Sango had one month to fall helplessly in love with Sesshomaru. The unrest in the kingdom seemed to subside with the news of their engagement and any animosity that remained within the staff faded away.

"Mother would like for you to stop by later today, she claims that your input on wedding stuff would be invaluable."

Sango huffed at that, she wasn't interested in spending even a single moment with that woman, "I thought you were helping her?"

He shrugged, "apparently I'm, quote, the most un-stylish and ungrateful son to ever disgrace the bloodline, end quote."

"It couldn't have been that bad." She clapped him on the shoulder, staring up into his passive expression. Sometimes, he was really pretty.

"Who am I to argue with my mother?"

Sango silently vowed to bring Kagome with her when she left after lunch. If anyone needed out of this manor it was Kagome. According to InuYasha, she refused to speak to him. No matter what he did or how hard he tried, Kagome would not say a word to him.

She tried to explain that different people had different coping mechanisms, but he was never the most understanding person. Instead he'd ranted and raved about how he was the one she should be trusting. Which, obviously, hadn't worked.

"Are you alright?" His hair spilled to the left as he cocked his head at her, looking very much like a confused puppy.

"It's nothing."

His frown only deepened, but she ignored him, turning a corner at random. They had no destination today, instead she had insisted on roaming and he'd followed.

"How can it be nothing?"

She rolled her eyes, the inability to catch a hint seemed to run in the blood, but she knew how to distract him. Without warning she caged him between herself and the wall, standing on her toes to kiss him.

His indignation about being treated like a damsel never failed to distract him. This time was no different. She felt the air around her shift, "don't you think you're a little short for a kabedon?"

Short? She crossed her arms over her chest, "I'm not short, you're freakish."

He smirked at her, but his eyes weren't on hers anymore. She shoved against him, calling him a pervert as she passed. The least he could have done was pretend to look at her neck.

His hand caught her wrist in that abandoned hallway and he pulled her back, kissing her again, stealing her breath and making her skin feel like a live wire. His hands on her hips inched backwards, cupping her rear end as his lips moved to her neck. Nibbling and suckling the flesh there made her breath catch.

She didn't trust her own voice as the top of her kimono began to go loose around her shoulders. His lips moved slowly down her collar and then his fingers were fiddling with the pink buds on her perfect breasts.

It was all she could do to combat the shakiness in her legs, "w-what are you doing?" He was on his knees now, popping one of those puckered buds between his lips. He nipped the sensitive skin and twirled his tongue around the peak.

He released her with a pop, his other hand was mindlessly sliding south, "would you like me to stop?" He switched breasts, giving the right side proper attention as his fingers wandered. Her mind was quickly going foggy. His fingers seemed to find exactly what he was searching for and she squeaked.

Cheeky and in control, he whispered, "sh. Don't want to get caught now do you?"

She'd get him for this. His pointed tongue slid down her belly and his expert fingers undid her obi one handed. She wasn't entirely sure what he was up to, she wasn't well versed in things like these, but when his tongue flicked across her most sensitive piece, she trembled.

That was all he needed. He was careful of his claws, sliding into her most secret place and pushing on the raised bump within her. Her hand clamped over her mouth as he used his tongue to circle the bud of nerves hidden in her folds. The longer he was at it the more she felt something within her start to coil. Her toes curled and her mind was going foggy.

He swole with pride at the song of her whimpers. Her hips bucked against his face, her chest arching upwards. Her eyes squeezed shut and her muttering became incoherent as her thighs clamped down on his head.

She was shaking and suddenly exhausted. The haze that settled in her mind was different from the fog of pure animal pleasure.

"Why?" She wasn't complaining, not anymore, but they were in a hallway. Anyone could have passed by.

He smiled at her, licking his lips, "you wanted to distract me. I didn't want to be distracted. I figured this was a good compromise."

The front of his kimono was wet. She covered her face in abject horror. This was not the kind of distraction she was looking for. His gentle hands righted her kimono and retied her obi before scooping her up and leading her back the way they came.

"Where'd you even learn that stuff?" Her legs were trembling, much to his delight. A puff of jealousy rose in her chest. No one got that good off of intuition alone.

"Written instruction."

