Review Responses:
Katie: Thanks for reviewing!
Leena LeBeau: No problem, thank you for the review.
PyslightlySycoh: XD :) :D :P
whitedragon235: Lol, I like that word. Nonchalant.
IcyAsh: Hmmm... read and see.
Nikki Lady ofthe Western Lands: Was it a cliffy? Sorry! Damn... I keep making them...
stoictimer: I'm not sure. But read and find out!
ZackkBum: Well, I guess it's like with people bleeding. If you make a big cut, you bleed to death, but after awhile. So like with Kikyou, she still had other souls to survive on, except she won't survive more than half an hour or so... well, read on! And thank you for asking.
Tigeriskitty: XD... LOL. Two foot expansion... XD XD XD
RichieRichRich: Lol, I'm glad you think so.
Jerry R.: I'm very flattered. But no, sorry. I haven't started accepting marriage proposals from fellow fanfic readers! XD
oakzap425: Thanks! And thank you for the review.
Blackiecat: :) Thanks for reviewing.
SkyBlueSunShine: Okies, it ended September 13th with 175 episodes. Thanks for the review.
inu.-sess.fan: Lmao. Thanks for the review.
Mistress Koishii: Ok, I'm not sure. This chapter I actually put in lots of R smut but I guess if you're a lemon expert you wouldn't really consider it a lemon. Because I wouldn't. Actually, in my other account I had a story deleted and my account blocked for a week so now I'm paranoid. But I might post a separate short story on Sesshoumaru and Kagome's stay together with lemons, or I might simply mail the lemon to people who ask for it. I'm still deciding... And thanks so much for reviewing; your comments are always appreciated.
MoonLightPrincess003: Lol. Really? I didn't mean it to be funny... Well, I'm glad it was. Thanks for the review.
AngelMiko69: I'm still trying to figure out what possessed me to put the god in there. XD
Sesshoumarugrl: ducks lemons, throws super-powered peaches back Ok, don't know where the peaches came from, but... thanks for reviewing!
Mx2mnm: :D Thanks.
Keiko89: No problem. I'm actually really evil, I seldom review. Then again, I seldom read... XD
yuya2: Lol. Not as sour as lemons, though. There's one breed of limes that are so delicious... sweet and juicy... stops ranting Ok, thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
lyn: Thank you for the review.
Dragen Eyez: Lol. I just had a thought... if I was Fluffy and I owned Jaken, I would probably sell him to Inuyasha.
demoness of cosmos: Well, I'm happy you like it.
Dark Inu Fan: :D. Though I must confess, I'm leaving the fight scenes out till probably later. And I'm agonizing over names for the sword. Tales of Samurai Nights: The Unattainable Geisha is killing me... I love it so much but I suck at fighting scenes XD... Thanks for the review.
Vengeance4love23: That's great, thanks for reviewing.
tiggerlily1: K, no problem!
Muki: Lol, I'm sure they can. XD
Animefreak242: Well, actually, I'm been thinking of the rest of the group's reaction. Right now, they only think Sesshoumaru and Kagome had a one-night thing, but if I were to take the relationship further... And I know Miroku wouldn't mind, but Sango and Inuyasha and Shippou... rips hair out Thanks for the review.
Dana Daidouji: Nah, I don't so. I like swords compared to jewels. :D
Vengeance1980: Lol, thank you for reviewing.
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A/N: Ok, guys. This is the twentieth chappie!!! W00t w00t. does victory dance Never thought it'd get this far...
Thank to my reviewers, when I first posted I'd expected five reviews only. Now... well, I love you all.
Can I wish to reach the 500-reviews mark as a twentieth-chapter celebration? Pretty please?
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Chapter 20: Feelings and Questions
"Random," muttered Kagome.
"What's with the arrow again?" asked Sesshoumaru. "It's not like it's going to work; you're practically immortal now."
"Not if someone chops my head off, no," Kagome said.
"You know how Tetsusaiga came to me after that light triangle? I think, in a similar way, you summoned back your soul that was in Kikyou."
"And she's going to die?" asked Kagome.
"You know, you're really calm for someone with an arrow pointed at their face," said Sesshoumaru.
"Am I supposed to panic because a clay pot shoots off her mouth at me?" asked Kagome coldly.
"I am not a clay pot!" yelled Kikyou. "And I'd appreciate it if you returned me my soul."
"Hold it! I'm not your reincarnation," interrupted Kagome.
