A/N: Thanks for the reviews you guys : ) Although apparently, only about one in 20 readers actually reviews my story, I am so thankful for you guys who do review! Please enjoy this next chapter!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Inu Yasha and his friends and family… but… the fact that I wish it, means that I DON'T own it. (sigh). Oh well. At least I can write this nifty story!

Previously, in Chapter 6:

"I will be there tonight, as well," were Sesshoumaru's final words after dinner. Kagome looked down at her plate, knowing what he meant. Something was wrong. She should definitely have changed back by now.

"This food is really good, isn't it, Kagome?" Rin asked, tearing Kagome's attention from her troubles.

"Yeah," she smiled, and began to eat the remaining food on her plate. However, Kagome's smile didn't last long. She was going to have to meet with Sesshoumaru later.

CHAPTER 7: the scent of desire

Finally, at dusk, Inu Yasha and the others reached his father's old castle. Inu Yasha and Myouga were the first to arrive, then Shippou, and last, Kirara, who had been toting Sango, Miroku, and Kohaku. It had been a long rush to the castle, and they were finally there. Once they set foot inside the palace walls, Kirara reverted to her smaller form.

"Kirara?" Sango asked, kneeling down to get a closer look at her neko youkai friend. "You must be tired," she observed. A small "mew" was Kirara's reply. Sango scooped her up into her arms, and began to walk down the halls, following Inu Yasha.

"Myouga-jiji, where are the scrolls?" he asked impatiently. It was rapidly growing dark, and Inu Yasha didn't want to chance bringing a torch into the library, lest the important locator spell would be accidentally damaged.

"It should be down this hall, and to your left," Myouga told him. While Inu Yasha headed in the direction Myouga instructed, the others were wrapped up in the grandeur of the taiyoukai's estate. There were fabulous paintings on the walls, of each successive lord over the Western lands. The second to last painting was Inu Yasha and Sesshoumaru's father, and the final painting was, indeed, Sesshoumaru.

"Amazing," Sango stated, looking over the incredible detail with which each portrait had been painted. When they reached the end of the hall, instead of turning left, Inu Yasha stared up at the wall.

"What is it, Inu Yasha?" Shippou asked, bouncing up next to the inu hanyou. Inu Yasha gave no response. His eyes shimmered at what they beheld. Miroku stepped forward and held up Kagome's flashlight to give more light to the portrait which hung there. The batteries were almost dead, rendering the flashlight pretty useless, but it still shed enough light on the painting to allow the gang to identify who it was.

"Haha--ue," Inu Yasha stated softly. Kohaku looked at Sango.

"Inu Yasha's mother?" he asked.

"Inu Yasha.. that's… Izayoi-sama?" she asked gently.

"Ah," he replied in the affirmative. After a few more seconds, Inu Yasha shook himself out of it. "This way, was it, Myouga-jiji?" he asked, turning to take the hallway on the left.

"Anyhow, it's pretty dark, Inu Yasha.. I'm not sure what we'll accomplish tonight. Besides," Miroku continued, looking around at everyone, "it seems we're all pretty tired from the journey."

"Seriously! You're hard to keep up with," Shippou chimed in. Inu Yasha looked back at the painting of Sesshoumaru, which seemed to look over the hallway, of which they were now in the middle.

"Good point, Miroku," he said, obviously ignoring the kitsune's complaint. "Let's rest." They entered the first room on the left, and made camp. Tomorrow, they were going to find Kagome for sure.

…later…

Kagome undressed from her silk kimono. She decided on a night-robe of light cotton. After she had changed, she unfurled her hair, and loosened the braids until they left her hair in loose waves. It hadn't been her intention, but looking in the mirror, she really thought the wavy locks of hair gave her a sexy air. She went back to the bookcase, and found another incantation- one on breathing under water. 'This spell could really come in handy, especially in this era, where not many people can swim,' she thought to herself. Maybe she would teach this incantation to Rin after the one about flight. Opening the scroll, Kagome searched for any possible characters which she might not understand. Finding that she knew all of the words to this one, she recited them one by one. Surprisingly, the last word of this incantation was the same one as the last incantation.. "Yuketsu!" she finished. Again, a light came from the scroll, and penetrated her body. She enjoyed and remembered the same feeling she had the night before. After the feeling faded, Kagome decided to check up on something.

"Now, let's have a look," she said, after she had laid most of the incantation scrolls side by side. she opened each of them to reveal the final word. "Yuketsu, yuketsu, yuketsu… they all end with yuketsu! What's going on? Could it be…?" she trailed off. 'Yuketsu is the word that means blood transfusion. Does this mean that all these spells are not necessarily for the inu youkai themselves, but… for their mates!' Kagome rolled up the scrolls, replaced them on the shelves, and prepared to meet Sesshoumaru.

'He wants me to teach these to Rin… so… No way! He plans to mate with Rin!' she thought to herself in disbelief. Somehow, a part of her seemed… jealous. 'W-what's this feeling? What do I care about who Sesshoumaru chooses?' Now Kagome felt as though she couldn't see Sesshoumaru soon enough. Allowing the thoughts of flying to take precedence, Kagome recited the final word of the flight incantation. "Yuketsu!" Within seconds, she had been transformed into a ball of light, and was on her way to see the taiyoukai.

