Chapter 6

A month later...

Katame again found herself in her husband's palatal home nestled deep in a beautiful valley.

Sesshoumaru had set his many servants to work creating large gardens where his wife could walk and his son could play in safety. The servants had not seen their master very often for the last few months. They were more than a little nervous of getting in the way of the great lord.

Katame was sitting on a bench outside with the young Inumouru on her lap.

Kagome was seated beside her chatting. "I wouldn't have thought Sesshoumaru would live in such a nice place. He always seemed so uninterested in the niceties of life."

Katame smiled and tickled her little one. "There are a great many things you don't know about him. He can be kind when he wants to be, but he likes to have things exactly so, and if it isn't, everyone knows about it."

The boy giggled. He was already showing signs of the rapid growth of his demon heritage. He was a beautiful boy with his fathers golden eyes and long silver hair. He reached up to his mother and grasped her long black hair tightly in his surprisingly strong fingers.

As the two women worked to disengage the boy from her hair Sesshoumaru came to them. He questioned his son. "What are you doing my son, release your mother." Reaching down picked up the giggling child. The boy was dwarfed by his father's large form.

The sun was beginning to set. "It is getting late I don't want you out at this hour." He ordered the two to go inside.

"I suppose it is time for me to make supper too." offered Kagome.

"No Kagome, that is what I have servants for." He turned and left with the boy.

Kagome looked at Katame confused. "Yesterday he was ordering me around left, right and center. Kagome do this. Kagome come here. Do you know he even spanked me?"

Katame had not heard this word before. "Spanked? What its that?"

Kagome motioned to her hind and said. "He hit me there."

Katame looked very concerned. "Yes, he has done so to me as well. You must be very careful Kagome, He will beat you again if you disobey him. You are fortunate that he did no worse than that."

Kagome paled as she thought, 'Worse, oh great he gets worse.'

The two women went back to the house.

Inside the palace girls were greeted by wonderful smells. A meal was being laid out by the servants.

Inuyasha was already seated and enjoying some tea. Sesshoumaru took his seat at the head of the table and motioned to Katame to sit by his side. Kagome knelt by Inuyasha.

"Wow, this is really nice do you always have such lovely suppers?"

"This is a celebratory meal." Sesshoumaru's gold eyes sparkled. He knew what the celebration was. Inuyasha had decided to take his advice concerning the human, Kagome. This was a wedding feast.

After the meal Sesshoumaru and his wife retired to their private quarters. When they were alone Katame spoke to her husband.

"My lord, what were we celebrating tonight?"

Pulling Katame close to his chest he looked into her eyes and said "You need not concern yourself with my brothers dealings. If he wants you to know he will tell you." And with that he removed her clothes, kissed her and blew out the lamp.

Inuyasha took Kagome by the arm and said we should go to our room. Normally they would share a room but sleep on separate mats on opposite sides of the room with Kagome sleeping behind a screen.

When Kagome saw the room she thought to herself. 'There must be a mistake, where is the screen? And why is there only one mat?' Inuyasha guided her to the mat in the center of the room. She turned around to see Inuyasha, he had an odd look on his face.

"Don't worry Kagome I wont hurt you." And with that he laid her down on the bed. His eyes glittered, turning red with the desire to mate. He descended on her.

Kagome woke up to find herself wrapped in the firm embrace of ... her husband? Could it be? She went to move and felt the tenderness of a new wife. Oh yes, he hadn't hurt her as he promised but boy he sure came close a few times. She felt Inuyasha's arms tighten around her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Turning her over he kissed her and said. "I'm not so sure I'm finished with you."

Kagome looked into his eyes. 'Gold. Good, I think.'

"What do you mean, done with me?" She asked half afraid of the answer.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe I'll just keep you here all day." He nuzzled her hair.

"All day!?! Oh no you don't... eeep!"

He tightened his grip. "Sesshoumaru says I need to exert some more control over you so..." He grabbed her and pulled her even closer to his chest.

"Sesshoumaru... Sesshoumaru? This was his idea. Oooh I'm going to give that man a piece of my mind. Kagome was furious.

Inuyasha just laughed. "He not a man he's a demon and if you give him a piece of your mind he just might eat it along with the rest of your pretty little head. And then I would lose a perfectly good wife."

