Author's Note: The next chapter contains a bit o citrus. It's self contained, which is why it's shorter than the other chapters. You can skip that chapter and go directly to chapter 14 if you wish.

Disclaimer: Only Tsuki belongs to me. All other characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

Kagome's Gone
by Maia Serrelinda
Chapter 12

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She gaped, open-mouthed, at the expanse of gardens and buildings, all interconnected by covered walkways. There was even a koi pond in the middle of the buildings, complete with a small bridge over it.

Inuyasha snickered to himself at the look on her face. He gave her knee a small, gentle caress that immediately caused her eyes to lock onto his and a blush to rise to her cheeks.

"That's it."

Kagome squeaked. "That's where you grew up?"

"Aa. My mother and I lived there alone after my father's death. It's protected by a barrier that's attuned to my aura. If you weren't with me all you would see was a small clearing." The muscles in his thighs bunched as he prepared to jump down from the tree branch they had perched on. Inuyasha thought it would be a good idea to let her see the immediate surroundings before presenting her with the entire package.

Landing silently, he crouched slightly so that Kagome could climb down. Once she had lowered herself to the forest floor, he smiled at her and took her hand, pulling her gently to his side. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, dropping a small kiss to the top of her head just to hear her small, delighted gasp. They turned and walked towards the gate leading to the castle's grounds.

The gate was a fairly simple, unadorned gate. There was a small plaque near the gate made of a material that looked unfamiliar to Kagome. Walking up to it, Inuyasha placed his palm on it, surprising Kagome when the gates opened silently.

"Come here. I want to make sure the gate will let you in if you aren't with me. It will always open if you are with me, and once we're mated it should open for you even if you are alone, but I don't want to take any chances," Inuyasha said. He took Kagome's right hand in his left as he used the index finger of his right hand to trace onto the plaque what she recognized as the kanji for his own name, followed by the kanji of her own. Using his left hand, he guided Kagome's hand to the plaque, motioning for her to place her hand on the plaque also.

"If you ever want the gates to open for someone else, just do what I did, except you use your own name with the other person's name."

Kagome looked up at him curiously. "So, I could have the gates let Sango-chan in? Miroku-sama too?"

"Keh, why you'd want to let that lecher in I don't understand, but yes, you could do that."

She smiled and the couple turned to walk through the gates.

Inuyasha squeezed her hand gently as they continued towards the main entrance of the building. They were currently in a lovely courtyard, with statues placed in small groups with benches nearby. The two walked along a carefully raked path.

"Inuyasha? Who maintains all this?"

He shrugged. "I think the house maintains itself. Everything looks exactly like I remember it did the last time I was here. I think it's....sealed while there's no one here, kind of like I was sealed. There're servants but I don't think they're really alive."

Kagome was momentarily puzzled by this, but she pushed it aside. She'd think about that later. Right now, they were at the main door. It was simply decorated, but rich in its details. It looked at first glance like a regular shoji door, but on closer inspection it was anything but regular. The framework of the door was a rich, polished ebony, lacquered to an almost mirror sheen. Instead of rice paper, the door itself was made of a silk that was so fine it was translucent. Inuyasha slid it aside and they stepped into the dim interior.

Pausing to slip her shoes off, she followed the hanyou down a long, wide hallway. There were several doors set into the sides of the hallway. As they reached the first door, she saw that it was open and looked inside curiously.

"This is the formal sitting room. Mother used this room occasionally. I wasn't really allowed in here. She always said I'd get mud everywhere," Inuyasha made a face.

Kagome reached up and tweaked one of his ears softly, laughing. "I'm sure you were into everything when you were little. I think every house has a room like this - no one's allowed into it except when there are guests."

He nodded and they continued their tour of the house. All of the rooms were comfortably if sparsely furnished, and Kagome made mental notes of the locations of the family room and the dining room. They left the first building and crossed to the building next to it. It was connected by a covered walkway and there were rolled-up shades attached to the top of it. She guessed that these could be lowered in bad weather to provide a little more protection from the elements.

The second building had a much more unassuming entrance than the first. "This is the suite of the master of the house," Inuyasha said, flushing slightly. "I guess now it's ours."

Kagome blushed as she realized what he meant and looked at the floor. Inuyasha cleared his throat slightly and showed her their rooms. There was a large, open bedroom, with a futon that lay on a wooden platform. There were two small dressing rooms attached to the room, both with rooms for storing clothing. On the opposite wall, another door led to a small, informal sitting room that was decorated in the same simple, comfortable style as the rest of the house she had seen. This room also had several shelves of books. She was delighted to see a chaise similar to those in Tsuki's library. This room was open to the outside, as was the bedroom. Inuyasha showed her the small outdoor hot spring that was used for bathing. It had an arrangement of pulleys and beams above it. He explained that these could be used to put up a protective roof if they didn't want to be in the sun or to shelter themselves from rain. The hanyou also surprised Kagome by saying that he had figured out how Tsuki's bathing chamber worked and he was going to do something similar in this house. The spring would remain outside, but part of the bedroom itself would be sectioned off and a small washing area created, with water that did not have to be hauled in every time.

