Sorry for the delay, I've been the big depresso espresso, and I also lost my job, lol

I wasn't fired or anything, tho. You know how you usually turn in your 2 weeks to your job? Well, my job did that to me, and now it no longer exists, because it's closed. Big fun times! :)))))))

Sunlight filtered through the curtain, casting soft, warm light on the couple in bed. Kouga's eyes slowly cracked open and he shifted slightly, pulling Kagome closer to him. She stirred for a split second, but didn't wake up, only letting out a soft grumble. He couldn't stop the grin that curled his lips. He brought a hand up to her face, stroking his finger against her cheek, right underneath her eye.

His thoughts drifted back to last night and his smile only grew. He had stayed true to his word, waking her up once his knot had gone down so she could clean her face. She had also taken off her pillowcase and replaced it. She attempted to try and undress the entire bed and change the sheets, but Kouga prevented her from doing so. She had started to protest, but when he pulled her back down towards him and peppered her face and neck with kisses, she gave in. Though in actuality, it didn't take much to convince her.

They had simply laid there for a while, not talking, just enjoying the feel of being wrapped up in each other. Kouga had never felt so comfortable in his life. He felt at ease enough to drift off to sleep, which is what he had done not too long after Kagome had. Being a youkai, he didn't really need to sleep. Of course, he needed to every now and again, but Kouga rarely slept. He couldn't help himself last night, though. Kagome was so warm and soft, and the way she molded into his body... it was perfect.

But now he was awake and able to fully enjoy her warmth once again. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent. He curled against her more, pressing a soft kiss behind her ear before moving her hair out of the way to kiss her neck. He knew he should let her sleep, but he just couldn't help himself; she was intoxicating and warm and soft. His legs tangled further in hers while his other arm wrapped further around her torso, pulling her flush against him. Kagome grumbled for a moment, but settled once again. A light chuckle escaped him and he pressed another kiss behind her ear. He shifted slightly, hovering over her just enough to press a kiss to her cheek before settling in back behind her.

They stayed like that for a couple more moments, their peace ultimately being disturbed by Kagome's phone ringing. His intention was to reach for it and shut it off before Kagome could wake up, but this seemed to fail, as the first ring woke her up. She grumbled and whined at first, then she slowly wormed her way out of his arms and reached for it. "God damn it Sango..." he heard her grumble under her breath.

Kagome ran a hand down her face before she answered the call, bringing it to her ear.

"So, how was the sex?"

Her cheeks flared. She was instantly awake now. How could Sango do this? First thing in the morning? Not even giving her a chance to speak?

"S-Sango! What the hell?"

Kouga couldn't help but chuckle, and this only embarrassed the miko further. She grabbed a pillow and shoved it in his face.

"Oh? Is he still there? Sorry~! Didn't mean to disturb."

"I swear, I'm going to kill you one of these days." she threatened, voice low.

"Oh, Kagome you would nev-" And Kagome hung up. It was only a couple seconds before she received a text from the slayer.

[ Rude ]

Kagome chose to ignore it, setting her phone back on the bedside table and flopping back onto the bed, next to Kouga. By now, his laughter had died down and he removed the pillow from his face. As soon as he was uncovered, Kagome was curling into him, resting her head against his chest. Kouga brought his arms up, wrapping them around her. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before burying his nose back into her hair.

"I could kill Sango right now. Not only does she wake me up from one of the best nights of sleep I've had, but she teases me on top of it." Kagome whined, burying her face into his chest.

He chuckled a bit, dragging a hand along her bare spine. It gave her chills. She couldn't stop the shudder and he couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad you slept so well."

She shifted then, moving up and laying her head on the pillow next to his, now able to look him in the eye. His hand continued to trace shapes on her back and along her spine. She brought a hand up to cup his cheek, giving him a soft smile. They stayed silent for a couple moments, enjoying the feel of each other. She then leaned in and they shared a soft, tender kiss.

Kouga pulled her close, bringing her body flush against his. His fingers splayed across her back and he brushed his tongue along her lips. Kagome let out a soft moan, bringing her leg up to hook over his hip. His tongue delved into her mouth and she began to slowly grind against the leg he had between her thighs.

