagome the impression that his studies were more important to him than she was, and as he walked back towards the apartment building after his class, he searched his mind for ways to make it up to her. Really, he would have loved to stay in bed naked with her for the rest of the day, but he had responsibilities, just as she did. Perhaps if he hadn't already missed class once, he might have done just that.

His relationship with her meant more to him than anything and he would happily sacrifice his studies if it pleased her, but he knew she would have felt guilty about making him miss something important. He had always judged his value based on his grades, as it was the only scale he truly had, and he didn't want to have to admit that being with her was detrimental to his studies. He didn't want to have to retake classes, nor did he want his G.P.A. to suffer, but if the choice was Kagome or schoolwork, the miko was always going to win.

Though her life didn't revolve completely around her classes as his always had, he knew that her grades were still important to her. She tried to finish all of her work before partying on the weekends, and when she didn't, she stayed up all night Sunday night to ensure that she got it all done before class. She worked hard on her assignments. He knew that based on her psychology presentation.

It might take some time, but the two of them would grow used to each other's schedules. They would figure out how to get their work done without sacrificing time together. They had to, because if something had to suffer, their relationship or his schoolwork, school would lose every single time. He didn't want that to happen, though, because he wanted to graduate on time with a degree that would get him a job that would allow him to give her the life she deserved. He didn't want to depend on his father's money for the rest of his life, because he truly had no guarantee that it would always be there. The old dog could cut him off at any moment, for any reason. No, he wanted to take care of himself, and her, all by himself.

He considered 'I'm sorry' cupcakes from the cafe, but they still had more than half of their new apartment cake left over. A smoothie might brighten her afternoon, but he didn't want her to think he was trying to buy her off with sweets either. He thought about flowers, but he'd have to walk off campus to find them, which would make him late. Finally, he settled for heading home empty handed, with a heart full of love he ached to share with her.

He opened the door and stepped inside, expecting to find her sitting at her study desk tapping away at her computer or stretched out on the couch reading a textbook, but she wasn't there. He sniffed the air in the room and found her scent to be old. She hadn't been there for a while. Suddenly very concerned, Sesshoumaru rushed to the bedroom. His stomach twisted and his heart skipped a beat as he noticed that her bags of belongings that had lined the floor were gone.

That was it. He'd lost her. One mistake and she'd left him, without saying a single word. The taiyoukai walked through the apartment like a man lost, and he was. He was lost without her and he had no idea what to do. Finally, he sat down on the couch, his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands, as he searched his mind for some way to win her back. He had to, because he couldn't live without her.

He never should have stopped her. He should have let her do whatever she wanted with him. Then none of this would be happening. He might have made it to class on time once they'd finished having sex and he might not have. He might have stayed in bed holding her for the rest of the day. Either way, she would still be there with him. What had he been thinking?!

Sesshoumaru looked up in shock at the sound of a key being inserted into the door and he was on his feet in an instant. The door swung open and there she was, the beautiful woman that had stolen his heart. Maybe she hadn't finished collecting all of her things yet. Maybe he still had a chance to stop her, to keep her with him.

Kagome looked up from her phone, spotting the taiyoukai standing in the middle of the living room like a statue. He looked paler than usual, stricken, as if someone close to him had died, and she was instantly concerned.

"Sesshoumaru?"

She suddenly found herself wrapped in his arms, her own arms pinned awkwardly to her body. He buried his nose in her hair and breathed her scent in deeply before letting out a heart wrenching whine. "Please, Kagome," he murmured against her throat. "Stay. Don't leave me."

"Sesshoumaru? What's gotten into you? Why would I be leaving you?"

"Because I upset you. Because I made you think that school is more important to me than you are. It's not, Kagome. You mean more to me than anything."

"What made you think that?" she asked, wiggling her arms loose so she could cup his cheeks and stare into his eyes.

"Your things, they are gone."

Kagome shook her head with a sigh. "I unpacked. Did you think I was going to live out of bags forever?"

"Then you were not...?"

"No, Sesshoumaru, I wasn't leaving you. I was just down the hall talking to the girl in 10D. I must have lost track of time, because I meant to be back before you were." Suddenly, his lips were pressed to hers in a passionate, needy kiss and Kagome allowed it, knowing that he needed reassurance. When he pulled back, she smiled at him. "If I was leaving you, you'd know."

"What does that mean?"

"That I wouldn't simply disappear while you were out. I wouldn't do that to you. And I have no intention of leaving you, especially not over something so small. Look, we're going to fight at some point. Every couple does, but that doesn't mean that I'll leave you just because we disagree or you make me angry. We'll fight and then we'll make up. We'll work it out. I'm here for the long haul, Sesshoumaru. I'm not going to quit and give you up at the drop of a hat. I couldn't.

