Kagome sat on her bed, silently fretting. Now that she knew they were related it was hard to ignore the family resemblance between the two brothers. Thinking back now, she wasn't sure how she could have missed something so obvious. The long silver hair, the unnerving honey gold eyes, the same fair complexion and masculine facial structure. Inuyasha was Sesshomaru's younger brother, no question about it.

There were differences obviously, but when Sesshomaru wore his human disguise one would have to look very closely to see them. The most striking difference, however, was Inuyasha's rough and rowdy demeanor. He was all grit and nails, while Sesshomaru was much more refined, calm, and diplomatic, though most would probably just called him cold or stoic. Inuyasha was a wild card with a fiery temper, and Sesshomaru was a bit of an icicle when he wasn't being a snuggly puppy.

Thinking of Inuyasha's temper made Kagome shiver at the memories. He and that girlfriend of his were a match made in hell, and nobody in their school dared to cross them. They were both inseparable, and formidable. Inuyasha was the captain of the Kendo club, and his girlfriend and accomplice Kikyo was the captain of the archery club. (Sorry for this cliche but...)

In all actuality, Kagome used to have a total crush on Inuyasha back in 6th grade, before he started dating Kikyo, and Kikyo had been her best friend since kindergarten. Everyone always said that the girls held a striking resemblance, and the two took advantage of that to get into all kinds of mischief together. They tricked teachers and classmates alike, and they loved it. They shared secrets, and they always had each other's backs. Kagome was always a bit shy, and Kikyo pushed her out of her comfort zone, forced her to interact with people, and if anyone dared to teas Kagome, Kikyo made sure that they never did so again. Together they were unbreakable.

Nothing lasts forever though, and come 6th grade Kikyo and Kagome learned that they each liked the same boy. At first, the competition was playful, Kikyo being bold, outgoing and flirty, while Kagome was shy and awkward in her pursuits. Looking back now, such a competition seemed childish, they hadn't even reached her teens yet. Unfortunately for Kagome, Inuyasha began to like Kikyo, and Kikyo began to perceive Kagome as a threat, so she did the unthinkable. She used the conversations she had had with Kagome, in confidence, against her. All the worries and insecurities that Kagome had poured out to her friend about losing her father were suddenly the ammunition used to bite Kagome in the ass.

Kikyo had been the one to start the rumors, to start the teasing. She already had popularity, and influence in their friend groups and she used it. The cruelest thing she ever did though, was to first convince Inuyasha of how detestable Kagome was to her own father, and then reveal that Kagome liked him, Inuyasha. Of course, Inuyasha couldn't believe the audacity, how dare Kagome think he could ever like someone whose own father couldn't even stand her. The rumors only got worse after that, because now Inuyasha was spreading them also. By the time they reached high school, every member of the student body treated Kagome like a leper.

And now Inuyasha would be her brother in law, of all things. Sitting and wallowing in her misery, the only thing that she could think at the moment was that anytime she managed to gain some kind of traction with her life, the universe found some way to tear all her supports out from under her, and it continued to happen again, and again, and again. 'Why me' replayed over and over in her mind like a broken record, and Kagome felt her self slowly slipping back into the darkness.

After seeing his Sire and stepmother off for the night, Sesshomaru went back to the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee before heading back to his office to catch up on some paperwork. There was this oddly persistent feeling in the back of his mind that something wasn't quite right, and it took him a moment to realize what it was. The apartment smelled wrong. It wasn't the lingering scents of the individuals who had been visiting, it was something else, and it was familiar. Then it clicked. That was the scent that lingered on Kagome when he had first found her. The undertones of depression and sadness had never really gon away, they just dulled, which Sesshomaru assumed was why it took him longer than it should have to notice that those smells had suddenly spiked.

Standing from his desk and heading briskly back towards his Mate's room he also sensed notes of profound hopelessness and many other complicated emotions that were so tangled up that he couldn't pick out the individual names of them, couldn't discern where one began and another ended. When he knocked and there was no response, Sesshomaru grew worried. "Kagome? I'm coming in."

Opening the door to her room he was smacked in the face with an invisible heavy gloomy cloud of depressing darkness that seemed to be emanating from his Mate. He found her sitting on her bed just staring at the wall despondently. Eventually deciding on a course of action, Sesshomaru walked to her and sat on the mattress next to her, lightly touching her arm to alert her to his presence.

Kagome was so deep in the pit of despair that she had let herself sink into, that she didn't notice anyone in the room until she felt a light tingly sensation on her arm. latching on to the feeling she desperately crawled her way back to the light at the top, trying to escape the dark numbness that seemed to haunt her. She looked to the side to find Sesshomaru sitting next to her, and she felt herself begin to warm, and the emotions all came rushing to the surface.