He broke the kiss and pulled his face away just ever so slightly, chuckling a bit. "You eager for more?" he asked, pressing his leg further against her clothed heat. Kagome's breath caught in her throat and she ground down on his leg in response. Her head tilted back slightly, exposing more of her throat to him and Kouga licked his lips.

"Y-Yeah.." she mumbled.

Kouga smirked. That's all he needed to hear.

He was at her throat in an instant, pressing kisses and lightly dragging his fangs along the curve of her throat. Kagome shuddered under his touch, her back arching and exposing more of her neck to him. A satisfied growl rumbled through his chest as his mouth traveled down. He bit harshly at her clavicle, aiming to leave another mark on her skin.

His hands slid around from her back, reaching for her breasts and cupping them tenderly before he began to massage them. Kagome let out a soft sigh, arching into his touch and continuing to grind against his thigh. He brushed his thumbs over her nipples as he gave a patch of skin on her chest a harsh suck followed by a soothing lick. He continued to leave a new trail of hickies down her chest, eventually reaching one of her breasts and replacing his hand with his mouth. His now free hand slid down her side, tracing over her curves and causing her to shiver. It slid down between her thighs, Kouga moving his leg to provide room for his hand to start rubbing at her clothed heat.

As he rubbed his thumb into her clit, Kagome cried out, her legs starting to quiver. He teased her through her panties, adding more pressure onto her clit whenever he would bite her nipple. However, he eventually pushed the fabric of her underwear to the side and pushed a finger into her dripping core. She groaned, rocking her hips against his hand. He was soon able to push in a second finger and when he did, his mouth left her breast and trailed back up her chest. She wanted to whine at the loss, but his fingers were just so distracting that she could hardly focus on anything else.

His mouth continued its way up, leaving more marks on her skin, until he reached her ear. There, he nipped at the lobe of her ear, causing her to release a shaky breath. He then rested his cheek against hers and slowed the movement of his fingers. It took Kagome a moment to register and she whined.

"Kouga.. please..." Her hips rocked in protest, trying to get him to pick up the same pace he was at before.

He resisted the urge to chuckle at her eagerness. "I just need to ask you something."

"Whaaaaaaaat?"

"Do you want me to knot you again? I just need to know before we continue."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Yes? Why is that a question?"

Kouga did laugh this time. He moved his head back to rest on the pillow so he could see her face. "You didn't seem too pleased about it last night." She quirked an eyebrow. Before she could question him, he cut her off. "I meant about the timeframe."

"I was just surprised. I enjoyed it."

"And you're not just saying this so I'll hurry up and fuck you?" he asked, a hint of humor in his voice and in his smile.

She rolled her eyes once again. "Gods Kouga, no. Yeah, I want you to get on with it but I wouldn't lie."

A laugh rumbled in his chest. "Okay, just making sure."

And then he was kissing her once more. Kagome matched his ferocity and melted into his touch. As his two fingers pumped inside her, his thumb continued to work her clit as his other hand resumed teasing her nipple. Her thighs quivered and she moaned into the kiss. She clung to him desperately, nails digging into his shoulders and making him groan.

Before too long, he was pulling his fingers out of her and tugging on her underwear. She helped him, hands shaking, and they tossed it to the side. His hands were then at her hips and he maneuvered them so she was lying on top of him. Kagome took a moment to collect herself before she sat up. She considered her options for a moment, deciding on what she should do. She could go ahead and ride him, or she could get back at him for last night. His thumbs rubbed against the skin at her waist and she looked down at him. She flashed him a smirk as she made up her mind.

She reached for his hands, removing them from her hips and placing them by his head. She held them there for a moment before letting go. He seemed to get the message and kept them there as she slowly moved down his body. She was soon resting between his thighs and giving him a wicked grin as she lowered herself.

Kouga's breath caught, the only sound that escaped was a soft "fuck.." that she almost didn't catch. Her grin widened and she slid her hand up his thigh, watching as his breathing slowly picked up. She wrapped a delicate hand around his cock, right above his swelling knot, and leaned down to press a kiss to the tip. She then swirled her tongue around it, relishing the sound of his gasp. She then took him into her mouth, slowly. Kouga moaned, long and low as she took in his length. She couldn't take him completely into her mouth, but she got a good portion of his cock in. A part of her was sad she couldn't at least reach to his knot, but she could just use her hand.

