Later that night Kagome sat near the campfire with Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Inuyasha as they began to settle down for the evening. The past few hours had been long and hard they had fought so many demons it was ridiculous and had only managed to get very tired and dirty, although they did manage to find a sacred jewel shard. Kagome sat several feet away from Inuyasha and she knew he could sense her uneasiness. He had been trying to get close to her since she came but she wouldn't let him.

When she first arrived he had tried to kiss her but she told him not now that they needed to get to Sango and the others. He grumbled about it but followed her suggestion and they met up with the others. Then once the battles were over and they had the sacred jewel shard, while everyone else was busy setting up camp Inuyasha tried to hug her but again she pulled away and told him to get his job done first.

Now they just sat around the fire neither saying a word to the other. Kagome glanced over at the hanyou every once in awhile to see what he was up to and was happy to see that he was off in his own little world for the time being. After about an hour of silence Inuyasha scooted over close to her and rested his hand on hers. Kagome stiffened at the contact but thought nothing more about it, he was only touching her hand and as long as that was as far as he went then she was fine with it.

Unfortunately Inuyasha wasn't content with that simple contact. He reached over and took her chin in his hand, turning her head to face him as he leaned down towards her. Kagome knew what he was going to do and as his lips touched hers she pulled head away from his grasp and turned away from him, getting a loud groan from him, "What's wrong with you tonight, Kagome? You act like I've got a disease of something."

"Nothing's wrong I just…"

"You just what?"

"I… need a drink, I'll be back in a minute."

Kagome got up and headed off into the woods, she really was thirsty so it was a good excuse to get away from Inuyasha and his advances for a moment at least. Luckily the creek was nearby and it only took her a few minutes to reach the small stream and she quickly quenched her thirst before standing to leave. But before she could take two steps someone came out of the shadows and grabbed her by the waist, hauling her into the air. She screamed and tried to pry her attacker's arm off of her as they landed in a nearby tree but she couldn't budge him. Before she knew what was happening she was spun around and lips crashed down onto hers to silence her screaming.

In the back of her mind Kagome recognized the kiss and scent of her attacker and she relaxed into him, kissing him back. He released her and Kagome glared up at him, "Sesshomaru what're you doing! You liked to scared me to death!"

Sesshomaru smiled, "I'm kidnapping you," he stated simply.

"I figured that but why?"

Sesshomaru's face turned serious and his tone changed to one of concern as he explained, "Rin is ill and I do not know what is wrong with her. I was hoping you could help."

"Sure I'll help, where is she?"

Sesshomaru scooped her up into his arms and took to the air once more, landing in a small meadow where Rin and Jaken waited for him. The little imp let out a cry of surprise when he saw Kagome, "Lord Sesshomaru what is that human doing here!"

"Do not question my actions, Jaken. She is here to help Rin."

Jaken shrunk back, fear filling his voice when he saw the look in Sesshomaru's eyes, "My apologies my lord!"

Sesshomaru set Kagome back on the ground and she made her way over to the young girl where she sat by the fire. She knelt next to her and smiled cheerfully, "Hey Rin, what's the matter?"

"I don't want to say in front of Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken."

"Let's go over here then."

Kagome led the girl to the other side of the meadow and Rin explained how she was feeling and Kagome couldn't help but smile as she explained to Rin what was happening to her body. When Kagome was finished she returned to Sesshomaru, "Is she alright? What is wrong with her?" he asked softly.

"She's alright but," Kagome stood on her toes to whisper in his ear, "she's starting her monthly cycles. The first couple of times can make a young woman sick but she'll get over that soon. She's fine though, so don't worry."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly but he gave a nod, "I see… thank you for helping her."

"Sure, now can you take me back?"

"Yes, Jaken you watch Rin until I return, understood?"

"Yes milord."

Sesshomaru picked Kagome up and jumped into the air, landing by the creek where he'd kidnapped her a few minutes later. Once she was on solid ground she turned around and huffed at him, "Why didn't you just ask for my help instead of kidnapping me?"

Sesshomaru smiled, "Because it's amusing to watch your reactions."

Kagome groaned, "You just wait, I'll get you for this… Sesshy!"

Sesshomaru felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up at that name and he couldn't help but glare at her, "Do not call me that."

Kagome smiled, knowing she had him, "Why? I think it's cute."

"I don't."

"Tough, I'll call you what I want to… Sesshy."

