The sun was near the horizon, the setting rays illuminating the study where Sesshomaru sat. His back was to the windows, allowing him to continue working without the need to have candles lit just yet. He hadn't heard much from his guards in regards to Seraphina since they had returned from early that morning other than her remaining within the rooms provided for her. She had requested meals to come to her rooms and even had the seamstress come to her rooms to work on finding a style that would suit her better than kimonos.

Hearing a quiet knock on the door, he flared his jaki but did not look up from the document he was reading. The door was opened before closing quietly and he could hear quiet footsteps. The scent of blackberries and vanilla reaching him over the smell of tea and something sweet had him glancing up to see Seraphina as she placed a silver tray on the low table near the unlit fireplace. Her hair was loose around her, apart from the four tight small braids on the sides of her head that were pulled back into one braid. She had yet to speak as she knelt down in front of the fireplace and got a fire going and he took in her clothing.

It was made of silk, the black hamakas tailored to her legs peaked through the slits of the single layered white outer kimono with flowers of reds and oranges she wore that disappeared under the strange red obi around her waist that surrounded her entire abdomen and back, pulled together by white string in front. He noticed around the obi there where a dozen thin rectangular sections stitched and spaced equally. Once the fire was burning steadily, she finally got to her feet and looked over at him, her eyes glowing in the setting rays of the sun.

"You work so much, Sho," she spoke softly, walking past his desk to stand at the window and watch the sunset.

"Hn," he mused as he focused back on the document in his hands.

"Duties... of a lord, I guess."

"Are you well, Seraphina?" he inquired.

"I am okay."

"May this one inquire why you confined yourself to your rooms?"

"Less trouble... guests not talk nice... call one skækja... despite mark of pack... Claimed they could... smell remnant of sex... even after bathing," she muttered and he glanced back over to see her leaning against the window, arms crossed and a frown across her face.

"Do you regret our joining?"

"No," she smiled softly as she turned her head to meet his gaze. "Just don't care... for gossiping bitches... I brought some tea... thought you would... like a break."

Putting the document down, Sesshomaru got to his feet and followed her over to the low table and sat down. She turned the two cups over and poured the tea she had brought up, while his curiosity of what was under the silver cover took over. He lifted the cover off and saw two triangular slices of a fruit pastry that had both a top and bottom while slices of peaches where in the center, surrounded by an orange clear gelatinous sauce.

She let out a hum and it made him look at her and saw a smile on her face. She lifted one of the plates and set it in front of him with a fork before doing the same with one of the cups of tea. Her eyes met his as she brought her cup to her lips, but did not say anything, the smile never leaving her face.

"What is this?" he inquired.

"You youkai... are so suspicious," she mused as she moved to sit on her knees, turning towards him. She grabbed his fork and took some of the sweet pastry and lifted it up to him. "Try."

Humoring her request, he allowed her to feed him the bite. The pastry was soft but complimented the flavors of peaches wonderfully. He tasted that sugar had been used and a hint of something else that he could not name.

"Rin and the chef... had similar expressions..." she chuckled as she put the fork on the edge of the plate in front of him. "It is peach pie."

""You made this?" he asked and she nodded. "What flavor did you add?"

"Cinnamon... New spice for here... Chef said imported... from India. Common back home..."

He watched as she took a bite of her own slice, a hint of the sweet sauce left on her bottom lip. He grabbed her chin and pulled her towards him, surprise in her eyes as he licked the sauce away before kissing her. Her tongue met his as he slid it into her mouth, tasting her and she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself into his lap. She kissed back as she straddled him, her actions causing him to growl as he felt himself becoming painfully aroused.

He slid his hand into her hair and jerked her head back, pressing kisses down her neck as he pushed her back. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he hovered over her once her back was on the floor. Moving her kimono, he exposed her breasts as she wasn't wearing the strange chest binding and brought her left nipple into his mouth as he went to tease the other, sliding his free hand further down her body. He had her whimpering from the stimulation of him playing with her breasts and drug his hand over her hip before securing it around her thigh that was around him and ground his erection against her clothed core, making her moan.

Feeling her hands slide into his hair and pull, he lifted his head back to hers and pressed a feather light kiss against her parted lips. He pulled back just enough to look at her crimson eyes barely open and saw that they were glazed over in the need he had awoken within her. She tried to pull him back down to her and he smirked as he resisted as he rocked his hips back into hers, relishing in seeing her eyes roll back into her head with the stimulation.

"Sho..." her voice shook as she managed to talk. "Please..."

"Please what?" he taunted as he pinched her nipple, causing her to whimper.

"Stop teasing..." she begged.

"If this one where to refuse," he breathed as he lowered his head to her neck and nipped at the mark on her neck.

"Please..." her voice as he slowly rolled his hips against her core.

"No," he murmured as he slid his hand from her leg back up to the waist of her hamakas.

Her hands came down to help his and jerked her hamakas past her hips as she unlocked her legs from around his waist. He helped her pull them off completely and discarded them somewhere behind him. The scent of her arousal bombarded his nose and a thought crossed his mind from something she had mentioned the night before. He kissed his way down her body, his free hand going to the crisscross ties of her strange obi and undid them and opened her kimono completely.

Continuing the path down her body, he reached the scar on her lower abdomen. He brought his hand down and stroked the ash stained scar before kissing his way further down, her shaky breaths reaching his sensitive ears. Her hands slid back into his hair and pushed him further, encouraging his actions. Sliding his hand down from the scar, he ran his fingers over her core, feeling how wet she was before licking her and a breathy moan escaped her. Her hands tightened in his hair as he used his hand to open her nether lips and ran his tongue across her core, causing her hips to buck up into his face.

"More..."

