"As a pearl within its shell, the happy spirit sleeps within me." - Bayard Taylor

Almost the moment they were inside Kagome's apartment, Inuyasha had her in his arms and propped up on the back of the couch. She moaned softly at the press of his hips into hers. "Dammit woman, what are you doing to me?" he wondered breathlessly. He felt Kagome's smile against his cheek before he claimed her lips again. He felt desperate for something. He knew what his youkai half was desperate for, his instinct to cover any other male's scent, but there was something else, something deeper. Kami, I want to mark her. Never having felt the urge before in his life, it nearly overwhelmed him in its intensity. He wanted to imprint his scent into her skin, let his youki twine with her aura until they were inseparable. His youkai was clawing at him to make her his and never let her go.

He'd never felt this kind of intense want, the need. Kikyo had inspired a desire for companionship and a need to prove himself. But he'd never really felt desire for her physically and certainly not with the strength of a punch in the gut. He had only kissed Kikyo once, and her reiki had burned him in response. He'd assumed it was him, that her aura felt threatened by his youki and that by changing that about himself, he could finally have and feel the affection they both wanted. Kagome's reiki had yet to respond to him.

More than anything - more than her body, her acceptance - Inuyasha wanted Kagome to stay by his side forever. Is that just selfish possessiveness? he wondered as he nuzzled her throat. He didn't want anyone else to have her. He wanted the bouzu to know she was with him and only him. He didn't want to give any other hanyou the opportunity to meet her and fulfill that stupid prophecy. Kagome belonged with him, wanted him, loved him. He gasped loudly as both the realization hit him and Kagome's delicate touch on his ear sent a bolt of electric heat through his system. Kagome loved him. As he was. The truth of the conviction filled him like a fine sake buzz and he blinked at her. "What's wrong?" she whispered, gently touching his cheek.

"Nothing," he replied. "I just... I can't believe you want me." His whispered words brought tears to her eyes and she used both hands to cup his face, bringing him in for a soft kiss.

"Even when I only dreamed of you, when you were human, I wanted you, wanted to protect you. Now..." The fire that lit her eyes, the growl in her voice made him shudder, his mouth seeking out hers once again. Her moan matched his pleasured growl. "Inuyasha, please..." He didn't need to hear the rest to know what she wanted. He peeled off his suikan, his t-shirt quickly following suit. His fingers sought bare skin under the back of her top, pulling it over her head a moment later. He hissed softly at the feeling of her bare skin against his own.

Kagome felt like she had electricity running through her body. Her skin tingled everywhere and she felt flushed and needy. This was far more intense than any heavy petting she'd been involved in before. She'd had a few boyfriends, none very serious, and nothing had ever moved past a slightly eager make-out session. Eager was nowhere near a strong enough word for what was happening between them now.

Inuyasha's hands under her thighs let her know that things had gone from "more than eager" to "intense." He lifted her to set her legs around his hips and carried her to her bedroom. Kagome felt nervousness try to creep up on her, but she pushed it down. If things got out of hand, Inuyasha would stop for her, she knew it. She trusted him and he would know the moment she felt uncomfortable anyway.

Her comforter was soft under his hands as he leaned over her, pressing down against her welcoming body and finding her mouth waiting for his. Her fingers wove into his long hair, roughly pulling him against her. He complied without complaint. Inuyasha slid his thumbs into the fabric of her pants, catching hold of everything and pulling down. Kagome merely whimpered at the change in temperature. Pulling at the tie on his own hakama while trying to kiss Kagome proved more difficult than he had expected, and he had to pull away from her just long enough to focus on the knot. "Wait, I..." He paused at Kagome's gasp. He took her in - hair tousled, skin flushed and lips kiss-swollen - and all he wanted to do was let his instincts take them to the next step. But she had asked him to stop and he couldn't say he was surprised. He'd expected this all along. "Are you sure about this?" she asked in a whisper. "I just... don't want you to be with me because you feel like you have to."

"Have to?" he asked disbelievingly.

"You know, the prophecy or whatever."

"Fuck the prophecy," he growled, letting his hands fall to either side of her and leaning a little menacingly over her. His hakama dropped of their own accord, forgotten anyway. "I knew nothing of the prophecy a few hours ago when we were in the rec room. If I'm going to be with you, it's going to be because it's what I want and what you want."

"Of course it's what I want," she retorted.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Being with me is a lot more than just this one time, Kagome," he told her firmly, now a little glad she'd pulled him out of his lustful haze long enough to explain things. "You want me, you gotta be ready to have me forever." Kagome said nothing, simply staring at him with a raised eyebrow. "Like centuries forever."

