Disclaimer: Look at the first chapter.

Kaimaru: hello everyone!

Mieru: thanx for the reveiws!!

Kaimaru: Yea! So without further ado what you all asked for..

**drumroll***

Mieru: The 4th chappie!!

Kaimaru: But first..

Mieru: The dictionary!

Baka - Idiot

hentai - pervert

-sama - suffix used when talking to someone of higher standing ; superior

Obi - sash tyed around the waist

Haori - the shirt thing Sesshoumaru wears

Kaimaru - anyways here is the next chapter, happy reading!!!

(Special thanks to Black Canary, DemonLady1, Mala Valvah, and Champion123, thanx for the reveiws!!)

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Gyokusai

Part VI - Understanding

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Kagome slipped out of her clothes and in to the warm water. Growling imcorherently in her throat as she sunk into the water to the tip of her nose. Mumbling inapropriate things in to the water, and watching the bubbles float and pop on the surface.

Sesshoumaru... made her his mate?! As in husband and wife?!?! What the hell was he thinking?!

She was just sixteen years old!!

And who KNEW how old he actually was!! He could qualify to be her great- great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather for goodness sake!!!

She dipped her head back, and started massaging her scalp, wishing for shampoo to clean her filthy dirt ridden hair. She would just have to settle for water, until she got her hands on SOME KIND of shampoo or whatever they had in this time. Watching orange dust floating on the surface of the tranquil water, she sighed in disgust. EVERYTHING was so screwed up in her life anymore.

She'd only been here for one day and it already seemed like her normal schoolgirl life seemed like just a dream. An completely average happy dream of a girl with lots of friends and people to protector her, yet this had STILL happened to her. Not that she blamed her friends.

Oh no, she couldn't blame them for not going against Sesshoumaru.. he probably would have torn them to shreds.

No matter how much she was displeased with her current situation, she still liked her friends alive and whole.

Taking in a deep breath, she dove under the surface and swam around in the swirling wet clouds. trying to clear her mind.

It was as good as done that Sesshoumaru was her husband, even though she didn't imagine getting hitched (That sounds so funny.. hee.. hitched...) until she was in her mid-twenties or later. But it seemed fate didn't want that to happen.

And Kagome HIGHLY doubted any youkai knew the meaning of 'divorce'. So know all this boiled down to one thought...

She surfaced from the water, wiping her eyes dry, gasping for air.

.. did she love Sesshoumaru?

She raised her eyelids revealing sparkling green orbs only to see boots and white baggy pants in front of her. She looked up.

Yellow sash, removed spiked armour, Fluffy tail, and white and scarlet flower emboried haori... all the way up to the golden eyes and silky white hair. His eyes were wondering down her skin and it took Kagome a minute to register what he was looking at.

Without further thoughts she screamed at the top of her lungs,

"HENTAI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Sesshoumaru winced, kneeling down and covering her mouth quickly to prevent further loss of his hearing. She glared daggers at him, sinking lower in to the water, to hid herself.

After a minute or so passed between them in silence, Sesshoumaru thinking if looks could kill he'd already be six feet under.

He slowly released his hand from her lips, to his side. She continued to glare at him, her lips pursed in annoyance.

"What are you doing here?!" She hissed at him. He shivered at the deadlyness in her tone.

"Coming to see you."

She blushed, mumbling, while looking away from him,

"Well you deffinently SAW now didn't you?"

He smirked at this, gently grasping her chin so she'd look at him.

"Now why would my mate wish to hide herself from me?"

He sensed her temper flare as well as embarassment.

"You baka!! If you haven't noticed I STILL haven't forgiven you for that." She barked.

He cocked at eyebrow at her, and gave what looked like to Kagome puppy dog eyes. She frowned trying to resist the power they were having on her warm heart.

must.. resist.. the force... (Hey does anyone else hear the star wars theme song?)

He gracefully shifted so he sat on his rump, and his feet dangled in the water.

"What are you doing?" She asked curiously. He ignored her question, and countered with one of his own.

"Have you even seen what you look like now?"

She frowned.

Come to think of it.. she had never been given the chance too.

She shook her head.

He smiled slightly, grasping her shoulders and turned her away from him, so her head leaned against his chest, then pointed to the water's surface before her to look.

Leaning foward slightly to look, she cast her glance down to look at her reflection.

She gasped.

Staring back at her from the water was a beautiful woman with velvety forest green eyes, twin stripes of a bright golden on each her cheeks and a silver sun on her forehead. She wore the same expression of shock Kagome held.

"Is... is that.. me?" She asked incrediously. He nodded, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and talked in to her ear, so his breaths blew teasingly on her ear.

"Yes, my beautiful mate. I marked you because doubtless other youkai would think the same and try to claim you for themselves."

She slowly nodded in realization that he didn't do it to hurt her.. but to protect her. So.. did he really love her then? or this supposedly incarnation of her Faia? Would she be able to live the rest of her life knowing she was only around because she was a copy of his former love?

Sesshoumaru seemed to sense her distress and cuddled her closer, closing his eyes and nuzzling her neck, breathing in the scent that was Kagome's own. No one elses. Not even Faia'. The smell he was beginning to fall in love with.. the one he found he wanted.

She froze.