Kagome turned away from him defiantly and started heading back to camp but Sesshomaru grabbed her arm and spun her around, crushing her small frame against his as he leaned down to claim her mouth in a searing kiss. Kagome whimpered against his mouth and clutched at his haori, trying to pull him closer as she parted her lips to allow his tongue to slip inside and meet with hers. Several minutes later he pulled away from her and gave her a playful but loud growl, "I promise you this, human, this Sesshomaru will make you pay for calling him 'Sesshy'."

Kagome couldn't help but chuckle, "I'm terrified," she said sarcastically.

"You will be, my sweet little human… you will be."

Sesshomaru kissed her one last time and jumped into the air, leaving Kagome to shake her head as she headed back to her friends. He'd threatened her like that before and had never done anything to her in the past so she wasn't worried about him doing anything to her now. Once she got back to camp she saw Inuyasha and everyone else asleep and she grabbed her book bag and started off but a soft voice stopped her, "Going somewhere?"

"Yes, I'm going home, I'm tired and I want a bath."

"Humans, what's with you and bathing?" Inuyasha asked arrogantly as he came to stand next to her.

"Unlike you, Inuyasha, I don't like to stink!"

"I don't stink."

"You haven't smelled yourself lately, have you?"

Inuyasha raised his arm and sniffed himself before shrugging, "I smell just fine."

"EWW! You're gross! Well I don't like to go without baths so if you'll excuse me, I'm going home."

"At least let me walk you to the well, there may be more demons out there."

Kagome nodded and they silently made their way to the well but before she jumped in Inuyasha caught her wrist and stopped her, "Wait Kagome."

"What now?" she asked with a groan.

"I wanted to kiss you goodbye."

Inuyasha turned her around and leaned down to kiss her but Kagome turned away at the last minute, getting a slight snarl from the hanyou, "What's the matter with you? I wasn't going to bite you or anything!"

"I know that but… I just think that…"

"You think what?"

"I just think that… we should keep our distance from one another that's all."

"What do you mean? A few weeks ago you said you loved me now you're telling me that you don't want to be near me?"

Kagome turned her eyes to the ground, trying to avoid his golden gaze, "I did love you, Inuyasha… until I learned that I couldn't trust you."

"What do you mean by that?" he asked angrily.

Kagome raised her head to look him directly in the eyes as she explained softly, "I saw you with Kikyo that day you were on the cliff. I had come to see you but when I saw you kissing her I… went home."

"Oh…" Inuyasha's face turned pale and he reached a hand out towards her, "Kagome I…"

"Don't try to explain, Inuyasha, you still love Kikyo and you only feel for me because I have her face but I'm not Kikyo."

"I know that…"

Kagome interrupted him, "No, just hush, you still love her and I don't blame you for that, I mean… she was your first love after all and first loves are hard to forget… she makes you happy where I can't…"

"Kagome…"

"Listen Inuyasha, just because we can't be together doesn't mean I still don't want to be your friend. We're still friends aren't we?"

Inuyasha was silent for a while until he could completely comprehend what she was saying to him. Eventually he sighed and gave her a sad smile, "Yeah, we'll always be friends Kagome," he turned away from her to look at some imaginary thing on the ground that had caught his attention as he muttered to himself, "even if you are an annoying wench!"

Kagome heard him but chose to ignore it for the time being as she rested a hand on his arm, "Thanks Inuyasha, you're not mad at me are you?"

"Nah, you deserve to be pissed at me but… are you sure you don't want to give me another chance?"

Kagome sighed, "I've given you too many chances already Inuyasha and every time you've gone back to Kikyo. You've made your decision and now you have to deal with it. I just don't want you to go crazy on me if I ever do get a boyfriend, got it?"

Inuyasha turned to her and gave her the puppy-dog eyes and his ears drooped slightly, "You mean I can't kill him?"

Kagome smiled, she had always liked it when he gave her the sad puppy look. Despite the fact that he was a total jerk he was so cute when he gave her that look and she couldn't help but giggle at him, "No."

"Oh fine!" he huffed as he turned away from her.

Kagome smiled and shook her head at him, "Well I'll see you later, Inuyasha."

"Yeah… see you later…"

She jumped onto the edge of the well but paused to look back once more at Inuyasha. He was looking up at the stars off in his own universe again and she remembered what he'd said earlier, "even if you are an annoying wench!"

Kagome smiled at that thought and couldn't fight the mean streak that had suddenly struck her, "Sit boy!"