"And?" Inuyasha was a bit baffled. Kagome understood that being with him meant bonding with him for life, being by his side forever? He doubted that. "You think I haven't done my research, that I don't know inuyoukai mark their mates, bonding them body and soul for eternity?" He gaped. "The internet is a truly wonderful thing," she replied with a smirk. Her face turned serious a moment later and he watched her eyes scan his now completely naked form. He knew he should feel vulnerable or embarrassed, instead he just felt his blood inflame at her hungry look. "I only want to make sure you don't feel some obligation to the world or... or to..."

"Kagome," he murmured, lifting her chin with a finger and looking her straight in the eye. "I meant it when I said there was nothing like that between us. We may have wanted things to be that way, but she wanted me to be human and I just didn't want to give up being... me."

"That you even thought of being anything but exactly as you are makes me sick," she said vehemently. Her hands brushed over his shoulders, down his arms, fingers tracing over his claws. "You're perfect."

"Keh."

"I mean that." Inuyasha found himself grinning. "Come here," she said with a laugh, pulling him down and rolling on top of him. He cradled her against him, sucking in a breath when her heat came in contact with his sensitive flesh. Looking up at her, he found her glowing, not only from the soft orange light of the sun setting, but also from her own aura. As he had discovered before, her energy didn't really hurt him, certainly not the painful burn he should feel.

"You gonna purify me?" he asked teasingly. Her head tilted, confused. "You're glowing, Kagome," he said with a laugh. She looked down at herself and her eyes went wide. A soft pink glow was covering her from head to toe, like a faint shield. Inuyasha could only feel the slight tingle of her reiki brushing against his youki, not dissimilar from the familiar texture of his rough firerat suikan brushing his skin. She moved to get off of him as quickly as possible, obviously afraid that she was hurting him. He only gasped at the sensation of her inadvertently moving against him and held her arms to keep her in place. "Stop, you're fine," he told her.

"But I'm..."

"Not hurting me," he interrupted her firmly. "Has this never happened before?" Kagome flushed more naturally under the soft pink glow. "You've never done this before." She quickly shook her head. "Good, neither have I." She looked down at him, clearly stunned. "What did we just talk about?" he growled playfully, turning the tables on her to pull her underneath him and gently press himself against her. "Marking a mate is serious stuff," he explained while distracting her at the same time with kisses on her pale exposed skin, particularly the hollow just above her left collarbone where his mark would most likely go.

"Of course it is," she gasped and pressed up against him when his fingers gently teased her through her bra. "It's just not that common for a guy your age to..."

"Most guys my age aren't hanyou born in the early 1900's who were imprisoned in sleep on a tree for fifty years, are they? Not much opportunity for sowing wild oats."

"They also aren't ridiculously handsome either," she retorted, snagging one fluffy white ear and gently rubbing it between her fingers. Inuyasha growled, shifting against her and making it clear that what she was doing was having a strong effect on his state of arousal. His hand reached for her bra, clearly ready to do something drastic. Kagome forestalled any damage by sitting up and removing it herself. Inuyasha noticed the way her scent changed, a faint tinge of nervousness that hadn't been there before. Is she worried about what I'll think of her or what I might do? he wondered.

"I won't hurt you," he said softly, nosing her cheek and gently nipping her ear.

"I know that." So her hesitation was based on what he thought.

Inuyasha gently nudged her until she lay beneath him. He wasn't quite sure what to say. He couldn't fathom Kagome thought of herself as unattractive, but he knew that a woman's self esteem could be a fragile thing, especially in this day and age. The internet was wonderful for finding information, but he had been initially startled by how quickly he had been inundated with images of the "perfect woman." Kagome more than fit the bill, but on top of it she was all real, something the pictures of the models in the ads couldn't claim. "You said you think I'm perfect." Her wide dark eyes lifted to his, uncertain and nervous. "I don't think there's a word for you," he murmured, leaning down to kiss her. Kagome laughed softly, returning his kiss and allowing the tension to flow out of her.

A growl of pleasure rolled in his chest when she reached down to touch him, timidly and gently at first and with more confidence and pressure when it was clear he liked it. Kagome's scent rose in the air as pleasuring him seemed to please her. Inuyasha didn't want there to be any doubt that she was enjoying herself - as well as prepared for him - and carefully used his knuckles to touch her in return, brushing the backs of his fingers against the raised peaks of her breasts, delicately pressing where she directed him between her thighs. He was astounded by her reactions, soft gasps, tiny whimpers. She even whispered his name.

