The burst of power after having been awakened took a lot out of Kagome. After having taken down Naraku, Kagome was so drained that she collapsed. Luckily Sesshomaru was quick enough in transforming back to the human form that he just managed to catch her before she hit the floor. Kagome worried for a moment that her purification light would singe him too, but apparently, her light didn't affect him. She supposed it probably had something to do with the fact that they were a Mated, or almost Mated, pair, but at the moment, she was far too tired to try and think all that through.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

Forcing her eyes open to look up at Sesshomaru, Kagome could see the worry lines on his face, and the concern in his eyes. How did she get so lucky? "I'm fine. Just a little scraped up. To be honest, though, all I really want right now is a nice long nap." She closed her eyes again and nuzzled into his chest.

Sesshomaru nearly sagged with relief. "You're still glowing."

"Hmmm..."

"Can you turn it off?"

"No idea."

Sesshomaru huffed. "Go to sleep then. Your fine now, so we can talk about it when your well rested."

"Okay..." She replied, her words beginning to slure with sleep. "I love you."

Those words halted Sesshomaru in his tracks. Looking down at his little Mate, he asked: "What... did you just say?"

Opening her eyes again, she looked up at him, her gaze slightly glassy with tiredness, "I said; I love you. I was going to tell you the other day, at the tower before I got kidnapped. Figured I better do it now before something else happens."

Sesshomaru tightened his hold on her a little, not really sure how to respond. "I think... I think I love you too."

"You think?" He could hear the sarcasm in her voice, which was obviously trying to disguise the insecurity behind her question.

Sesshomaru sighed. "Yes. I've lived for hundreds of years Kagome, and most demons don't even know the meaning of love. I've never felt like this with anyone. Except for maybe with Rin, but even that is slightly different from this."

"Oh." Kagome smiled again. "I think I can live with that."

They both fell silent, and Sesshomaru took to the skies, deciding that it would probably be prudent for them to stay with his parent's until Kagome learned to get her new found power under control.

...

Sesshomaru took a leave of absence from the tower to help Kagome learn how to harness this new power of her's. He also had Rin moved in with his parents for the time being, and had packed a few bags with what he supposed they would all be needing during their little vacation.

Toga had offered up a little house nestled deep in the forests of the refuge, for Sesshomaru and Kagome to stay, partially for them to have some space for themselves, but mostly for everyone's protection. He made sure that all of the demons living on the property knew to avoid that area in order to avoid accidental purification.

It was a cozy little traditional hut with just the right amount of space for two people who were comfortable being in close quarters. There was a nice little main living area with a fire pit in the center of the room, and a small bedroom separated by a sliding shoji screen. The place had been kept in good condition, and he could tell that it had recently been furnished with new pillows, blankets, and futons.

Izayoi had had the wardrobe stocked with the white haori and red hakama that were traditionally worn by a Miko, as well as several of Sesshomaru's outfits from the house. His armor was placed on the mannequin beside the wardrobe, and his swords were hanging on the wall opposite. There was Tensaiga, an ironic gift from his father on the day Sesshomaru came of age, and was forged from his father's fang, as well as Tokijin which was taken from a foolish swordsmith who hadn't had any idea of the powers he was dealing with, and the Bakusaiga which had emerged from his own body on the day he came into and realized his own power. It had been a very long time since he'd needed to use any of them, and his hand itched to hold one again.

There was something refreshing about those times when he had been free to roam the earth. Free to test his strength against equally strong foes, and to be answerable to no one except his father. Those days when they didn't have to hide. He missed it.

Kagome walked into the room in the middle of Sesshomaru's reverie to find him staring sightlessly at the sword wall. "Should I give you a minute alone with them?" She joked. Izayoi had helped her into the traditional Miko clothing, and shown her how to do all the ties herself. She wasn't entirely sure she could remember everything, but she figured Sesshomaru would be able to help her too.

After she had slept off the exhaustion from her power overload, the glow had also worn off, and Kagome felt almost as though nothing had happened. Except that there was now this warm pulsating light in the corner of her consciousness that she could reach out and touch, but had no idea how to access.

Sesshomaru turned towards her and took both her hands in his, pulling her into his embrace. "No. I was just remembering."

"You miss it don't you?"

He let out a long breath. "Yes. I miss it."

Kagome looked up and gave him a sweet smile. "On the bright side, I think we might be here for a while, so maybe you can show me what it was like back then. Especially since I don't even know where to start with that fire pit back there." Kagome gestured behind her towards the main living area.

Sesshomaru let out that low rumbling laugh that Kagome loved, and she couldn't help but give a little chuckle of her own. It really would be like going back in time for a while.

"I feel like Alice falling down the rabbit hole, and I haven't quite landed yet," Kagome confessed.

Sesshomaru gave her a little squeeze before leading her back outside. "That feeling will go away after you've spent some more time immersed in the culture, and in practice to harness your gifts. Speaking of, it's probably a good thing that you found out about the power now, before we completed our Mating bond, because with a power like that, as strong and as old as it is, it could have had serious repercussions had we not known it existed."

Kagome gave him a questioning glance. "Why?"

"Part of bonding, for demons, is the sharing of our power. A little bit of their Youki is exchanged with one another, strengthening the individuals and the bond. I've never heard of a paring between a demon and a priest or priestess, but I imagine the process would be similar. Had your power not been awakened at the time of our Mating, one or both of us could have been seriously injured."

Kagome frowned. "Oh... Then I suppose it's also probably a good thing that I have my entire soul back as well."

"Most definitely." They'd had that conversation right after she woke up from her nap after the fight with Naraku. She had explained everything she had learned while they kept her chained up, and she had told him about Kikyo coming after her to steal the rest of her soul. They had decided to let Izayoi and Toga break the news to Inuyasha since niether of them really knew how to be cordial with the younger Taisho son just now.

Sitting out on the little porch that ran around the house with Kagome tucked up under Sesshomaru's arm and Moko-Moko draped over their shoulders, they watched the sky turn from blue to pink to gray before the stars began to peek out and the fireflies started dancing in the tall grass. Kagome found it very relaxing to be out in the wilderness like this.

"I could get used to this." She mused.

"Yes. It is very tranquil. It was also very dangerous back then as well if you had no means of defending yourself."

"What do you think it might have been like had you found me back then?"

"I think at first I would not have accepted it. I believed humans were beneath us and would have raged at the thought of being Mated to one, especially if she was a priestess. I probably would have come around to the Idea eventually though. No Demon can escape the pull of their Mate for very long."

"What changed your mind?"

"About humans? Their tenacity, most likely. I'm not overly fond of most humans, but I've gained a sort of respect for their ability to grow and develop as a whole. You have this uncanny ability to keep bouncing back no matter what happens to you. I don't much like the fact that we have to hide ourselves from them, but I think, maybe, someday, we can come out and live peacefully with one another. Luckily, those of us who live a very long time have a lot of patience."

Kagome smiled to herself and snuggled closer to Sesshomaru, reveling in the closeness and the safety of him. Three months ago, Kagome would have never thought her life would end up here. Actually, she had been sure her life would never end up anywhere. She had been so wrong.

AN. A sweet little calm spot after the excitement of the last couple chapters. They're finally getting some time for themselves, so that's good. ;) More coming later. Stay tuned!