When she arrived on site, she was shocked to find Sesshoumaru already there, waiting. He never seemed the type to wait. She figured she'd be the one to get there first, and then he'd show up later. Her amber eyes softened at the sight of him. As she walked up behind him, before she had a chance to say hello, he began to speak.

"Tomorrow will be the new moon," he disclosed. Kagome gasped. Usually she kept such a good track of these things, but with the recent events, she completely forgot about Inu Yasha's human night. "If you're human by then, I will take you to see Inu Yasha." At first she was happy, but then Kagome grasped the entire gravity of his last sentence.

"Wh- what do you mean, 'if' I'm human by then? I should be, right?" she asked nervously. He gave her no answer. The youkai blood inside of her added to her annoyance at his silence. She stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, turning him to face her. "What do yo---" she trailed off, after seeing the look in the lord's eyes. They were no longer cold- they were full of concern about the situation.

"It may be because you drank too much of my blood. On top of that fact, you're also a miko, which causes the effect to remain longer than usual." He turned to face her completely. Kagome was so shocked at his earnestness, that her hand, once tense on his shoulder, now laid relaxed on his chest. "Kagome, this shouldn't last for much longer, but I haven't sensed your youryouku levels drop at all. You might stay like this longer than I had intended," he told her. 'This is bad,' he thought to himself. Sesshoumaru, though outwardly calm, was struggling to maintain his composure around her. The smell of his blood mingling with hers was, indeed, extremely enticing. Finally, Sesshoumaru fully understood all the reasons why his father loved a human woman. But now… now, Kagome was beginning to cry.

"No way…"a single tear slid down her cheek. "N-no way!" She balled her hand up into a fist. "How… how could you do this to me, Sesshoumaru!" Now both of her fists were clenched, and she began to pound them on Sesshoumaru's chest in anger. He stood there, accepting each blow she delivered, fully aware that this predicament was, indeed, all his fault. However, seeing as her desperation was beginning to overwhelm her, Sesshoumaru reached around Kagome and drew her to him. He knew that it wasn't exactly the best thing for him to be doing, but unless she could be comforted, Kagome's spirit would soon break. Her sobs ceased, but in turn, he could sense rising anger coming to replace her sadness. "And.. this is all to prepare Rin to become your mate, isn't it? You did this to me because you want herto be your mate? Answer!" she demanded. She pulled her head away from his chest and stared into his eyes angrily. The lord had no idea how to respond.

'How did this woman figure it out?' he asked himself. He couldn't tell whether she was jealous that he had marked her - even though it was only temporary- but intended to thoroughly mark another, or if she was just angry that now she might be stuck as a hanyou for longer than she really wanted to be. Although Kagome looked angry, she hadn't tried to completely pull away from the youkai. This led Sesshoumaru to believe that not only was the temporary mark wearing his resolve thin, but it was wearing her down, as well. He looked down into her eyes, shocking her into silence.

"Kagome," he said, his eyes showing nothing but softness for the girl in his embrace. She stared back at him in surprise and silence, not sure if she wanted to know what was going to happen next. Kagome, in fact, was surprised that she didn't feel out of place with his arm around her. Had she completely forgotten about Inu Yasha? Absolutely not. But she couldn't deny the strong pull she felt to the taiyoukai who stood in front of her, staring at her with such a gentle expression. Sesshoumaru felt no resistance from the young woman before him- she had completely changed from the scared young miko he had abducted from the onsen. She was… fearless, powerful, and.. beautiful… In thinking such thoughts of Kagome, he leaned in toward her, coming dangerously close to connecting his lips with hers. His eyelids were relaxed, and ready to close at any moment. Kagome had made no negative motion, nothing to snap him out of his thoughts, which was why he had carried them so far. Sesshoumaru recognized the aroma of arousal that had become evident in her scent. It was extraordinarily tantalizing.

"Sesshoumaru," she said softly, when she realized he had slowed his advance. "this-- scent--" Her hands, again relaxed, moved upwards on his chest, and rested on his shoulders. 'What.. in the world… what am I feeling-- why--' she puzzled over it in her mind, but her body was already winning the battle. She had caught the scent of Sesshoumaru's arousal as well, and her newfound youkai instincts had no problem setting aside her mental qualms when faced with the prospect of satisfying the desires of her new hanyou body.

His head was almost numb with anticipation of wrapping himself in her scent. He knew, however, that if he kissed Kagome, it was probably only a matter of minutes before he would attempt to mark her permanently. At this thought, his mind won the battle over his body. He stopped his advance on her, and slowly began to pull out of the physical stupor that he had trapped himself in. Kagome, however, was not so lucky. The desire of Sesshoumaru's youkai blood flowed hot within her, overpowering her conscience, reminding her only of the good moments she had shared with Sesshoumaru. His gentle manner with her by the lakeside last night, his playfulness in the morning, the look in his eyes when he spoke to her… She recognized his power and authority, and his beauty and grace to complement it. Quickly, without any more hesitation, Kagome made a move. While one hand remained on his chest, the other moved up around his neck. She mingled her fingers in his soft hair while sliding her other hand up his muscular chest. The butterflies in her stomach took over when she felt his desire for her by the look in his eyes. Without further thought, only on instinct, she pulled his head toward her own.