Inuyasha fell on his face with a loud thud and Kagome giggled as she jumped into the well and headed back to her time, relieved to find that all the lights were out in her house. She took a quick bath and headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water where she found a note on the fridge, "A letter?"

The note was from her mother and it said that she had to go out of town to help a relative with some emergency problems and would be back in a couple of days and to call if she needed anything. Kagome smiled, "Well at least I don't have to worry about mom walking in on me and Sesshomaru again for a few days."

Kagome headed off to her bedroom and dried her hair before getting into bed. As she stared up at the ceiling her mind drifted back to the way Sesshomaru had kissed her earlier. That was the roughest he'd been with her since their first time but tonight was so different from that night in the cave. He was rough but careful at the same time and she had thoroughly enjoyed it, of course she enjoyed all his kisses but this one had been so… passionate. Usually it was just a peck or lips only but tonight he seemed to put everything he had into that one kiss. Kagome placed a hand to her lips and smiled, she didn't know what got into him tonight but she hoped he would get that urge again soon.

Before she could delve deeper into her thoughts she felt the darkness of sleep pulling at her tired mind and it didn't take long until her deep brown eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning Sesshomaru snuck away from Rin and Jaken and headed off to the well and jumped in. When he reached Kagome's time he quietly opened her window and slipped inside her room, smiling when he saw that she was still sound asleep. He reached up and began to remove his elaborate armor, setting it on the ground alongside his swords before he moved to sit on the edge of her bed. He had gotten into the habit of taking his armor off when he came to see her because she said it was uncomfortable to hug a… what did she call him… oh yes, a tin-man, whatever that was.

Sesshomaru rested his weight on one elbow and put his chin in his palm as he gazed down at the sleeping girl. He reached out and ran a clawed hand through her hair, smiling when she stirred slightly in her sleep. He had always enjoyed watching her sleep, for some reason it made him feel at peace to see her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. His hand moved down to her neck and he found the place he knew would make her squirm and lightly ran a claw over that spot.

Sure enough, Kagome started giggling and swatted at him in her sleep as she rolled onto her back, "Um… leave me alone… go away…"

Sesshomaru smiled and leaned down to place a kiss to her lips, whispering softly, "Kagome."

"Give me five more minutes, Mom…"

Kagome covered her head with her pillow and Sesshomaru let out a chuckle. It was usually so easy to wake her up but he guessed that she must be tired after fighting and putting up with his half-breed brother all night. He moved his hand to her nape and moved her nightshirt aside just enough to expose her shoulder to him. He leaned down and gently sunk his teeth into the tender flesh where her neck met her shoulder, getting a loud groan from Kagome as she pulled away and hit him with her pillow, "OW! Who bit me!"

She sat up and quickly rubbed the sleep from her eyes, flushing slightly when she saw who she'd just nailed with her pillow, "Oh Sesshomaru… sorry, I thought you were someone else."

Sesshomaru smiled, "It's alright, you must not be feeling well, this Sesshomaru has been trying to wake you up for a while now."

"Really? I guess I was just tired, what time is it any ways?"

Kagome looked over at her clock and sighed, "It's six in the morning why are you here so early?" she asked as she flopped back down onto her pillows.

"I wanted to see you and I know how you feel about your mother seeing us so this Sesshomaru decided to come before she awoke."

Kagome smiled, "Well you don't have to worry about my mom for a few days, she's out of town."

"I see…"

Kagome looked up at him and couldn't help but smile as he began to play with her hair; she loved it when he did that. She moved to rest her head against his chest and put her arm around his slim waist, sighing when his hand moved to scratch her back lightly. Kagome put her face into his haori and smiled happily when she discovered he'd taken off his armor, he was always considerate of her and how she felt.

She looked up at him and saw that he was lost in his own thoughts then her gaze fell to his long neck. The way he had his head resting on his hand made his neck arch just enough to make it inviting and the sudden urge to kiss that pale column swept over her. Tentatively she leaned up and placed a soft kiss to his throat, surprised when she got no reaction from the demon lord.

Kagome placed another kiss to his neck just under his chin and felt a slight shiver come from him as she did so. She smiled and kissed that spot again, happy to find that he didn't try to pull away from her. Normally when she tried to show him affection like this he would stop her but he didn't even seem to notice as her lips softly grazed over his smooth flesh. Feeling braver she let her tongue flick out to taste him and found she liked the taste of him, slightly salty but sweet at the same time.

Kagome continued to explore his neck until she felt his throat vibrate against her mouth when he let out a chuckle, "What're you doing, Kagome?" he asked softly.