The jealousy subsided instantly, Sesshomaru and his smut. If he was going to learn things from those stories, she resolved to buy him some more.

Her bedroom came into view and she dragged him inside. She had no idea what she was doing, but he'd had far too much fun watching her squirm. She would see how the Great Lord of the West reacted to being undone.

She latched her door and shoved him up against it. His eyebrow disappeared into his bangs as she pulled the ribbon holding his pants in place. Half of her work was already done. Seeing her squirm had done a number on him and now his excitement was as clear as glass.

Without hesitation she gripped it, smirking when he sucked in a breath. His ageless existence seemed to come with a timeless virginity.

Her fluid movements made him sigh in content, trying to clench his thighs against her hot breath on the tip.

"Don't you da-," his normal baritone rocketed up an octave as she wrapped her lips around his length. There were stars behind his eyes and he knew it would be over well before it began.

"Like this?"

She twirled her hand around the base of his shaft, still bobbing along the length. Her eyes were questioning as he bit his lip.

"Yes, that's - yes,"

She smirked, loosening her kimono top so that she was bare before him. He tried to warn her, but his thoughts were so scattered that the only word he was able to rasp was, "cumming." She enveloped him in his entirety, making a small noise of surprise at her reward.

His cheeks were pink and he slid down the wall looking dazed.

"We shouldn't lay here on the floor." She giggled, tugging his arm. Her touch on his electrified skin made him shudder.

"You're a real bitch, you know that, right?"

She giggled at him, "you're the bitch. You started it."

OoOo

Kagome knocked on Sango's door an hour before lunch, opening it to find Sesshomaru lying near it. His hair was wrapped around him, like he'd rolled out of the way, a scroll in his hand.

"What are you always reading?" She knelt beside him on the floor, reading over his shoulder. Sango watched as her face went red.

"Have you no shame?" His eyes were still half lidded, but Kagome could not place the laziness that hid behind the amber disks that gazed at her. He was so different from his brother. InuYasha was so expressive, she could always tell what he was thinking.

She missed him, but she couldn't face him. Not yet. Not when there was something growing within her, parasitic and damning. She wanted nothing more than to shoo Sesshomaru away and have her friend for herself, but she couldn't bear to be anymore of a burden.

Instead she climbed onto Sango's bed, leaning on her shoulder as she fiddled with Sango's long, straight hair.

"Would you like me to leave, priestess?" His eyes never left his scroll, but the twitch of his nose made panic clench her heart. He knew. He knew and he was giving her an out, but what would he do once he left ? Would he go and tell his brother? Did he care either way?

She couldn't risk it.

"You guys have to promise that you won't tell anyone. Not even InuYasha."

Sango threw a pillow at Sesshomaru, scowling when he caught it and launched it back, somehow hitting both of them with it, "when people talk to you it is generally kind to give them your attention." Kagome didn't much mind if he paid her any attention or not, but he stood from his place on the floor, closing the scroll with a snap of his wrists.

"Well," he sat before them, leaning against the footboard, "any moment now, your highness."

"You haven't promised yet," she held out her pinky to Sango, smiling when she accepted her terms with ease, and then to Sesshomaru.

He stared at it, clearly not amused.

Kagome would not be discouraged. She reached across the bed, grabbing his hand and dragging it closer to her.

"What are you doing?"

Sango was giggling at him, "it's a promise. You wrap your pinky around hers to lock it in."

He nodded, "and who is to say that I agree to her terms? I will do what I please with the secrets I already know."

Kagome choked, "secrets?"

He stretched, pulling his scroll open once more, "I'll leave you both to your conversation."

Sango stared between the two, taking note of the paleness in Kagome's face, "it's only been a week, Kagome, there's no way you could be -," Sango repositioned herself so she could look at both of them, "it's not possible."

"Gestation for mortal women carrying pups is 90 days, more or less." Sesshomaru never looked up from his scroll, but his eyes weren't following the words. His jaw seemed to tick with the pressure of his grinding teeth, "I assure you it is very possible."

Sango turned back to Kagome, clutching the girl in a viper like grip. If she'd just accepted Sesshomaru's advances earlier, just forgiven him and forgotten about the pipe dream that was falling in love, Kagome wouldn't be suffering. Her own selfishness was the reason the kingdom had descended into turmoil, it was why Kagome couldn't look anyone in the eye anymore.