"So what? It worked before; give me my soul back!"
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "I wonder if she's going to test it by force."
"Damned right I am!" screamed Kikyou.
"She has a really terrible voice, all scratchy and high and loud," complained Kagome like Kikyou wasn't there. "I suppose it's because of the clay throat she has."
"You think if I snapped one of her fingers off it would be hollow inside?" said Sesshoumaru.
"Yuck!" shuddered Kagome. "It probably would be."
Kikyou took a tiny step forward. "I just want a part of my soul back. Just enough for me to survive."
"At the expense of other girls' souls," reminded Sesshoumaru.
"Shut up, you stupid youkai!" shrieked Kikyou, letting an arrow fly.
His arm flew out and he caught the arrow, snapping it into two. "Stupid what?"
Kikyou's eyes widened. "You caught the arrow. How? Even if you'd caught it, you were supposed to be purified by it..."
"I'd have to thank Kagome for that," said Sesshoumaru. "But if I remember correctly, you were in the middle of calling me a 'stupid youkai'?"
He started pacing around her, slowly. "You see, there was a few errors in that statement. I am not a youkai."
Kagome nodded. "He's a taiyoukai, indeed."
"It was an insult to call me a youkai," added Sesshoumaru. "But even more an insult to call me stupid. Do I look stupid?"
"Well, sometimes," said Kagome. "Hey, just kidding, Sesshoumaru! Don't look at me like that."
"Kagome, good thing you didn't go to miko school," said Sesshoumaru. "Or you would have learnt bad manners like Kikyou has, going around calling people rude words."
"Ok, you two can stop teasing her now," said Goshinboku, appearing. "Who would've thought you could be so cruel?"
"Well, seeing as the whole 'personality exchange' was your idea, I received some of Sesshoumaru's traits," said Kagome. "Not saying that Sesshoumaru is cruel at all..."
"But I can be," he finished.
The god sighed. "If you must kill her, just make it quick."
"If we must," sighed Sesshoumaru. "Whip or sword?"
"Umm... whip?" Kagome said tentatively.
"Actually," said the god, "your whip might not work. You see -"
"Damn it..." muttered Sesshoumaru, his whip appearing. "It's a purifying whip!"
"Hey, you can't purify clay!" Kagome exclaimed, staring at the whip that shone blue. "Try to turn it back to acid."
"I'm trying," he hissed.
"Too late!" yelled Kikyou. "You must think I'm insane, to sit around while you plan my death!" She shot an arrow at Kagome.
"Damn, you did crack up there," said Kagome, eyeing the arrow buried in her shoulder. Already, her flesh was starting to heal around it. "I mean, you came here begging to be killed. Sesshoumaru, stop fiddling with your whip and help me pull this out."
"I think she's going to die soon, anyways," said the god neutrally. "Kikyou won't last without a main soul anchoring her other souls."
"Good," said Sesshoumaru. "I never liked that girl."
Another arrow flew into sky – except it never reached its target. It landed a good ten meters away from them, while Kikyou sank to the ground.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Where's Sesshoumaru?" asked Miroku.
"Probably trying to get rid of his new emotions somewhere," said Kaede.
"Kagome?" Rin asked.
"By herself crying," Inuyasha said.
Shippou looked puzzled. "I thought she would be happy that Kikyou's dead."
"Apparently not," sighed Kaede. "She feels that she treated Kikyou horribly in her last moments. She thinks there was some way she could've saved Kikyou, but she didn't."
"Damn," said Sango. "That woman won't give Kagome peace even after she's dead."
"I'll go talk to her," said Miroku.
"If I hear you take advantage of her emotional state..." threatened Sango.
"I get the point; you'll call off the wedding and cut off my most precious organ," sighed Miroku. "Maybe it'd be safer if I just proposed to Kagome instead."
"You dare!" exclaimed Sango, reached for her boomerang.
"Of course not," said Miroku, wandering off to find Kagome.
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"Damn, Kagome. Kikyou's probably happily in hell now," reasoned Miroku. "Even Inuyasha's not mad at you."
"But I'm mad at me!" cried Kagome. "This isn't right! I might as well have stabbed her to death, or something."
"So... you're upset she's dead, and you were... mean to her before she died?"
He was met by an unnatural silence.
"Kagome...?"
"It's ok, Miroku. I'm just a mess right now. I'll be fine."
"You were never a good liar. But I'd say in this case you're telling the truth."