Almost at the point of bursting, Inuyasha was relieved to feel Kagome tugging him toward her, her heat slick and welcoming as he pressed into her. She was tight, there was no denying that, and he worried slightly as the pink haze on her skin seemed to intensify. Kagome's face was tight with something between pleasure and pain. "Are... are you alright?" he murmured, his own voice tight with the effort to restrain himself. He didn't want to hurt her and yet his body was screaming for movement. She nodded quickly, but he noticed she wasn't breathing. Leaning down made her wince, but he pressed his forehead to hers and whispered for her to breathe with him. She let out a shaky breath and then took another. Repeating it, Inuyasha leading and Kagome following, she eventually relaxed enough for him to move forward just a little.

"Well that was unexpected," she murmured. "I mean, I heard it could hurt..."

Inuyasha felt guilt well in his chest. "I should have been more careful."

Kagome smiled slightly, brushing her hand over his cheek. "I have a feeling you're a little more... ahem... well-endowed than your average human." He felt his lower half twitch at the reminder and they both gasped.

"I can stop," he whispered, knowing it was a lie. He could, theoretically, stop if he had to. But every single fiber of his being was fighting to sink in a little deeper, seek the movement he craved, find the release he knew lay at the end and create the bond so desperately wanted. He barely held back his sigh of relief when Kagome shook her head, making an effort to relax further. Knowing the relaxation would only help so much, Inuyasha gently caressed her, pausing when it seemed to be too much. For both of them. Her body squeezed him in the most amazing way, but he could tell it was hurting her a little. Leaning down, he pulled her into a soft kiss, truly tasting and exploring her and letting her do the same. So wrapped in the taste and feel of her lips against his, he barely noticed that he could go no further forward.

There was no mistaking the feeling of her walls clamping down on him and the brush of the deepest part of her against the most sensitive part of him.

He grunted aloud with the strain to hold back his release, a rumble in his chest following quickly after. "Holy shit," he murmured, clenching his teeth.

"Am I hurting you?" she asked, looking down to see if her aura was reacting to him in any way. "Oh my..." she breathed as she finally saw exactly what was happening. The look in her eyes made Inuyasha shudder with the urge to move. Kagome shifted her hips slightly to better accommodate him and he let out a rough breath at the ripple of pleasure that shot up his spine and nearly kicked him in the head. He felt lightheaded.

Kagome watched in fascination as the emotions passed over Inuyasha's handsome face. He was being so gentle and careful for her benefit and she wasn't sure how to show how grateful she was. He was slowly rolling his hips against hers in an attempt to get some of the friction he needed without actually moving enough to cause her discomfort. As a byproduct, he was actually lessening the pain she felt and bringing her closer to the release her own body was reaching for. Gripping his shoulders, she was able to carefully respond to him, but hissed when he took that as an invitation to try more movement. He whined an apology in the back of his throat, nuzzling her. Returning to the previous action made her sigh with pleasure and again try to move against him.

"Kagome, I can't hold this much longer," he whimpered, golden eyes closed tightly. Hearing he was close made her body heat and she felt a zip of pleasure skip up and down her nerves. She whispered for him to tell her again. "I'm gonna lose it," he warned her, a slightly harder press of his hips making her cry out, clenching more tightly along his sensitive length. He hissed out a curse, again fighting to hold out for her. "Kagome, I need you to cum for me," he pleaded, "You're going to make me..." He groaned as her body responded to his request, rippling over him as she let out a soft gasping whine.

He was able to move just enough to set off his own release, hot jets of his seed pouring into her. His fangs lengthened slightly and he found the spot above her collarbone without trouble. Her back was arched, easily presenting the delicate curve of bone and the silken skin above it. The sensation of her reiki twining with his youki prolonged their combined release and the initiation of their bond washed over him like a tsunami. Kagome clung to his shoulders, the scent of tears catching in his nose. Too overwhelmed by the joining, Inuyasha couldn't muster the strength to ask her what was wrong.

"Inuyasha?" he heard her murmur. He turned his ear in her direction, not having the strength to turn his head. "I love you," she breathed, as though afraid to say it aloud. Another wave of pleasure shot through him and he felt another, smaller, release tighten his lower half. Kagome moaned, her body tightening around him as if to welcome and demand anything he had to give her.

"Mate," he breathed. He wanted to say it. He needed to say it. Somehow it wouldn't move past his lips. He was able to twist his head around and look her in the eyes and from the look she gave him, he knew she knew the truth. "Mate," he said again, relief in his voice.