Inuyasha was enjoying this. He had not considered mating since that ... no, best not to think of her. He watched Kagome struggling to free herself from his grasp she was small but strong. He felt his eyes begin the change. No, he was not finished with her yet, not for a while at least.

Katame was out in the garden sitting by the fountain with little Inumouru bouncing on her lap. Inuyasha approached her.

"Hmmff, the little pup is growing like a bad weed."

Katame looked up to see him, his words were harsh sounding, but he had a big grin on his face.

"Good day lord Inuyasha, would you like to hold your young nephew." She handed him the squirming infant.

He held the child close to scent him as is demon custom with a new child. Immediately Inuyasha let out a howl the babe had got him by the hair and was proceeding to either pull it out by the roots or climb up his uncle's face. "OWWW! Let go, you little demon spawn!"

Katame did her best not to laugh but to see the great Inuyasha who had fought and won so many fierce battles, doubled over in pain from a baby's grasp. "No Inumouru, you mustn't pull your uncles hair! Come now let go."

They had just managed to disentangle the child when his father came up.

"Nice kid ya got there." complained Inuyasha rubbing his head.

"Good afternoon, it is good to see you out and about my brother. I was beginning to believe you would never leave the arms of your wife."

The babe started to squawk.

"He's hungry I'll take him in." She was glad of the excuse. Sesshoumaru did not like answering questions about things overheard by others. But he said Inuyasha had a wife. Kagome, where was she? She quickly fed the boy and handed him to a servant to bathe while she went looking for Kagome.

Kagome was in a small room off of the main room. She looked tired.

"Are you alright?" Katame hurried to her side. "He didn't hurt you did he?" Her face full of concern remembering the night she had become wife to Sesshoumaru. She shuddered.

"No Katame, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired that's all." In fact she was exhausted. Demons, even half demons have quite an appetite when the mood strikes. And apparently Inuyasha had a healthy appetite.

"He must be more gentle with you Kagome. You must tell him or else he will continue to be harsh with you. Believe me I know. I think that the demons are used to ... well ... they're different. and we are fragile compared to them." Katame did her best to try and help. "Do you want me to talk to him for you?"

"No, Katame its not like that. Inuyasha was .... gentle enough he was just was a little.... enthusiastic thats all. I'll be fine don't worry. Have you seen him?"

"Yes, he is out in the gardens talking to Sesshoumaru."

"Let's go outside, I could use some fresh air. were is little Inumouru?"

"He should be in bed by now. I gave him to a servant as soon as I learned of your being mated to lord Inuyasha. I'll peek in on him before we go."

The two girls were about to go out to meet the two lords when in they came. Inuyasha saw Kagome and broke into a broad smile. Kagome blushed hoping that Sesshoumaru would not notice. He did.

Sesshoumaru took Katame by the arm directed her to a side chamber were they could speak in private.

"Katame you look worried." he pulled her close. "What's troubling you?"

"Lord Sesshoumaru, I was thinking. Are you still angry with me?"

"Why would you think of such a thing?" Sesshoumaru was puzzled.

Katame's eyes started to tear. "I know you didn't want to mate with me.... I ... Are you still angry?"

He held her close to his chest and pet her long black hair. "I was at first, little one, but those feelings have long since passed." Rubbing her back he asked. "You are reminded of this because of Inuyasha mating with Kagome aren't you?"

She nodded.

"Have I been hurting you my wife?" he suddenly felt .... was it remorse?

"No. You haven't even touched me at all. Not since before the babe arrived."

"Oh.. so you miss my attentions do you?"

She looked up a little panicked. She hadn't meant that. Oh no, now he was going to... she desperately searched his eye for any signs of red. "I didn't mean ... I mean ... your not going to ... are you?"

He laughed. "Katame I'm not going to hurt you. Come with me." He took her into his bed chamber and laid her down upon the mat. "It seems we need to talk more about this." Undressing her he took her with the utmost care and tenderness. He brought her to her climax, something he had never bothered to do for her before. When he was through. He pulled her onto his chest and rubbed her back. "So, my wife do you have any doubts now?"

She snuggled into him and whispered "No." It was practically a purr. She knew for certain now he did love her. And that the anger he once held for her was well and truly gone.