The dim moonlight glimmered as she slid down to the ground.
"I'm tired," she whimpered.
"You'll be alright."
"I've been reading."
Wow. How unexpected, mused Miroku. "Reading about what?"
"Feudal Japan. Their customs, their ways. Tell me, are you going to follow through with a big wedding?"
Fine. If that was her way to keep her mind off things, Miroku didn't mind. "I don't know. If you're asking about both parties' money concerns... I've got a reasonable amount buried somewhere near my old temple. But I'm not sure about Sango."
"She'll be fine," Kagome said, patting his arm.
"Why, thank you," Miroku said in surprise.
"Sleepy..." murmured Kagome, her head drooping.
"Sleep," he told her.
Within minutes her breathing had slowed to a rhythmic beat.
Miroku picked her up and slowly headed back to the rest.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Miroku was stopped halfway towards Kaede's home.
"Are you leaving now?" he asked Sesshoumaru.
"Rin asked if she could stay with you this time."
"I'll take care of her," Miroku said.
"Likewise," Sesshoumaru said, nodding towards Kagome.
"I suppose she asked you to take her along?" asked Miroku, placing the sleeping girl in his arms.
"Earlier this evening." Sesshoumaru shifted Kagome slightly, and turned to glare at Miroku. "If anything goes wrong with Rin..."
"You'll turn me into a eunuch, yes," Miroku said. "You're only the second person who's threatened me tonight."
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Kagome sat up and looked around her, stifling a yawn.
"You carried me all the way," she said accusingly.
He waited a few moments before cracking his eyes open. "It would've been too slow to wait for you to walk all that distance."
His face. Too blank, too stiff. He was sitting on the floor, perfectly motionless.
"You got rid of your emotions!" complained Kagome.
"So did you," he told her. "You no longer think coolly and logically; you become angry easily, as before."
"Good," Kagome said. "So what do we do now?"
"A question first," he said. "Do you ever intend to become my mate?"
"What? Yes – I mean, no. I mean – I mean, maybe," stuttered Kagome.
"Good," he said. "You're too young anyways."
She shifted. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You might very well rush into something you would regret later. Which is why so few humans mate youkai – they're hard to live with."
"But... didn't Inuyasha's mother..."
"No. Izayoi – Inuyasha's mother – and my father were never married. Her family didn't accept him, and my family wouldn't have accepted her either. Though if he hadn't died, he probably would've married her." He got up and made his way out of the room.
"What's the difference between marriage and mating?" Kagome asked, following him.
"Humans like to marry; the men, especially. It leaves them free to have mistresses and affairs."
"And mating doesn't?"
"Well, it does. Two people having completed a mating ceremony are free to have affairs. But marriage is often of convenience, arranged by both families. Often, the gifts exchanged and the dowries are plentiful. The girl's family benefits, along with the man's. However, it would be an alliance based on money gains. Mating is based on love. No family benefits more than gaining an additional family member."
He entered his study and settled behind his desk. Kagome sat across from him.
"So what's the difference if two people mate, or marry but then stay faithful?" Kagome wanted to know.
"I wouldn't know. Marriage wasn't exactly one of my classes," he said, handing her a thick book. "Read this."
"'Traditional Bonding Rituals'?" asked Kagome.
"Unless you want to fetch my mail for me," he said, eyeing her with a raised eyebrow. "I do have work, you know."
"No thanks," Kagome said, obediently opening the book.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"You know, this is actually interesting," Kagome said. "Did you know that if right now, you and I had children, we could have a human with spiritual powers, a demon, or a hanyou?"
"Now I do," he said, guiding his brush carefully over a spotless expanse of white paper.
She read on. "They say the recommended age for human-youkai mating bonds is eighteen."
"Yes..." Sesshoumaru quickly moved the brush from where it was heading – downwards. There was no excuse for making diagonal strokes when horizontal lines were required. One character wrong could twist the very meaning of the entire letter he was writing.
"Oh, I have it!" she said, slamming the book shut on the table in excitement. "I can get around that 'recommended age' thing, it's -" Her eyes travelled to his letter, to his eyes, and to her lap.
"First rule of writing, Kagome," Sesshoumaru said. "You don't slam things on the table while writing. For obvious reasons."
"Sorry..." Kagome said, trying to hide a smile at his reaction.