Sesshomaru was suspiciously quiet as Sango made plans. They could move Kagome back to the palace and let her hide away until the baby- or babies were born. She'd visit everyday and make sure she was alright. She was making lists and trying to figure out which herbs were native to this land, but all the while Sesshomaru knew that she would likely not survive.

Half demon births were vicious. The babies took what they needed from their mothers without regard for her survival. They were parasitic and their needs were difficult to meet. The strength of the father only added to the complications. If they were out of balance, as was often the case for assault victims, the pregnancy would only be worse.

If he was being honest, he was sure she wouldn't make it past the next three weeks. Not without a full demon as her mate, feeding her energy and calming the pup.

To put it simply, InuYasha wouldn't do.

Still, he said nothing. Her survival was dependent upon her ability to find a demon fully willing to take responsibility for some other demon's spawn. That in and of itself was unlikely. To throw away your ability to mark your one love on the hope that you could help some strange mortal was not something most people wished to do.

He could feel his leg jumping. The entire thing was making him feel scatterbrained and trapped. He was not responsible for the priestess.

"...it's only been a little while, but already everything hurts so badly. I think he likes you though. Ever since I got here the pain has all but subsided."

That was his cue to leave. It wouldn't do for her parasite to think of him as it's father. Without much success he tried to suck the spiraling feeling of baseless dread behind the metal doors of his mind.

He couldn't help her. He would not give his mark to her when it already belonged to Sango. It was not his fault that she was pregnant, not his fault that her moon cycle had betrayed her. It was not him who held her down and took what was not his.

That knowledge, that Sango's dearest friend was harmed on his property, under his nose, didn't help the roiling emotions that built in his chest like black smoke.

Sango's hand on his knee brought him back, her concerned eyes swam into view. He hadn't even noticed he'd closed his eyes. The world seemed too bright and the possibilities seemed too vast. He wanted to lie under the bed, to make the world small again.

"What are you not telling us?" She blocked his view of the room with her hands, only allowing him to focus on her. It helped.

Her energy was gentle. She would not try and force him. He knew that, but she would be disappointed. She'd blame herself for his insensitivity, mourn the girl and her lost pups for too long.

"I," he pulled her hands from his face, trying to force the fragmented pieces of his mind back into place. He wanted to leave, to breathe in a place where expectations didn't seem to weigh so heavily on his psyche.

But he would not be weak.

"Kagome, we should grab some tea and treats. We can milk him for information in a few."

The priestess stared at her friend, surely wondering why she'd want snacks when lunch was so close.

They were gone in moments and he breathed a shuddering sigh of relief. He didn't know if the feeling was anxiety or fear, but he couldn't breathe -even though he felt his chest heaving. He was nauseated and nervous and he didn't know why.

He fumbled for quill and paper, cursing Sango's lack of stationary.

His reading scroll would have to do. There was a quill on her nightstand. He scribbled the words he couldn't seem to choke out. The more ink spilled onto the parchment the better he began to feel. The shards of his brain fused back together, his shaking hands were the only proof of his undoing.

He'd have to thank Sango for her quick thinking and insist that she keep a stack of parchment around here somewhere.

They returned with a tray.

She didn't speak as they settled into the cold floor, but her eyes conveyed her question, "better?"

He nodded once, suddenly tired.

"Now tell us what it was that had you all shaken up."

OoOo

He kept the spiraling to himself. Instead he focused on the twitching of Sango's toes as he explained everything. He made it clear that he would not interfere, that Kagome's survival depended entirely upon finding someone willing to intervene.

By the time he finished his retelling, Kagome was awfully green.

The realization that she would die alone made her sick to her stomach, "what about your Tenseiga?" She looked nearly hopeful as he blew a heavy sigh into the air.

"It works when it wants to. If the messengers of the afterlife appear, I can save you, but sometimes they simply don't. Should that happen, there will be nothing I can do to save you."

Kagome and Sango were holding each other, "what should I do then?"

He decided that he didn't like the helpless look they shared. There were experimental procedures that may be worth looking into, blood transfusions and exposure therapy, but they were just that -experimental. This kingdom had not seen a half demon in centuries. Mortals were simply an anomaly.

