Sanctuary

Author's Note: hm… okay… I don't want lemons in my story… they're too sour! Besides… I do a good lime… that's pretty much almost there… and my very, very innocent friends read this story… so, tell ya what… I'll make a lemon counterpart for it, and if you want to read it, just tell me and I'll email it to you ok? That way everyone's happy.

Disclaimer: Oh, go fetch a stick!

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Kagome blushed at SesshouMaru's intense gaze. She had stripped down to nothing but her underwear and he was covering his essential parts with his furry tail. As she looked him over, she noticed his right arm. She crawled up towards him and fingered what was left of his arm after he had fought InuYasha over the Tetsusaiga.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, her eyes filled with concern.

"Only when I see it…" he whispered.

SesshouMaru's heartbeat grew faster as she kissed his amputated arm. She started to glow a light blue and her hands moved towards the stub. She lowered her hands, as if she was feeling where his arm would be. Suddenly, to SesshouMaru's surprise, before his eyes, his arm began to regenerate. Within minutes; his mate had returned what would have taken him centuries to grow back to him.

He glanced back into her eyes and found himself getting lost within the blue-gray pools that emanated love and content. He leaned closer towards her parted cherry red lips.

Kagome felt his arousal poking her thigh. She blushed as SesshouMaru chuckled at her innocence. 'This is your mate… you shouldn't be so afraid…' she thought and finally mustered up her courage and took the initiative to do something. She traced the markings on his arm as she placed herself in a more comfortable position on his lap.

" Don't move," he growled and wrapped his tail around her waist. He felt her raven colored tail twitch every now and then. He listened to her heartbeat and watched the even up and down motion of her chest as she breathed.

'Okay… I don't think I'm ready for this…' Kagome thought nervously. 'What if I don't exactly match his… expectations?'

SesshouMaru noticed that Kagome was becoming nervous and smiled. 'So she's worried she might not please me… how very ironic'

" I think we should go… they might worry about us," Kagome whispered as she turned to face the cave entrance..

SesshouMaru nuzzled the back of her neck and purred. " Let them worry." He said as his started kissing her neck. His left arm was numb from being used as a pillow, but he didn't care. He trailed his kisses from her right shoulder to her left. Kagome shuddered as she felt him turn her around as he eventually went for her lips. He gently nibbled on her lower lip as her arms traveled up and down his back.

SesshouMaru gently guided Kagome down to the futon and parted her lips with his tongue. Kagome moaned as he traced the cave of her mouth and felt his weight on top of her.

" I love you, my mate," he said as he ended the kiss, panting slightly from the lack of oxygen.

Kagome gently caressed his cheek and gazed into his golden eyes.

" I love you as well."

For the second time that day, they spent hours proclaiming their love in the comfort of their Sanctuary in the cave beyond the waterfall.

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InuYasha woke up feeling a throbbing pain in his head. He shaded his eyes with his hand as the sunlight shone through the window. He groaned in pain as he tried to sit up. He stretched his limbs and looked around his current chamber.

'Funny…' he thought as he checked his surroundings. There were many haoris laid out for him and he saw the Tetsusaiga, fully sheathed propped against a chair. 'This feels like … my old chambers… in…'

Realization dawned on him. He was in SesshouMaru's castle, his father's former castle, in the western lands. Growling in frustration, he crouched low as his sensitive ears heard gentle footsteps outside the door.

There was a small knock, but InuYasha pretended to be asleep.

" Don't bother trying to pretend, Inu. It's Mariko, I know you're awake."

Sighing, InuYasha opened the door and the neko-hanyou stepped in with a big smile on her face as well as a tray full of food.

" Why am I here? Where's Kagome?" he asked, never breaking eye contact.

Mariko sighed and placed the tray on the chair next to the Tetsusaiga.

" You didn't have the Tetsusaiga to keep your blood in check. You went ballistic, so SesshouMaru-sama and I helped to get you here," she said. " As for Kagome-chan, she's probably in her room sleeping."

InuYasha sat down on his bed and hung his head. " I don't know what came over me," he lied.

Mariko glared at him. " Yes you do. You just don't want to admit it"

InuYasha looked at the neko and sighed. " Fine. I got pissed of because SesshouMaru always got everything. I got jealous."

Mariko's expression softened. " Why?"

InuYasha's eyes darkened and his expression saddened Mariko. 'He was in love with Kagome as well?'

" I love Kagome. I know that now… and… now I've lost her, to my brother!" he said bitterly. " Did you know what the last thing she said to me was before I went full youkai? She said SesshouMaru. The one thing in her mind was SesshouMaru!"