"Not funny," he said, staring at his sleeve which was drenched in ink. The slamming of the book on the table had caused the inkwell to shake and spill its contents all over. To save the letter, he had snatched it away, at the cost of his arm taking the brunt of the ink spill. And in the end, his efforts had been wasted anyways. In between one of the lines (lines which, Kagome noticed, were perfectly spaced apart in straight rows) a drop of ink had already soaked through in a round dot.
"You will help me rewrite this," he said, handing her the paper.
"What?" asked Kagome, her grin faltering. The paper was big enough, but the writing was... miniscule and perfect. Which meant she would have to fit each character into one square centimetre; easy enough with a ballpoint pen, and impossible with a brush...
"I'm sorry, ok?" she pleaded. "Just let me off once."
"Alright," he sighed. "Tell me about the thing you read."
She smiled brightly. Yes, she was a Rin stuck in a Kagome body. "I could be your mistress."
Kagome smiled even wider as a slim, slim eyebrow shot sky-high.
And then she stopped as she noticed his expression.
Somehow, it didn't seem too be a good thing when Sesshoumaru smirked.
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A/N: Sorry to interrupt. But if you're not one for R situations, I suggest you stop reading NOW. You won't miss much anyways, see you next chapter!
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"What kind of ink do you use? It doesn't come off!" grumbled Kagome.
"Maybe you aren't scrubbing hard enough," he said.
"It's bad enough I have to wait for you to take a bath. Now, you want me to get the ink off your arm? Please," scoffed Kagome. "It's only a tiny trickle."
"Well, unless you want to copy out my letter again, perfectly," he said, starting to draw his hand away.
"Meanie," said Kagome. She spotted a bucket of rose petals on the bathroom shelf, and got an idea.
"You know, I just love the scent of roses," she said in a conversational tone, dumping the entire load into his bathwater.
He sneezed, and cursed in between sneezes.
"Oh, I forgot. You nose is more sensitive than Inuyasha's," Kagome said, laughing.
"Bitch," he cursed, and pulled her into the water with him.
"Hot!" gasped Kagome, struggling to stay afloat. When she'd first stayed at his palace she'd bathed with Rin, where their pool had a bottom she could stand on and the water was a comfortable temperature. With Sesshoumaru, his pool seemed bottomless and the water felt like it was boiling.
"Over here," he said, lifting her up and sitting her on a ledge where he was sitting.
"Off, off," he said, sounding careless, and tugging on her clothes.
"Hey!" she said, blushing.
"I've seen you naked before," he pointed out. "And there's so much steam around, so why worry about anything?"
He had a point. The steam rose high and reached up to her collarbone. Sighing, she pulled her clothes off.
"How deep is this pool anyways?" Kagome asked, feeling as if her very bones were being boiled.
"Deep. It's built over a hot spring itself. The other ones – like the one you used before – has water brought from springs, cooling the temperature slightly."
"No wonder it's so hot. But I should've guessed. You do like the best things for yourself, don't you?" Kagome said.
"Including this little girl," he said, tapping her on the head. "Pity she's not a calligraphy artist. Then, she would be truly perfect."
"Oh, what's the supposed to mean?" demanded Kagome. "I can too be perfect! In other ways."
"Care to show me?" he asked, licking his bottom lip.
"No," Kagome said, whacking him on his back.
"That's it, Kagome," he said, turning till his back faced her completely. "Just a little lower..."
"Oh, of all the arrogant bastards!" she said.
"Arrogant, huh?" he asked, as he felt two hands working down his spine, slowly kneading his back.
"Definitely arrogant," she said. "But also... very... persuasive."
"In more ways than one, I hope."
"Stop speaking in riddles," she huffed, bringing her fingers up to his shoulders and loosening the tight muscles.
"You know what? I find you a riddle. And I will crack that riddle."
"Fine. I'll bet you that you never know who I am. If you lose, you have to be my slave for a week."
"And if you lose, you're my slave for a month," he said.
"Hey, that's unfair," Kagome protested.
"It was your idea," he said.
"Fine. You can ask me five questions, and by the end of it all, you have to tell me who I am."
"Easy," he said. "I have one question already. I've been meaning to ask you. You were a virgin not too long ago. How do you learn these... techniques?"
"You mean, like making you just fall head over heels in love?" she teased. "Or making you shudder in pleasure?"
"I do not shudder," he said.
Kagome seemingly conjured a comb from nowhere and ran it through his hair, hearing a sigh of contentment as a reward. "Well, maybe you aren't shuddering or purring just yet, but you sighed. And the great Sesshoumaru, sighing? Well, to answer your question... I read. In my era, which you know, is the future, information is circulated freely."