The young miko nodded her approval and they continued on to the small garden outside their suite. It consisted of carefully raked gravel, with a few benches and some large, solitary rocks here and there. To one side was the koi pond she'd seen from the tree in the forest, and beside it was a comfortable looking bench. The couple strolled over to it and sat, surprising Kagome when it rocked. She looked at it closer and found that it was actually a swing, with the framework skillfully camouflaged by fragrant flowering vines. She rested her head on Inuyasha's shoulder and the couple spent a few minutes simply enjoying each other's closeness.

The tour of the house had taken longer than Kagome had thought - the sun was already beginning to set. Her stomach rumbled and she flushed with embarrassment. Instantly amused, Inuyasha stood and, grasping Kagome's hand, he pulled her to her feet. Tucking her beneath his arm, they set off for the house.

"There should be clothes in your dressing room for you. I don't know how it works, but Mother never bought new stuff and somehow still had new things to wear. I think the servants take care of all that - I hope they got your size right." Inuyasha led her to the master suite while he'd been talking and pointed her in the direction of her dressing room, giving her a gentle push.

Kagome entered the dressing room and immediately saw that Inuyasha was correct - there was clothing laid out for her that looked like it would fit her perfectly. There was a simple yukata, plain green linen, with a dark green sash. She dressed quickly, shivering slightly at the chill and then starting in surprise as she noticed that the room was lit with small torches, and when she'd shivered a small fire set carefully into a grate lit itself and spread warmth into the room. Kagome smiled and ran a comb through her hair, then left to meet Inuyasha.

He was waiting her for her on the futon. As she entered the room, he stood and took her hand. The couple left the room and made their way to the dining room.

They smelled the dining room before they saw it. Kagome's mouth watered as she remembered she hadn't eaten since breakfast. They entered the room and saw that the low table had been set with a full complement of steaming dishes, as well as a pot of tea. The couple seated themselves across the table from each other and ate. They talked mostly of trivial matters as they ate; both knew that this was merely a prelude to what would happen later. Hungry as she was, Kagome barely tasted the expertly prepared meal.

Finally, the young couple had finished their meal. They sipped one last cup of tea. Suddenly, they could not look each other in the eyes. Both were eager and hesitant at the same time.

Inuyasha stood. "Go on to our suite, Kagome. I'll join you there shortly."

He left the room, pausing to drop a reassuring kiss on her cheek as he passed her. She sipped at her tea one last time before rising. She stepped out of the room and turned to face her future.

******

Inuyasha knew, logically, that he didn't need to patrol the grounds. He was the only one besides Kagome who could enter the castle's barrier, and Kagome was safely inside it. He supposed that it was possible that Sesshoumaru could enter it also, but he was fairly certain his brother didn't even know where it was, and somehow he knew that Sesshoumaru wouldn't interrupt. It must be a habit by now. It's like I can't rest unless I know I've done everything I can to make sure Kagome's safe, he thought to himself. He was alternately dreading and looking forward to what would happen tonight. He was relatively - okay, completely - inexperienced when it came to mating. He knew what was required of him - he needed to mark her during the act - but it was the act itself that intimidated him. The mechanics of it were fairly obvious, especially as he'd grown up in the forest and that kind of thing was pretty hard to avoid. No, he was more concerned about Kagome's reaction. Would she reject him? Sure, she'd seen him unclothed once, but Miroku had also been there and he couldn't really be certain, but he thought he had detected a sudden spike in her scent. It pleased him but again, until later that night he wouldn't know for sure. He'd been rejected before, by Kikyou, who had refused him in his hanyou form. She'd wanted him to become human before she would allow him to touch her.

He barely noticed the deepening twilight until he found himself back at the main building of the small complex. He figured that about thirty minutes or so had passed since he'd left her, and made his way to their suite, swallowing nervously.

******

Inuyasha had paused to bathe quickly before entering their sleeping chamber. Now, clad in only a sleeping yukata, he slid aside the door. Kagome had lit several torches and there was a warm fire blazing merrily in the small fire pit, warming the room comfortably. Kagome herself had obviously bathed also, as her hair was damp and curling slightly. She also was clothed in a sleeping yukata, though hers reached her ankles, while his stopped mid-calf. She looked at him nervously with her heart in her eyes. He walked over to the futon and sat next to her. He kissed her softly, gratified to feel most of the tension leave her body. She leaned into his kiss as he cupped her chin with one hand.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked. "Once it's done, there's no going back. Better to change your mind now."

Kagome shook her head vehemently. "I've wanted this for so long, Inuyasha. I've never been more certain of anything."

He gazed down into her eyes and knew she meant it. He couldn't believe it. She was so lovely, so strong, and so caring - and she was his.

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