"We're here for a reason, big guy. We're at college to learn, to get a degree. Classes are more important than lying around in bed all day. Assignments take precedence over cuddling. School is more important than I am."

"Never. At some point, school will end, but I wish for our relationship to endure."

Kagome smiled up at him. "It will, but if I start affecting your studies, we're going to have a problem. You need to do your work and I need to do mine. It might take a bit, getting used to each other's schedules and study habits, but we'll figure it out. It's a plus that the desks aren't in the bedroom. If one of us needs to pull an all-nighter, the other one can still sleep, at least as best they can sleep in that big bed alone." His arms were still wrapped firmly around her and the miko studied his face. "You really thought I'd left you?"

"I did."

"Do you not realize how important you are to me?"

"I... I thought..."

"You thought wrong, Sesshoumaru. Now, are you all right?" He nodded silently and she smiled once more. "I have news. Good and bad. What do you want to hear first?"

"Bad, I suppose," he replied, ready to get whatever the problem was out in the open so they could solve it.

"My bottle of vodka won't fit in the freezer."

The miko grinned as Sesshoumaru chuckled, his shoulders falling in relief. If that was the worst news she had for him, then things were going to be okay. "Does it need to be in the freezer?"

"It doesn't need to be, but it's better that way. It gets all thick and syrupy and it doesn't warm up whatever you're adding it to."

"Well then we will simply have to make room in the freezer. And what is the good news?"

"Well, Sandy, down the hall, told me the greatest thing. You know how takeout places wouldn't deliver to the dorm rooms? Well, they do deliver here!"

Sesshoumaru couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Is delivery that important? I could have always gone and picked up whatever you wanted."

"But you don't have to! It's great. We can order pizza, Chinese, Mexican, subs... anything that delivers, all without leaving the apartment. It'll come in handy around mid-terms when we barely have time to eat at all."

"I love how happy such a simple thing like this can make you," he told her, pressing his lips to her forehead. "So, I am assuming you desire takeout of some kind again, to celebrate your discovery?"

Kagome looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm, get takeout or eat stuff to make room for the vodka in the freezer? That's a tough one. What sounds good to you?"

Finally, Sesshoumaru released Kagome from his arms and walked to the freezer. He opened it and stared inside for a long moment before pulling out a mid-sized Mexican lasagna. He held it up for the miko to see and she nodded.

"Not a bad choice. Is that oven or microwave?"

"Either," he replied as he studied the cooking instructions. "It is still early. I say we heat it up in the oven."

The miko grinned. "To using the oven for the first time," she said before lifting up on her toes to press her lips to his. "Hopefully we don't burn the place down."

The couple then set about discovering all the cooking utensils their new kitchen contained, all in search of a cookie sheet to cook their lasagna on. Once the thing was finally in the oven, they continued to inventory the items in the cupboards and drawers, familiarizing themselves with the locations of everything.

"There's even a pie pan!" Kagome exclaimed in amusement. "I can barely make iced tea. I don't think I'll be doing any pie baking."

"We are going to have to learn how to cook eventually. We cannot depend on frozen foods forever."

Kagome raised a brow at him with interest. "You want to learn how to cook?"

"I thought it might be something we could do together."

The miko couldn't help but smile at that. "We're going to need someone to teach us."

"There is always the internet."

Kagome laughed. "Do you turn to the internet to answer every question you have?"

"It has not let me down so far."

"So," she started, a wicked smirk coming over her face, "have you read through a tutorial yet, or is that really why you stopped me earlier?" She watched in amusement as Sesshoumaru's cheeks flushed pink.

"No, I have not searched for a tutorial on intercourse," he said, his embarrassment obvious. "But that is not why I stopped you, though I am still concerned that I will disappoint you," the taiyoukai confessed.

The miko leaned close to Sesshoumaru, pressing her lips to his chin affectionately. "You won't disappoint me. Really, the absolute worst thing you can do is finish before I do, and even then, that's not a big deal because you're a demon. If you were a human male, you'd need time before you could get it up and keep it up again. As a demon, well, you just whip off the used condom, slip on a new one, and get right back to it. No chance of disappointing me."

"I'm sure there is something else I could do to embarrass myself," he told her.

Kagome laughed. "If you're looking for problems, you're going to find them. So, how much have you thought this through, anyway? Do you have a plan for how you want it to go? Is there a certain way you want to do it the first time?"

"How can you talk about this so easily with not a hint of a blush on your cheeks?" Sesshoumaru asked the miko in awe.

"Why be embarrassed about something we're going to do, that we're going to enjoy, that we're going to want to do over and over again? We need to be able to talk about sex honestly and openly if we want this to work. So, spill. All the fantasies for your first time."

Sesshoumaru looked her over appraisingly for a moment before shrugging. "I figured I would allow you to lead me. You're the one with experience and you named yourself my teacher. Why not let you teach then?"

Kagome smiled widely. "The perfect man."