"Nothing… do you want me to quit?"

"No, this Sesshomaru was just curious as to what you were doing."

"Oh… I just… had the urge to kiss you so I… thought I'd try it."

Sesshomaru smiled and pulled away from her just enough to look into her chocolate colored eyes, "if you wanted to kiss me all you had to do was ask, Kagome."

Kagome smiled, she knew that sparkle in his eyes, it was one of mischief and she had learned that when he had that look he was going to tease her. She knew how to play his game though, he would kiss her but only if she asked him to first, it was his way of making sure that she wanted it and also just to make her ask him for what she desired.

Kagome tilted her head up slightly and whispered her request against the underside of his chin, "will you kiss me?"

Sesshomaru smiled and took her chin in his hand tilting her head back even further before he let his lips meet hers. Kagome sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her as his lips danced over hers. Slowly the kiss increased from a soft and tender one to a demanding and passionate kiss that left both of them breathless.

Sesshomaru moved to where he was kneeling above her, resting his weight on his forearms as he kissed her. His tongue snaked out to flick against her soft lips and they parted to allow him access to the sweet cavern that lay behind them. He took the offer greedily, pushing his tongue past her parted lips to meet with hers, running the tip of his tongue along the roof of her mouth.

As their mouths fought a gentle battle against one another Sesshomaru's hands slid down her body to her the end of her shirt. He pushed her shirt up until he could feel the smooth flesh beneath it and slipped his fingers underneath the thin material, grazing his claws against her pert young breasts. Kagome made a soft sound at the intimate contact and Sesshomaru immediately pulled away once he realized what he was doing.

Sesshomaru gazed down at her passion drunk eyes and swallowed the sudden lump in his throat, "I'm sorry… I should go…"

He tried to pull away from her entirely but Kagome still had her arms wrapped around his neck, preventing him from retreating as he'd planned, "What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"This Sesshomaru broke his promise to you."

"What do you mean?"

"I touched you and this Sesshomaru promised you that he wouldn't unless you came to him willingly…"

Kagome silence him with a tender kiss to his lips and she smiled lovingly up at the confused taiyoukai, "I didn't mind Sesshomaru, if I had I would've told you… please stay with me."

Sesshomaru searched her face carefully for a moment, trying to find any trace of uncertainty there and was surprised when he found none, "you really want this Sesshomaru to stay with you?"

"Yes, I'm not afraid of you," Kagome flushed and leaned up to him, whispering seductively in one pointy ear, "I want you, Sesshomaru…"

Sesshomaru was so stunned by that comment that he could only stare at her with slightly wide golden eyes. Did she really say that to him? Did she really want him? As if sensing his inner turmoil Kagome kissed his temple and whispered against his cheek, "don't worry about me, Sesshomaru… I'm not afraid."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, I want you."

Sesshomaru smiled and pulled away to look into her hazy brown eyes with his blazing golden ones, his voice husky and seductive as he nibbled at her bottom lip, "then you will have me."

He captured her mouth with his in a fierce kiss and let his hands travel as they wished, happy to find that Kagome wasn't resisting him at all. Within the next few minutes they were tearing at each other's clothing, each trying to remove the other's as quickly as possible. Sesshomaru managed to remove Kagome's shirt first and flattened his hand against her taut stomach, enjoying the soft moan she gave him in return.

Sesshomaru could feel his inner demon clawing to get out and it was everything he could do to keep himself in control and not loose his resolve but the more Kagome moaned and writhed underneath him the harder his inner battle became. He could see his vision go red behind his closed eyelids as Kagome arched into him, feeling his loins tighten with anticipation of what was to come. He knew he should take this slower since it was supposed to be their first official time making love but the soft sounds she was making were driving him absolutely insane and despite how hard he was trying he couldn't hardly control himself.

He tore his mouth from hers to lick a hot trail from the tip of her breasts to her lips, nipping at the swollen, pink flesh lightly before moving to her throat. Sesshomaru could feel her pulse quicken against his tongue and he felt his inner demon grow stronger as it roared with pride, pride at the fact that this beautiful and submissive creature was his and his alone. He felt his control slip further when Kagome's hands slid down his front and he responded by running his claws lightly down her stomach.

All of the sudden Kagome let out a scream of pain and he pulled away from her neck to look into her wide eyes, "What's wrong?" he asked between ragged breaths.