She then pulled away, almost removing her mouth from him completely before going back down. She started off with a slow pace, relishing the soft moans that left his lips. She slowly picked up her pace, and as she did so, Kouga found himself out of breath as his mind became muddied. Every now and then, he would manage to let out a curse instead of a strangled groan, and it pleased Kagome to no end. She couldn't help but feel powerful, being able to make a youkai turn to putty like this.

At a certain point, Kouga bucked his hips up, surprising the miko and causing her to choke a bit. "Sh-Shit.. Sorry.." Kagome simply hummed around his cock and the vibration made him moan. "Ah fuuck..." She pulled back, just enough to allow her to easily swirl her tongue around the tip. Another strangled moan left him and she knew he was close. She resisted the urge to smirk as she continued to work him up. Just as he was about to cum, she pulled away completely, sitting back and watching as he came around.

It took him a couple moments before the fog cleared. Once he was able to think again, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Wha-"

"Payback, for last night." she said with a devious smirk.

It took him a couple seconds to register, but when he did, a smirk curled his lips as well. "You-"

Kagome cut him off by pressing her lips against his, which made him melt instantly. She laid on top of him once again, pressing her body flush against his, as the kiss grew heated. Her hands were pressed against his shoulders and his were splayed across her back. One of his hands slid up, gripping the back of her neck tightly and making her moan.

Before long, she was reluctantly pulling away from him, giving him a parting peck before sitting up. She pulled her lower lip into her mouth as she rose up onto her knees and moved back. She took his dick in her hand then looked at him, looking him in the eye as she lined herself up and slowly sank down. They both moaned and once she had taken as much of him as she could, they stayed still for a couple moments.

Kagome placed her hands on his chest and slowly brought herself up before coming back down. She started off slow, but it didn't stay that way for long. She quickly picked up her pace and had the both of them seeing stars. Kouga brought his hands up to her hips, helping her with her momentum and began to thrust up into her, matching the pace she was setting.

It wasn't long before they were both getting close. Kouga brought a hand up to her breast, Kagome leaning forward slightly to help him reach it better. He circled his thumb around her nipple before pinching and tugging lightly on it. His other hand moved between her thighs, rubbing her clit in time with their thrusts. Kagome cried out above him, having a bit more of a difficult time keeping her body moving. With a couple more thrusts, she came down on him especially hard, his knot slipping in as she came, Kouga following just a split second after her. His hips bucked up a couple times before they both stilled, relishing the sensations.

After a few moments, they maneuvered themselves, carefully, and were lying on their sides, cuddled up together. Kouga was threading his claws through her hair as Kagome pressed kisses to his chest and shoulders. They laid in silence for a while, just enjoying the feel of each other and the warmth the other provided. Eventually, Kagome pulled away slightly to look up at him. Kouga brought a hand up to cup her cheek and they kissed, deeply, tenderly. Kagome felt herself melt under his touch.

The kiss broke and they soon resumed their cuddling. Kagome traced Kouga's tattoos, still in awe at them. "Did you get these done traditionally or with modern methods?" she asked.

"Traditionally."

She couldn't help but grimace. "How badly did it hurt?"

Kouga gave a shrug. "Nothing I couldn't handle, honestly. Remember, I am a youkai after all." he said with a wink.

She rolled her eyes at that, but continued to trace the line work on his chest. "How long did it take?" she asked after a few moments of quiet.

"A pretty long time. Doing it the traditional way takes about three or four times as long as modern methods, but it's worth it in the end. My chest piece took maybe about 30.. 35 hours total?" Her eyes went wide at that. Kouga chuckled, running his claws through her hair lovingly. "If you think that's long, my back piece took about 100 alone, probably more, I kind of lost track." he finished with a laugh, but Kagome was just left speechless.

She let out a couple of choked sounds, not able to fully wrap her head around the thought. Kouga laughed a bit more and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He let her take her time to collect herself and form her thoughts into words. "I just... can't imagine. That long?"

"Yup. Not all in one sitting, of course. The line work is done in one sitting, but the coloring is done in multiple sessions. I, of course, could sit around all night long, but it's taxing on the artist, so we take breaks."