"How? Not even the most improper books can teach you what you need to know," he said.
"Well... 'improper' books from my time are different. Yours are filled with love poems and longing and then the final kiss before marriage. Mine are filled with... bedchamber material."
"Describing every single move?" he asked in curiosity.
"Yes. And there are videos and photographs... Oh, how do I explain this... There are materials you can buy, which allow you to view people having sex as if you were in the room itself."
"The people move?" asked Sesshoumaru.
"Well, in photographs, they don't, but they are absolutely life-like. And the videos move."
"Surely this isn't behaviour that is approved of," he said.
Kagome blushed, and stroked his hair furiously. "It isn't."
"But I take it you have perused such material."
"Well..."
He shook his head, and faced her. "Who would've thought such a corrupted miko existed... Tell me more."
"I'm not the only corrupted person, am I?" Kagome laughed. "Well, there are networks on the internet... Ok, it lets you access illicit material within seconds, all at your fingertips. And we have drugs – medicine – and devices that prevent the conceiving of a child."
"So sex is given free reign?" asked Sesshoumaru.
"Pretty much," Kagome said.
"Naughty miko," he said. "Maybe you'll show me some of these things of yours sometime."
"Oh? And why is that?"
"Because I want to," he said, scooping her up and sitting her in his lap.
"Still soft?" Kagome asked, feeling a soft, but large bulge by her hip. "Or getting stiff?" Her fingers closed around his member, tugging it.
"Find out for yourself," he said, tracing one nail around her breasts.
"Hard, I think," Kagome said, stroking him softly.
"I think so too." He flicked her firm nipples.
"So how did you learn?"
"Courtesans taught me. They had many other rich patrons and weren't afraid of offending a boy. So they taught me everything, unashamed."
"What did they teach you?"
"Wouldn't you like to find out?"
"Yes, I would," Kagome said boldly.
His lips met hers. "The courtesans favoured one particular position."
"And what would that be?"
He wrapped her legs around his waist and thrust into her.
"Fuck!" moaned Kagome. "Just a little bit deeper..."
And as she screams her climax a few minutes later...
Kagome collapsed onto Sesshoumaru, panting slightly.
"I have a second question," he said.
She reached over and slapped him.
"You know, no woman has ever hit me," he said.
"I know," she said. "That was for treating me like a whore."
"Slut," he cursed. "You enjoyed it."
She turned red. (Or was it the hot water?) "Doesn't make it right."
"You know why they love the hot spring encounters? Because they give the client a nice time, and they get a bath thrown in the package. Then because so few courtesans offer the water services, the men come back for more. After all, the old futon gets boring."
Kagome pinched his ear. "And how many women have you slept with?"
"I don't know," he said. "Plenty, I suppose."
"And how many children do you have planted around Japan?"
"Some, maybe. But if I did, I'm certain the mothers would have come demanding marriage by now."
"Ok. You said you had a second question?"
"Well, I was going to ask it awhile ago, since our very first time. You... don't have any hair down there."
"I get rid of it."
"I know. Some women occasionally shave themselves with a small blade. But this is absolutely smooth." He ran a finger across her pubic area.
"Waxing," she said. "If you do it long enough, the hair growth slows and occasionally stops."
"Waxing?"
"You put special melted wax on the skin where you want to take the hair off, and wait for it to mostly cool before ripping it off."
He looked appalled. "You put wax on your..."
"No, actually, I sometimes get it done at a saloon – a shop. It's more expensive, but you get a better job."
"It's smooth," he commented. "Prostitutes here would die to learn your method. Some shave, some burn, but nothing as smooth."
"Actually," Kagome said, "there's a permanent fix. You buy an electric – a special pen, and you can permanently zap off any hair you have..."
"Bad Kagome," he whispered, cuddling her close. "Horrible girl. I believe we have punishments for mikos who go astray..."
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A/N: Well, for those who are going to come storming that this isn't a lemon, well, I did warn that it was 'R situations'. And maybe I'll continue next chapter... or maybe I'll just send the rest to anyone who wants it. Because I don't want to lose all these wonderful reviews with my story removed... :'(
I'm not a review hounder or beggar but I'm going to say, "Can you please review?"
And to Animefreak242: XD :D :) I made the chapter longer! Yesh!!! ::gives out free hugs::