She threw herself at the now very shocked inutaiyokai beside her and clung on to him for dear life feeling the dam break and the tears come gushing forth.

Sesshomaru sat stiffly for a moment unsure of what exactly just happened but soon managed to shake off the surprise and wrap his arms around the trembling girl who now sat sprawled in his lap. What in the world had his father said to her? Sesshomaru was bewildered. His sire, Toga, was generally a very soft spoken and remarkably kind individual even among his human friends, let alone other demons. Unsure of how to broach this subject he decided to just let his little mate cry it all out, and then he would attempt to ask what had brought on such a volley of emotion from her.

Several minutes later, Kagome once again sat there in her Mate's lap, a trembly hiccupy mess, for the second time that day. Gently gathering Kagome up into his arms he moved them to his bed where he sat her down and wrapped a big fuzzy blanket around her shoulders before grabbing a soft warm damp towel for Kagome to wipe her face with. He was rewarded with a wobbly grateful smile and a self-reprimanding laugh as Kagome cleaned her tear stained cheeks.

"I am such a mess aren't I?" She handed back the washcloth. "I'm sorry, I ought to have better control than this."

"Don't apologize for being emotional, it's part of being human, and you, more than anyone have a good excuse for feeling such things. Though I can't for the life of me figure out what my father could have said to upset you so. He is usually much more considerate and sensitive to peoples emotions. A trait, I'm afraid, that I never really picked up."

Kagome looked confused for a moment before understanding lit up her features. "Oh, no, It wasn't anything that your father said, I mean it sort of is, but that's not the reason. I've just learned today that I'm going to have a brother in law."

Sesshomaru looked perplexed. "You are upset because I have a brother?"

Kagome shook her head. "Not that you have a brother, it's who that brother is..."

"You know Inuyasha?"

"You could say that..."

Sesshomaru was silent a moment. "How do you know my half-brother? What did he do to deserve such a reaction from you?"

Kagome now looked resigned. Her shoulders fell a little. "More like I used to know his girlfriend."

Sesshomaru was even more surprised now. "The Priestess? You know Kikyo?" Sesshomaru was beginning to wonder how in the world he had never met Kagome sooner. His world seemed to be shrinking by the day.

Kagome nodded. "We were best friends since Kindergarten."

Understanding began to dawn on Sesshomaru's face. "Were... not are."

"Yeah" Kagome recounted Kikyo's betrayal and Inuyasha's part in it. By the end, Sesshomaru was silently fuming.

"So the half-breed chose the priestess and yet she still felt the need to use your personal life to turn your friends against you..."

"Something like that. Don't worry about that though, it's in the past." Kagome touched his hand, "I was just so shocked to find out that you two were related, Your personalities are so different."

Sesshomaru managed to compose himself before replying. "He is young even by hanyou standards, I am not surprised by his reckless behavior, though his level of immaturity when Kikyo divulged your personal feelings for him is astounding. He should have been honored."

Kagome giggled slightly. "Not that your biased or anything"

He smirked back at her, "I would never allow myself to be swayed by something as juvenile as a personal bias."

Kagome heard the joking tone in his voice and was greatly relieved for the distraction from her dark thoughts. "Of course not. You are a great and wise Demon Lord, you could never stoop so low."

Sesshomaru was relieved to see the smile on her face, even if it still held the undertones of sadness, at least that cloud of depression was dispursed for now. Darkly, Sesshomaru considered hunting down his half-witted brother and avenging his little mate but thought better of it when he imagined the how Izayoi might retaliate. He decided it would be a better punishment to, instead, inform Izayoi and her mate of the damage done by the hanyou. They would be better suited to punishing him without killing him, and he figured Kagome would appreciate not being the reason that the halfbreed died.

After some meaningless banter back an forth late into the night, Kagome eventually fell asleep, and Sesshomaru tucked her in before making a phone call to his father.

...

The next morning came late, and Kagome once again found herself in a tangle of limbs and Moko-Moko. Remembering the events of last night, Kagome was glad that she had not fallen asleep in her own bed. She wasn't sure she could have handled the nightmares on top of the knowledge that if she stayed with Sesshomaru, Inuyasha would also be a part of her life. Managing to maneuver herself to lay facing the sleeping dog demon, she smiled gratefully. Kagome had never been one to believe in fate, but there had to be some kind of higher power out there that was on her side, for this man to be matched with her, despite the brutish brother in law.