Her whimper caused a growl to escape him before he plunged his tongue into her wet core, tasting her arousal. Using the same technique she had taught him with kissing, he buried his face and devoured her. She moaned and as he slid two fingers into her slick core, he alternated plunging his tongue into her and sucking on the quivering bundle of nerves. Repeating this process as he added a third finger, she became a whimpering mess and as he glanced up her naked body, he found her biting her arm as she tried to quiet herself.

He reached up with his free hand and pulled her arm away from her mouth as he increased the speed of his fingers thrusting into her. Now that her mouth was uncovered, her beautiful moans filled the room and he could tell that she was nearing her peak. Focusing his mouth on the sensitive bundle as he kept his hand thrusting into her. He had no warning when her legs suddenly clamped down around his head and her body arched as her inner walls clamped down around his hand.

He withdrew his hand and cleaned her body of any escaped juices as her legs slowly relaxed around him and he moved to kneel over her. Her eyes were still closed as she trembled from her orgasm and he used that to remove his pulsing length from his hamakas and used her juices to coat his length. He positioned himself at her entrance and thrust into her, filling her completely in a single move and she cried out in a mix of pain and pleasure. She muttered something in her language and he rocked his hips, recognizing her words as vulgarities she had spoken the night she woke in that crater, causing a moan to interrupt her.

Bringing his hands to her hips, his claws pierced her skin and he sent some jaki through the small wounds before pulling back and thrust into her as he saw his jaki take hold. He set a rough pace of pounding into her, having learned the night before that she did not prefer a gentle rut and her breathy moans and the growls that escaped him filled the room. Before long he threw her into another orgasm and increased his pace wanting to throw her into a third before his own.

He pulled her off the ground so she was straddling him as he sat on his knees. Her arms came around his neck and helped further his pace now that he had given her leverage. At this angle, he felt himself going deeper into her and she was quickly becoming a moaning mess before her body clenched around him, pulling him into his own release with her and he felt himself swell within her, trapping her in his lap.

"Halt! You cannot enter...!" Sesshomaru felt his eyes bleed red as the doors burst open, revealing one of the healers from the castle with dark brown hair pulled back into a single braid. "Sorry, sir...!"

"Leave!" He snarled as he saw the soldier's eyes fall to Seraphina in his lap and he quickly obeyed, leaving the healer in the room. Seraphina had not made a sound as she clung to him, her face buried against his neck while her kimono barely stayed on her shoulders. "What possible reason could you have for barging in here, Kabuto?"

"Forgive me for ignoring the rules, Lord Sesshomaru, but there was no reason given for my summons, only to come immediately," Kabuto spoke, his sea-green slitted eyes focused on the window. "Yes the whole residence could hear you rutting with your pack mate, but had there been an medical emergency, that wouldn't stop me."

As his knot receded, Sesshomaru pulled himself out of Seraphina and tucked himself back into his hamakas before she moved. She pulled her kimono around her as she got off his lap and held it closed as she grabbed her obi and pulled it on while lacing it carefully, then pulled the strings, tightening it before tying off the strings. He sat at the low table again as Seraphina moved to kneel in front of the fireplace and he saw ash move subtlety under her kimono as she did what she had done before to prevent herself being pupped then added another log to the fire. She got to her feet and quickly pulled her hamakas back on before taking her seat at the low table and remained silent as took a drink of her tea.

"Ingenious use of Sprite magic, young one," Kabuto spoke and Seraphina lifted her crimson eyes to him as he moved to sit across from her, "using ash to ensure you don't become pupped. You have Youkai characteristics and over a dozen Sprite gems, what did you sacrifice for their help?"

"Sho... maru...?" Crimson eyes met molten gold full of questions and sadness.

"And a foreigner...? My lord, where did you find such a curious pack mate?"

"You were summoned to see if there were ways to help her injuries heal faster than they have been, not for her story, Kabuto," Sesshomaru spoke as he focused on the healer, seeing Seraphina's shoulders relax some.

"If these gems are to help her heal, then her story is needed. Sprites are extremely nosey creatures and gems are personalized depending on what the receiver's condition was and what was sacrificed."

Seraphina muttered something, annoyance and anger in her tone but she had fallen back on her language as she focused on the cup in her hands.

"No words have to be spoken, Norse child," the healer spoke and her head shot up, evident surprise visible. "I have traveled much to further my knowledge of healing and Sprite magic. Your eyes are Ryuu, are they not? If the past is too painful to speak of, I am capable of both Ryuu and Sprite mental links."

"You understand her language?" Sesshomaru inquired.

"Yes my lord, while serving under your sire, he allowed me to travel abroad and spent some time among the Nords, fascinating culture and the Sprites there are more advanced than those here."

"Sprite link... wouldn't work..." Seraphina murmured quietly and Sesshomaru focused on her, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her cup tightly. "No trust..."

"That is true. Will you, pack mate of Lord Sesshomaru, allow me into your mind? Once I know how your sealing gems were created and what they are meant for, I could possibly help the healing process."

"Fine."

Kabuto got to his feet and came around to kneel behind Seraphina, her back pressing against his chest and her hands trembled as she forced herself to release her cup. A slight growl escaped Sesshomaru as Kabuto brought his hands up and moved the collar of her kimono to the edge of her shoulders before pressing his palms against the junction of her shoulders and fingers fanning out across her neck, his thumbs under her jaw lifting her head back before lowering his head to press his forehead to hers. Her hands came up and slid under the collar of his haori to press her palms to the pulse in his neck then both of their bodies stiffened as their eyes closed.

Sesshomaru watched with growing concern as a pained expression crossed both their faces. Seraphina's lips parted as her breathing became faster and tears escaped her closed eyes. As he listened, he could hear both of their hearts beating in sync as this went on until after then sun had fully set.