" Well that's life, InuYasha," Mariko said her tone becoming serious. " You can't always get what you want. So suck it up and take it like a man!"

InuYasha laughed and nodded. " Yeah, I guess… but you know what angers me even more? The fact that my brother does not even know what he has…"

"That is where you are wrong," Mariko said softly. " SesshouMaru loves Kagome, he loves her more than you or even he knows."

InuYasha stared at her as she stood and walked towards the door.

" But seriously, InuYasha," she started, stopping before she got to the hallway. " You had your chance with her. You lost it, so let Kagome find someone she may be happy with."

She turned around and looked at InuYasha one last time. " Maybe you should find someone you can be happy with as well."

InuYasha stared at the rug on the floor and heard Mariko's retreating footsteps.

' Maybe I should… but not before I apologize' InuYasha felt a small tear escape his eyes. ' Take care of her SesshouMaru, she's worth more than gold'

Finally, he stood up and took the tray that Mariko had given him. He ate his meal slowly and saw a small plate of Mochi.

He laughed as he looked at the small smiling picture that was poked through the cake. 'Mariko'

"You always knew how to make me smile," InuYasha said to himself. Sighing, he stood up and felt sticky. 'I'm going to take a bath'

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Sango could not stop cracking her knuckles. Miroku had been asleep for four hours now. She was really beginning to worry about him.

Kagome had once told her that she and Miroku were so much alike. At first, Sango thought Kagome was a bit crazy, but she was now beginning to believe what the young miko said. Miroku was the one person she could count on, other than Kagome with her life.

And right now, the one person she counted on needed her.

"Miroku…" she said saying his name for the first time aloud. She had always thought it was improper to call a monk by his given name. But then again, Miroku was no ordinary monk.

She fingered the fabric that covered the Kazaana. The monk stirred at her touch and she smiled softly. Kirara mewed at Sango as she came inside the chambers. She hopped onto her lap and curled into a comfortable sleeping position.

"Sango?"

Sango looked up to see Miroku's curious blue eyes. She blushed as she noticed that she was still holding his hand.

" Um… hello Houshi-sama," she stammered retreating back to her 'proper' self.

Miroku smiled and sat up, ignoring the blunt pain on his shoulders. He took one of Sango's hands into his.

" Do not be so formal with me, Sango. I am you friend," he said. ' I hope' he silently added.

Sango smiled softly and nodded. " Hai, you are…Miroku-sama."

Miroku smiled. 'Close enough' he thought. He tried to stretch, but found the pain too much to bear and flopped back down on the soft mattress.

" I'll bring you some food… I'm sure you're starving," Sango said as she stood up. She found it hard to leave, seeing as Miroku still had a hold of her hand.

" No… please… stay, just a little longer?" he whispered.

Sango sighed softly and sat back down.

Miroku mouthed a thank you and closed his eyes, leaving Sango to watch him as he slept. She brushed off a few stray bangs that fell from his face and found her hand lingering on his chest.

" I hope you feel better soon… Miroku," Sango said.

She heard him whisper something and blushed. Finally, she heard him snore and took it as a sign to leave. Still remembering his words, she placed her hand on her cheek and sighed as soon as she reached the hallway.

My name sounds better when you say it

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Kagome stretched as she sank in deeper into the hot spring. It had taken quite a lot of persuading to do, but she had managed it. She massaged her sore muscles and touched the junction between the base her neck and her left shoulder.

SesshouMaru had given her a bruise from his mark and would certainly leave a scar. She blushed as she remembered that she had given him one as well. Although she had no idea what had gotten into her to make her bite him.

'Instincts' she concluded. 'That's what it is…'

She heard a familiar growl behind her and found a half- naked hanyou hovering over her. Being a full youkai had its advantages and disadvantages, and right now, she found another good thing about it. She sensed InuYasha's emotions and found him to be quite angry.

" Um.. H-hello," Kagome stammered.

She saw InuYasha smirk and blushed at her current state of dress. She sank even lower in the springs and stared straight, not bothering to acknowledge InuYasha's presence.

" Kinda makes it hard for you to subdue me without those damn beads, doesn't it?" he gloated.

A cruel spark glinted in his eyes as he walked into the same spring that Kagome was in.

" Wh-what the hell do you think you are doing?!" she screeched. " Out! Now!"

InuYasha waded in front of her and smirked as he felt how uncomfortable he was making her.

" Um… you enjoy y-your bath… I…I think I'm done," Kagome said as she scrambled to get out of the spring, only to have InuYasha catch her wrist and pull her towards him.