Sesshomaru was patient, he was understanding, he was great at listening and offering comfort, and on top of all that, Kagome had to admit he was very attractive. Scratch that, this guy was drop dead gorgeous. He was way out of her league, and somehow they were meant for each other. The contradictions of their match were starting to make her head hurt, so she just lay there admiring the features of his face, when she felt the odd need to touch him. His face was so mesmerizing in sleep, and she just couldn't help herself, so she reached out with one hand and traced the planes of his face. She traced his jawline, nose, ran her fingers through his hair, then she traced the markings on his face. As soon as her fingers touched the lines on his cheek, however, she heard and felt a vibrating, rumbling... purr? emanating from his chest.

Kagome couldn't help herself, he just sounded so cute, which normally was a word that didn't belong anywhere near the demon before her. She giggled and reached for the crescent moon on his forehead when a clawed hand darted out of the covers and grabbed her wrist, effectively stopping her assault on his person.

One burning golden eye peeked open to stare at her. "Unless you want to complete the mating bond here and now, in this bed, I suggest you stop there." His voice still rough with sleep.

Kagome wasn't sure what that meant, but the implications made her shiver slightly. That and his morning voice was about the sexiest damn thing this little Miko had heard in her life. Blushing slightly, Kagome got up the nerve to ask. "Your dad mentioned something like that last night, what do you mean 'complete the mating bond' I wasn't aware that we had to do anything else."

Sesshomaru looked perplexed, hadn't he explained that to her? He supposed not, when he explained the mating bond to her he had been trying to introduce the idea of demons and mating to her gently. Had Sesshomaru not been who he was, he might have blushed in embarrassment at what he would have to tell her next. "I suppose I really only explained what a mate is, not how they are bonded, didn't I."

Kagome nodded.

"In order for the mating bond to be complete, two individuals must be united or bound, in both body and soul. The heart need not necessarily be included in the bonding, but it does strengthen the mating if it is." He gave her a moment for the implications of that sentence to settle in.

Kagome took a moment trying to process his words. "Body and soul?"

"There is generally a ceremony for higher ranking demons but it is not a necessary component for the bond, It's mostly there for family and allies or friends to witness their commitment, the actual bond, however, is forged on what you might call the wedding night." He hoped that explanation was a little more clear.

Kagome was still confused until the words 'wedding night' registered. What happens on the wedding night? Kagome was about to ask, but then she realized what he meant. "You mean that You and I..." Kagome blushed and stuttered... "We..." She couldn't get the words out, so Sesshomaru supplied them for her.

"Will have sex in order to complete the bond."

Kagome blushed a hot red, "Did you have to say it so bluntly?" she squeeked out.

Sesshomaru arched a brow at her, sitting up on the mattress. "How else should I have said it?" He leaned over her and brought his face so close to hers that their noses practically touched. "Would you prefer I used the phrase 'make love'?"

Kagome fell silent, at a complete loss for words. The expression on this man's face could only be described as downright seductive, His deep honey golden eyes smoldering at her from behind dark lashes. And the way that his long silver tresses fell around him, creating a curtain around their faces, made this moment feel all the more intimate. Kagome had the oddest urge to kiss him, but refrained, remembering what they had been talking about.

Sesshomaru smirked, "Don't fret too much about it" he assured, his voice deep and smooth "I'll make sure you thoroughly enjoy it." He flashed her a predatory smile when he emphasised the word 'thoroughly', showing off his perfectly sharp fangs, before sitting back up and walking to his bathroom.

Kagome heard a faucet turn and the sound of running water and decided he was probably taking a shower. Sitting there in HIS bed, completely frozen she thought of his words. The way he had looked at her, she had felt like he might literally eat her. Finding the strength to slip out of his covers and pad back to her room, she found the green dress from two days ago washed, dried, and laying on her perfectly made bed.

Kagome shook her head. "He plays all tough, stoic, bad boy, but then he does stuff like this." she murmured to herself, grabbing the dress and heading to her own bathroom to shower before Sesshomaru took all the hot water. What she didn't know was that Sesshomaru was not taking a hot shower, a hot shower would not help him in the slightest at this particular moment in time. No, his shower was ice cold, and it still did little to help the poor inu.

AN. Getting a little more than fluffy this morning I guess. So, Inuyasha wasn't directly responsible for the teasing, but he definitely didn't help matters. Geez, you would think that someone who grew up dealing with prejudices of other people would be a little more sensitive to bullying. Shame on you Yasha! Also, I guess Kikyo wasn't as good a friend as you thought Gome.

Anyway, as always comments are always appreciated. Constructive criticism is welcome. I hope y'all liked this chapter, 'cause I really enjoyed writing it. I am on Tumblr at and you can also find me on Twitter as ArtFairieCass.

I'll be back with more next Monday. Till then lovelies! :)

Cassie