Kagome didn't want to lose the closeness they were sharing, but her hip joint was beginning to cramp rather painfully. "I'm sorry, can you maybe..." she shifted and they both hissed at the friction. It was very quickly obvious that he wasn't budging for some time. Carefully, trying not to worsen their predicament, Kagome moved her leg just enough to relieve the cramp. "How long, do you think?" she questioned gently, not wanting to embarrass him.

"Another few minutes maybe," he sighed, resting his head on her shoulder. "I completely forgot. Are you ok?" he asked, concern lacing his voice. She nodded, turning so she could press a kiss to his hair. "I wasn't even sure if... if it would be a problem or not. I know for a full inuyoukai..." He tried to push down the sense of self-loathing.

"Well I would say you're all inuyoukai in that department," Kagome teased, making him laugh. Which turned into a moan for both of them. As things stood now, he couldn't move if he wanted to, but that didn't stop his body from reacting sharply. "You had better get tired soon or we're going to be at this for days, and I know I won't hold up under that."

"You're making it worse just by talking, woman," he teased her in return. She stuck her tongue out at him. Several moments later he felt his lower half relax some, allowing him to pull back. Kagome sucked in a breath and then sighed her relief when she was able to adjust her hips to relieve the cramps. Inuyasha's senses were on high alert the moment he smelled her blood. "Shit, shit, shit," he growled, lifting her and carrying her to the bathroom. He ran warm water in the tub and set her in it as gently as he could. He couldn't hold back the whimper that rose in him at the sight of the water turning faintly pink.

"Inuyasha, don't..."

"I can't believe I didn't think about how much damage I could do," he interrupted her, obviously kicking himself.

"It's not that bad."

"Planning on walking any time soon?" he questioned her harshly. She scowled at him. "Didn't think so."

"Now wait just a minute! I expected this, so don't go getting all pissed off at yourself. I'm not made of glass." She watched his ears flip backward to muffle her shouting. "Inuyasha, this kind of thing happens to a lot of woman the first time, regardless of her partner or the size of his..." Inuyasha lifted one brow at the way she seemed so confident until she hit that word. "All I'm saying is that it would have happened no matter who I was with." She rolled her eyes at the deep growl that rolled threateningly in his chest. "As if I would have been with anyone else." She got a "hmph" out of her mate.

"I should have made sure you were ready," he murmured.

"Inuyasha," she said softly, touching his cheek to turn his eyes to hers. "I honestly don't think anything you could have done would have made it any better. I enjoyed it, so did you, I'm not weeping..."

Inuyasha perked at this last comment. "No, but you were crying. I did hurt you!" He was surprised when Kagome's face flushed, not with anger but with embarrassment. "What? What is it?" he murmured, lowering himself into the tub to sit with her pulled back against his chest. Kagome muttered something even he couldn't understand. "Couldn't hear you."

"I was just... really happy. I was overwhelmed. I couldn't help it." Inuyasha hid his smile in her hair, squeezing her to him in a hug. They sat in the warm water for a little while longer, until his nose wasn't assaulted by her blood anymore, and then got out to dry off. Inuyasha lifted her again, relishing the closeness it allowed him. He was able to pull the sheets back and help her under them as he slid in after her. He grinned in the dark when Kagome turned over so she could cling to his side, one arm flung over his chest. As they drifted off, he leaned down to kiss her hair, whispering the words he had so desperately wanted to say earlier. Kagome let out a tiny breath of a laugh and nuzzled his sternum from where she lay on his chest. Inuyasha let his fatigue take him off with her, the warmth of her beside him the most comforting thing he'd ever known.

Kagome woke feeling terrible. Her head was pounding and her joints all ached. It wouldn't be the first time she'd woken up with the flu - small children were germ factories after all - but this was different. Her brain felt fuzzy, unfocused in a way she had never experienced. She could barely recognize her own room, her sheets felt like the were too heavy and the light seemed to come from everywhere at once. "Disoriented?" Kagome blinked slowly, trying to identify the voice. It was female, low in pitch and volume. She was finally able to sit up and struggled with the idea that she didn't have a mirror that close to her bed. "Not a mirror," she said to herself. But it wasn't herself. It took her another moment of processing to understand that she was looking at a woman who had a very similar appearance.

"Who…" Another breath and an epiphany later she realized who she was looking at. "Kikyo?" The other woman nodded a little. "What are you… How are you here?"

"Here is not really a place," the other woman admitted, "more of a plane of existence."