" Kagome… don't leave… say it isn't true."

Kagome's eyes widened at how soft his voice was. Her heart clenched in pain. 'Why are you doing this to me…?'

"W-what do you mean?" she asked her voice hoarse.

" That you and SesshouMaru aren't mated," InuYasha whispered, loving the feet of her in his arms. " Kagome… I… I'm sorry for all those times I was mean to you… and how blind I was…please forgive me…"

'Don't say it Inu… please don't…'

" I love you"

Kagome choked back a sob and pushed him away. Her bruise throbbed and reminded her of the path she had chosen. Of the man she had chosen to be with. 'I love him…' she thought.

Kagome lifted her head up and took InuYasha's face and straightened it so that they were making eye contact.

" InuYasha… You don't know how long I have wished to hear you say that to me," she started. She placed her finger over his mouth and closed her eyes to prevent the tears from flowing. InuYasha had kissed her palm, but she took it away. " InuYasha…please listen…"

She took her robe and went out of the spring. She placed it on and knelt in front of him. " InuYasha, I love you as a friend would love another friend. I-… It's true about SesshouMaru and I." She opened the robe and revealed the mark that he had given her earlier. " Sesshou and I are mated… and I love him very much…"

InuYasha blinked back his tears. 'Mariko was telling the truth…' He sighed and looked at Kagome. He nodded and took her clawed hand in his. " I hope you will be very happy with him…"

Kagome nodded. " I am." She began to walk towards SesshouMaru's room with a bright smile on her face and huge burden lifted from her shoulders.

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Yumemaru sat by her vanity and combed her hair. She had been there since Kagome's kidnapping. Although they had received news that she was fine, Yumemaru still felt worried. With that hanyou there none of them would be safe.

Suddenly, she stopped and stared at her reflection. The family symbol for the Western land was fading. The blue crescent was no where to be seen.

'The crescent' she thought.

She smiled to herself and ran towards Komashiro's study. As she burst through the door, she hugged the white haired lord and started jumping for joy.

" My friend, what is the occasion?" he asked.

" SesshouMaru found a mate! He found a mate! Look!" she said as she pointed to her forehead. " It's gone! The symbol is gone! I am no longer the woman of the Western Lands!"

Komashiro blinked until the story sank in. He patted her friend's shoulder and nodded.

" That is great news! I wonder who she is?" he asked.

Yumemaru stopped and glared at Komashiro. She smacked his arm hard and shook her head.

" Are you really that oblivious to the obvious?" she asked. " It's Kagome!"

Komashiro smiled. " I was just joking my friend, besides… I had noticed he had been quite into my young daughter."

" I should tell Shippou. We need to get him to his mother soon!" Yumemaru giggled.

" When does the mark appear?" Komashiro asked.

Yumemaru sat down on a chair and looked at her friend. " What do you mean?"

" When will the crescent show on her forehead?" he asked pointing to his own diamond insignia. " I remember Ayame's did not show for a few cycles."

Yumemaru thought for a while and shrugged. " Its really hard to tell. It depends on whether the two accept each other, you know… that was the reason why Ayame did not have the mark on her forehead."

" So how long was it when you were mated with InuTaisho?" he asked.

" I had the mark as soon as he bit me"

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SesshouMaru paced around his study. He had ordered the servants to move Kagome's things into his room, since they were now mated… but he was nervous. He had not seen Kagome's forehead as of yet and he was getting a suspicion that it was not there.

He flexed his right arm and smiled. 'Time to test it out…'

He went out towards the springs and found InuYasha with his head hung low and his demeanor sour.

" InuYasha"

" SesshouMaru" he replied. Looking up, SesshouMaru saw acceptance in his eyes and wondered what had occurred earlier.

Shaking his head, he walked off, leaving InuYasha to his thoughts.

'What did my little brother accept? His defeat?' he thought

He growled with frustration and transformed to his true form. He ran through his lands and savored the taste of his speed. It had been a long time since he had a full run. 'Too long' he thought.

Finally, he sat down on a hill overlooking the meadows where Rin usually picked her flowers and inhaled the fresh scent of dandelions.

Suddenly, he growled as he smelled a foul scent. Looking back towards his castle, he ran as fast as he could, hoping that nothing had gone wrong.

"Naraku" was all he said as he ran. ' Please be safe, Kagome'

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Author's Note: Wai! Lol I love this chapter! So limey! Lol ^-^ truth be told, it took me so many damn tries just to get it like this… so please don't flame…