The moment Sesshoumaru had tried so hard to avoid came crashing in on him. When his lips touched Kagome's, there was an explosion in his brain. The desire he had been struggling to repress came rising to the surface. His arm, which had been around her waist until they began the kiss, slowly moved up the middle of her back until his hand was pressed against her shoulder blades. Although he had been subconsciously leaning down toward her before she wrapped herself around him, he now found himself leaning into her even more. The desire for Kagome was there- the desire to protect the woman bearing his scent, the woman who had extraordinary power as well as strength in the face of adversity, the woman who was not afraid to speak her mind, but who could remain a woman nonetheless.

Kagome also felt an explosion in her brain when her lips touched his. Kissing Sesshoumaru, she felt united to his strength as well as to his inner person- the one he never exposed to others. It was overwhelming. The tension that had been building up since her transformation was finally released. Sesshoumaru became fully absorbed in her scent, the same way that Kagome had found a love for the taste of his blood the night before. Everything else disappeared, but the feelings of security, warmth, and the experience of an amazing sensation of pleasure on their lips. Besides the contact that they felt between their bodies, everything else faded into nothing.

A few moments later, their kiss naturally came to an end, but by now, Sesshoumaru was fiercely battling against -and losing to- the inclination that he knew would come. While their lips were no longer touching, their bodies were still knit together. Kagome had moved her hands from around Sesshoumaru's neck to around his torso. She enjoyed the sensation of feeling him without his armor, and her hands could feel the contour of his back under his clothes. Kagome's mouth was now near Sesshoumaru's left ear, and he could hear the alluring sound of her uneven breaths as well as feel the moisture of it against his neck. Their primal selves were enjoying each sensation every second delivered. The warm breath of Sesshoumaru against Kagome's neck gave her goosebumps, and she hugged herself even closer to the youkai lord. He gently brushed his lips against areas just under her ear and down the side of her neck. Slowly- very slowly- Sesshoumaru began turning Kagome's body. He was making his way back towards the nape of her neck.

"Sesshoumaru…" Kagome said softly. She was a little nervous; she had no idea what was going on. Why did she feel this way? The moment they had been sharing was phenomenal, and the feeling she had from his embrace -coupled with the look she had seen in his eyes- told her that Sesshoumaru felt the same way. She turned her head, trying to look up at his eyes now. He withdrew his lips from her neck, pulling his head back to return her gaze. Just one more moment, and he would have been in position to mark her thoroughly. Looking into Kagome's eyes, in a single second, millions of thoughts ran through the head of the taiyoukai.

"Kagome," he whispered her name, and hugged her body to his. They remained in each other's embrace for a few moments, until they both felt another pang of desire to continue their new experience together. In that moment, however, Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, and his face showed resolve. Kagome didn't see this.. her head was cradled against his chest. A few seconds later, still holding her to him, he spoke again. His voice was cold, but noticeably shaking. It was quite an effort to restrain the feral impulses he felt. "I.. will not see you again until tomorrow evening." Kagome opened her mouth, about to protest. He held her tighter for just an instant before he flew off, leaving no trail behind him for her to follow. She looked up at the stars, and was just about to fly off to follow him, when she realized that she was still confined by the barrier of the castle. Somehow, she had forgotten all about it. With the dissipation of Sesshoumaru's scent, Kagome's mind was finally able to resurface. Falling to the ground, she placed a hand to her lips.

"Sesshoumaru…" she said in awe and disbelief, slumping forward. 'I… I… kissed Sesshoumaru! What … ? What! But.. Inu Yasha…' She replayed several memories in her mind of Inu Yasha kissing Kikyou. Of course, that woman was long gone now.. and just because Inu Yasha did it, that didn't give her the right to kiss someone else, either. Also, Inu Yasha never did tell Kagome of any intentions he had concerning a possible future together for the two of them. 'I'm so confused,' was the only thought that found its way consistently through her mind. Putting her face in her hands, she cried herself to sleep outside, under the stars.

A/N: So… how did you guys like it? This chapter wrote itself, andat the end of it, I was shocked, myself… for the next few hours I was like, "I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE KISSED HIM!" Anyway, I know I keep mentioning my fear of ooc-ness, but… I tried to justify it as much as I could. Please let me know what you think! If you are ever going to review, now is the time to do it...

Yay! Anime expo is this weekend! Aba-yo!

Beulah Page: Yeah, for reals! I've been getting annoyed with the plethora of fanfics about how Kagome saw Inu Yasha with Kikyou, and they were either kissing, or doing something else… that I don't need to mention… and she runs away, into Sesshoumaru-dono's arms.. Pshaw! And..yeah, I admit, the blood suckingthingwas kinda weird. But it was interesting, imagining the taste of it.. weird, but interesting. Thanks for reviewing, yo!