"Did you see youkai or human artists?"

"Human."

Kagome was surprised by this. "Are there no youkai artists?"

"I'm sure there are. I never sought them out though."

"Why not?"

"Well..." His class stilled in her hair for a moment. "I don't trust youkai that can draw. There's almost always ill intent with an artist youkai." he replied with a bit of a shrug.

Kagome wanted to push a bit more, but she did her best to force her curiosity down. She wasn't sure if Kouga would give her the answers, but she knew Sango would. So, she could ask the slayer later if she wanted to, which she most likely would.

A comfortable silence settled between them then. Kagome continued to trace Kouga's tattoos as he continued to play with her hair and press kisses to her face and top of her head. They shared a couple of tender kisses here and there as well. Before long, Kouga's knot had gone down and he was able to pull out. Kagome felt a bit.. sad, if that was a good word to use, at the loss. However, she knew there would be more in the future.

"Is it alright if I use your shower?" Kouga asked.

She quirked her eyebrow and did her best to bite down a smirk. "I'll let you sleep with me, but using my shower is where I draw the line."

Kouga chuckled and leaned in for a kiss. This one lingered for a while, his tongue slipping past her lips where he languidly moved it against hers. She couldn't help but sigh and melt into the kiss. After a couple moments, he pulled away.

"Well, guess I'm just going to have to cross that line, Kagome."

She couldn't help but snort and push against his chest, which made him laugh as well. He then sat up and turned around, moving towards the edge of the bed. That's when Kagome saw it.

His back tattoo.

It was intricate, bright, vibrant, and it had so many tiny details. She could tell right away the story the artist was telling with it. There were bamboo trees lining his sides, and in the foreground was a bed of red spider lilies. The full moon was high above, clouds surrounding it but not covering it, and there, resting in the bamboo forest was Princess Kaguya. She was sitting down, resting back against the bamboo and looking up at the full moon above her. Her kimono was a deep red with golden floral patterns stitched into the fabric. The robes were large and intricate; so many colors and patterns, yet they all complimented each other nicely. Her eyes looked sad, a longing in her expression that tugged on Kagome's heartstrings. She reached her hand out, touching Kaguya's shoulder. A part of her expected to feel dry, rough parchment under her fingertips, but instead, she was met with smooth, soft skin.

Kouga paused in his movements allowing Kagome to inspect further. She moved closer to him, pushing the sheets out of her way with her feet and pulling herself up into a sitting position. Her fingers traced along the ink lines, some part of her still expecting to feel the roughness of a hanging scroll and the brushwork and lines of paint and ink. Her eyes widened as she looked at the moon and realized its placement matched up with the one on his chest.. or maybe the one on his chest matched up with this. Either way, it was a small detail but.. gods was it amazing and just downright beautiful.

"It's like a painting... I half expected to touch parchment when I reached out.." she whispered, breathless.

"Yeah, he does amazing work."

"Yeah.. no kidding.." Kagome's fingers traced along Kaguya's hair, which was let down. It was long, trailing down well past her back, splayed out on the ground and mixing with the dirt she rested on. It was hidden behind the lilies, and Kagome couldn't believe the sheer amount of depth within the art. "How did you come up with this idea?"

"I didn't."

Her brows furrowed at that, and she finally forced herself to look away from his tattoo. Feeling that she had pulled away, Kouga turned around slightly, just enough to look at her.

"Whenever you go to get a traditional tattoo, you tell the artist about yourself. Once they learn a bit about you, they figure out what to do from there. They give you a tattoo based on your personality."

Kagome nodded at that and had to force back a frown as her eyes shifted to his back, only able to see a few pieces of bamboo. What had the artist seen in Kouga to create such a sad and lonely piece of artwork? What was he longing for? She looked back up at him, catching his eyes for a moment. His gaze quickly shifted, and soon he was turning back around and getting out of the bed. Had he seen the sadness in her eyes? He could probably smell her concern for him... She watched as he gathered the clothes he had in the bedroom and then walk out the door to get what was left in the living area, she assumed. Once he was gone, she let out a soft sigh and reached for her phone. She sent Sango a quick text, asking if she wanted to meet up for dinner, then got up and started to get dressed.