Sango crawled closer to him, desperate for a better answer. He could not tell her that her friend would die and expect her to accept it. Without Kagome there were so many hurdles she would not have been able to overcome. She'd risked her life to fix their world, she couldn't just die.

He stared into those precious, mahogany eyes, trying to quell the need to keep her content. He'd told her that he loved her and what would he not do for the woman that he loved?

"I can speak to the guard that caused this, but I think it would do more harm that good."

Kagome stood before him, trembling, "what if you hit me. What if you punched me with your full strength?"

"The pup would react violently. He'd drain you of all he could to avoid his demise. I don't think there's a faster way to die."

InuYasha swung the door open, fuming, "this is why you wouldn't speak to me? You're pregnant with that bastard's spawn?"

"I don't think now is the time." Sesshomaru's words were cold, his eyes like glass as he swallowed the feelings that stirred within him, "we need to find a full demon willing to take responsibility for this child, without it this human will die."

"And why couldn't it be you?" InuYasha had his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed dangerously, "would it kill you to be helpful for once? For all of the shit you've put into the world, why can't you put out something positive for once."

Sesshomaru kept his eyes elsewhere, uninterested in facing his accusations head on. Sango never realized how many of his mannerisms were defense mechanisms. He dragged his claws through his hair, focusing on anything but the noise.

He seemed to get overwhelmed easily, but she didn't know how to help him.

"Stop yelling, InuYasha." Sango stood in the way of his gaze, "you're making everyone uneasy. We're trying to think of a solution, but it's not an easy fix. Killing the baby will kill her, letting it live will kill her, we need to find someone with the energy and the mark to spare."

"Then why would you hide this from me! Why would you not come to me and let me be the one to offer you the mark." He was staring at Kagome, but she would not meet his eyes, "I've risked my life for you a hundred times over, but you'd rather die than give me the chance to help you. You don't have to love me, but I don't want to lose any more family. Miroku is gone and if you go too," he blinked rapidly, staring into the ceiling as he fought for control, "I don't know what I'll do."

"You won't be able to help her, brother." Sesshomaru was facing him again, "no matter what you do, you'll always be a half demon."

"Then, oh great and powerful Lord Sesshomaru, why won't you help me? For once- for fucking once- give me a fucking hand." InuYasha's voice was rising, breaking in his anguish.

And Sesshomaru was quiet, withdrawing more and more as InuYasha yelled.

He wished he was under the bed again, wished to break something, wished to hurt someone. All the while Sango was trying to mediate, trying to stop InuYasha's screaming while translating the half demon's frustration to her fiancé.

She could see him detaching himself further from the situation, gardening like the coating on a candy apple.

"InuYasha, it's better if you leave." Sango was pushing and trying hopelessly to convince him, but he knocked her out of his way.

And the worst part? He didn't know why InuYasha was bleeding, didn't know where the gushing wound had come from.

He needed to leave. Sango was quick to reprimand Sesshomaru, but it wasn't as if he could hear her. His eyes darted between the door and the window right before he slipped through the narrow space and disappeared.

The gash, at least, wasn't deep. Kagome hadn't said a word to anyone as she watched everything go down.

"We need to talk. Don't we, InuYasha? Because to say that I don't love you," she stood, crossing the distance and wrapping herself in his embrace, "that's just proof that you're stupid. I made one mistake and now everything is being taken away from me. My avoiding you is not a sign that I don't love you. It's a sign that I'm ashamed that the baby I'm having isn't yours."

He wrapped her in one arm, putting the cheek that wasn't dripping blood on her head, "stupid girl. Like you should ever be ashamed of something like that." He paused, watching as Sango went out the window after his homicidal brother, "I'm...sorry that I've been impossible. Sango told me you needed time, but I wouldn't listen. I felt so guilty that you'd been hurt after that stupid fight."

"It almost seems trivial now, doesn't it?" She was whispering into his robes, comforted by his presence despite the pain. She may not live past the month, but she would accept her triumphs and consider earning InuYasha's unshakable love one of them.

A.N./ You're not gonna tell me that Sesshomaru isn't violent to avoid having to deal with his actual emotions. This is not up for discussion lol