"Sesshoumaru-sama.. what a-are you doing?" She said remembering he clothes- less state once more... with an man she met only yesterday.. wait her MATE she only met yesterday... holding her warmly, not the least bit fazed.

"Holding you.."

"I realized that." She said sarcastically, but it came out more like a squeak. He grinned into her hair.

Innocent.

Beautiful.

Smart.

Those three words described her perfectly. Things he'd come to love in just a day that several demonessess had tried to win, and could not acomplish their entire life spans.

She was Kagome.

HIS Kagome.

Sesshoumaru lifted his head, then tilted her head back so she looked up at him, her eyes filled with worry, excitement and doubt. Slowly leaning down, he kissed her gently at first with held back desire. Her eyes closed, as she returned the kiss, and he felt a surge of electricity surge down his spine that she wanted the same thing he did.

She turned in to his chest, so his arms wrapped around her bare back. Her hands were placed on the folds of his haori, as she kissed him.

They seperated for a minute for breath, and Kagome felt the slow blush start creeping up her cheeks. She buried her head in to his chest, against her own hands.

"Um..." She began, unsure as to what to say.

"Kagome I.... I want to tell you something." He whispered, sparing her any embarassment she might inflict on herself.

"Yes?" She said quietly.

"Your different. I KNOW your not Faia anymore. Now that I look close you don't even look alike that much. Your more carefree and kind... and...." He trailed off gathering courage for his next words, as she looked up at him hopefully, yet unsure.

"..I.. I think I'm falling in love with you."

Kagome's eyes widened searching his face to see if he was joking, as he scanned the water with his eyes. Anywhere but her eyes. He was DEFFINATELY not kidding.

She lifted her delicate fingers up and caressed his cheek so he looked down at her.

Her eyes searched his, searching those beautiful golden eyes, looking for something. and she found it just as he found it in her, an new hope in him alighting in his heart that had been so cold and uncaring for so long. Now melting under he warm eyes.

"Sesshoumaru.." She whispered.

as they relized the look...

"I love you too."

.. it was love.

They both smiled as they hugged each other in relief, her arms thrown around his neck. He sent several butterfly kisses down her cheek and neck, as she laughed.

"Sesshou!" She giggled. He grinned, continuing his assualt.

"Yes?"

"You DO realize I still don't have anything on don't you..." She scolded as he stopped. She choked back laughter at his sudden remeberance, but then a sly grin covered his features as a thought struck him. She frowned as he stared down at her, with lust and mischeivious eyes.

She KNEW what he was thinking and shook her head vigorously.

"Oooh no dog-boy. You ain't gettin' it here. You have to work for what you want."

She laughed as the dissapointment flitted across his face. He slowly stood, as she made a grab for her white sleeping kimono she had worn since she awoke at his castle, but he stopped her.

"You aren't to wear that." He said. She glared at him.

"Well what do you want be to do?! Dance around bare naked?!" She said annoyed at him. She saw the tug on his lips as he smiled.

"As amusing as that would be..." She blushed ".. The villagers offered this as an apolgy gift for trying to kill you earlier." He handed her a folded cloth material, as he fingers grazed across it, she felt the exquosite texture of finely woven silk under her fingertips. She took it in her grasp. She looked up a Sesshoumaru expectantly. He stood unsure what to do before she waved her finger around in a circle chiding him.

He took the hint to turn around. She grinned thinking

'just like a trained puppy.'

She climbed out, squeezing as much water out of her hair as possible before slipping in to the blue silk kimono. It was comfortable, and was probably rather costly. She turned to look at Sesshoumaru's back saying

"You can turn around now."

He did. Sesshoumaru nearly gaped at the picture before him. There stood Kagome in an elegant sky blue kimono that seemed to flow down as if it was a waterfall. She had a translucent brighter blue obi tied around her waist, and the sleeves draped off her arms only adding to grace of the outfit. It was beautiful and fit for a hime, yet it was simple enough to do what you wished with out troubles. Carefree... much like her own nature. But the thing Sesshoumaru found most radiant about the look was he smile. It glowed meshing with the water blue colors around them.

He could hardly believe his luck she was his.

"Shall we go?" She said happily, all anger from before gone with the wind.

He nodded holding out his hand, which she took gladly as they set off down the forest towards the village.

Only unknown to them they didn't catch the giant wasp fly out of the trees to report to its master about the new information.

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Kaimaru: Whew!! This chapter is finally finished!

Mieru: Took ya long nuff..

Kaimaru: Easier for you to say you sat around watching my Inu yasha movie all ay eating my oreos!!

Mieru: What.. what are you talking about? ::Shifty eyes:: I did no such thing

Kaimaru: yea right... anyways, I'd like to ask those who cared if I should change the rating and add some sort of lemon in here or not. Recommendations welcomed!! Anyways talk to you later, i have to go save the rest of my oreos!!

Mieru:: never!!

Kaimaru: Now slowly set down the hostage(oreos) .. good kitsune.. no wait-- ! don't shove thewm all in your mouth--! Oh my goodness Mieru you just ate the hostage!

Mieru: mrph, marg!!

Kaimaru: Gosh, and you didn't even save me one!! that's it you sleep with Inu yasha tonite!

Mieru: noooo!!

Kaimaru: Bye everyone!