Kagome felt the effort of blinking as she stared at the woman in front of her. "As much fun as the existentialist talk is, my head is killing me. What are we doing here?" Kikyo smiled a little. She was lovely, Kagome was able to admit, and it bothered her that she was able to admit it. She had been feeling overwhelming jealousy toward this woman for weeks. A jealousy she hadn't been able to understand or explain. That she might still hold a very large part of Inuyasha's heart pained her.

"I wanted to apologize for that. It was my jealousy you were feeling, not your own." Kagome's eyes widened. "You have grown closer to him than I ever was in such a short period of time. What little there is left of me within you felt hurt that he could become so fond of you just as quickly."

"It's… probably because he sees you when he looks at me." Kikyo shook her head. "Why not? It would make sense."

"No. What he sees is the compassion I never had. I was raised to fear and hate youkai. I was trained to bind and destroy them. No matter how much Inuyasha showed me it was different, that he was different, that always sat in the back of my mind." She sighed, looking away. "No matter how much I wanted to, I could never have been to him what you are. The mate of a hanyou." Kikyo let out a slightly self-derisive laugh. "I was not strong enough to be what he needed, what you both will need to be, all because I thought I was so strong on my own. Because I selfishly wanted him to fit into my idea of love and marriage."

Kagome tried to process everything the other woman was telling her. "And what is it we need to be strong for exactly?" Kikyo's brown eyes almost looked sad.

"Your way will not be easy, but you already knew that. I wasn't even strong enough to accept him for himself. Already you have taken on more than Inuyasha would ever have let me. He knows you have the inner strength."

Trying not to feel exasperated, Kagome waited to hear more. Nothing. "You're being very vague," she finally said.

Kikyo's soft smile made Kagome swallow an irritated growl. "Even I cannot predict the future. Just know that what you do from now on will shape the future in ways no one can guess."

"No pressure then," she replied wryly.

"Have faith in him and in yourself." Kagome felt the pain in her head begin to recede. "Goodbye, Kagome. And congratulations."

"Thank...you," she responded to suddenly empty air. "Wait! For what?" Then exhaustion swamped her, forcing her eyes closed and her limbs to feel so heavy she had no choice but to sink back into her pillow. It felt like only a moment later that she opened her eyes again, only a faint residual ache in her body letting her know she hadn't completely imagined the pain in her dream. But was it really a dream? She wasn't entirely sure. What she did know is that she felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her chest and her mind. Maybe Kikyo really had been holding on and this was a sign that she was finally at peace.

"Kagome?" She finally heard the soft whimper of Inuyasha's voice in her ear as he held her.

"Inuyasha? What's wrong?"

He blinked at her in the dark, his eyes catching the light from the bathroom. "You were whimpering in your sleep and I could smell you were in pain."

Kagome shook her head, one hand coming up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "I just had this… dream." Again she couldn't shake the feeling that it hadn't been a dream. "Maybe it was real, like when I saw you."

"Kagome? What did you see?" She couldn't help smiling at the jealous tone in his voice. He was afraid she was being visited by other men.

"Kikyo. I guess she needed to… say goodbye." She felt Inuyasha stiffen beside her, his grip on her arm becoming almost painful. Squinting at him in the dark, she could see his face was a frozen mask. "She told me that she was sorry for making me feel her jealousy. I guess that's why I kept feeling so irrationally upset every time her name came up. She was sad that we… bonded so quickly." Kagome took a deep breath, seeing that Inuyasha was still in shock. "She told me we needed to be strong, together, for whatever comes our way."

"Did she say?" Kagome shook her head. "That would have been helpful."

Laughing a little, Kagome rested her head on his shoulder. "I complained too. She said we would shape the future in ways no one could guess."

"Oh, no problem," Inuyasha huffed.

"My thoughts exactly. She just smiled at me when I tried to get her to explain."

Inuyasha sighed deeply. Well I guess it's a good thing I marked her already or she might have been scared off after that. He looked her over again, trying to make sure she was alright. The scent of pain was fading and she was more relaxed than even a few minutes before.

"She congratulated us."

Inuyasha winced. "On mating?"

Kagome hummed uncertainly. "She didn't say." She lay back on the pillows and he followed her down, leaning over her to watch her face in the dark. "But that was probably it." He frowned, noting the way she sounded unsure, like maybe she thought something else was going on. "Let's get some sleep," she murmured eventually, clearly halfway there already.

"Keh. Night Kagome."

"Night 'Yasha," came her yawning reply.

Note: Poem reference for the title: books?id=5L9UAAAAYAAJ&dq=An%20oriental%20idyl%20bayard%20taylor&pg=PA131#v=onepage&q=An%20oriental%20idyl%20bayard%20taylor&f=false