"You… you clawed me… that's all, I'm ok…"

Sesshomaru suddenly smelled something metallic in the air and he looked down, his eyes going wide with horror when he saw his hand covered in blood… Kagome's blood! The red instantly fled from his eyes and he quickly pulled his hand away from her and watched as his claws shortened to their normal size, he hadn't even noticed that they'd grown! He looked down at the woman that was his mate and immediately pulled away from her when he saw the confusion in her normally trusting eyes, "I'm sorry…"

Sesshomaru moved off of the bed and quickly replaced his armor and swords before he tried to jump out the window but Kagome caught his hand and stopped him, "Wait Sesshomaru, what did I do wrong?"

"You didn't, I did… this Sesshomaru hurt you."

"You didn't mean to, we were both just… rushing is all, I'm alright really."

"I won't take the chance of hurting you again, this Sesshomaru will return shortly."

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere to regain control of myself, just wait for me."

Sesshomaru pulled away from her and left without another word, missing the hurt look that swept across Kagome's pretty features as she watched him leave.

Sesshomaru quickly headed back to the feudal era and went to the nearest river to wash the blood from his hands. Normally he wouldn't care at all about spilling the blood of a human but this was no ordinary human, this was his mate! She had put her complete trust in him and he had harmed her… without even realizing it he spilled her blood!

His inner demon scoffed at him, he was Sesshomaru! Lord of the western lands! He shouldn't care for a pathetic little human such as Kagome! But his heart told him otherwise, his heart told him that he should do everything in his power to protect Kagome and make certain that she was safe and happy. Under any other circumstance he would listen to his inner demon but right now, when it came to his Kagome, he was listening to his heart, something he hadn't done in a very long time.

Sesshomaru remembered back to that night in the cave when he had let his inner demon take control of him, that night he first took Kagome. He could recall the look of terror on her beautiful, tear-streaked face; he could still smell her fear as he sunk his long, sharp fangs into her sensitive flesh, "OW! Stop Sesshomaru…you're hurting me!"

Sesshomaru growled at the memory, he had promised to never hurt her again after that night but he let his inner demon break his promise and draw her blood during a time when he should've been in complete control! He should've been compassionate and gentle with her, not ravenous and harsh. He was supposed to make her feel safe and happy not afraid and hurt by the hands that were supposed to protect her.

He snarled as he realized just how much he'd lost control, he never lost control! Why did Kagome make him lose all coherent thought when he was around her? Was it because she was his mate? Was it because she trusted him? Whatever the reason was he had to find a way to control his inner demon before he went back to his Kagome, he would not hurt her again, he would make certain of it!

That night Kagome sat awake and tried not to cry as she remembered that morning's events. She thought for sure that she and Sesshomaru were going to make love. She had wanted to but then… oh why did she have to scream like that and startle him? She hadn't meant to cry out like that but the feeling of his claws dig into her stomach had really hurt, if she'd known that it would drive him away she would've gritted her teeth and kept quiet. Now there was no telling when he would be back to see her… if ever again.

If someone had told her a year ago that she would be crying over not seeing Sesshomaru she would've laughed and told them they were crazy but here she was, crying softly into her pillow because she'd driven her mate away. Kagome's eyes widened slightly when she thought that. She considered him to actually be her mate now… she should've done more to make him happy instead of making her opinion known. She knew he didn't mean to hurt her she just didn't know how to make Sesshomaru see that.

The image of his fear filled eyes flashed through her mind and she felt the tears begin to fall more freely down her cheeks. She would find a way to make this up to Sesshomaru somehow, she didn't know how she would do it but she would make certain that he felt comfortable with her again.

A couple of hours later Kagome's window opened and a dark figure slipped silently into her room, being careful not to wake the sleeping girl on the bed. The figure gracefully slid across the room and sat on the edge of her bed, running a hand through her hair before kissing her cheek softly, "Kagome."

She stirred in her sleep and rolled over, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, "Hmm…"

Before she could say anything else a warm mouth came down on hers, muffling the groan that came from her. She began to kiss back and raised her hand to the side of his head, feeling silky hair glide through her fingers. So Sesshomaru actually came back to her. But something felt strange, he didn't smell like Sesshomaru anymore and he really didn't taste like him either. Usually he tasted sweet against her lips but now he tasted bitter.

Kagome's hand found his ear and her brows knitted together in confusion when she felt a round human ear instead of a pointy demon one, "This isn't Sesshomaru's ear… this is a human ear! Then that means that…"

Kagome gasped against her visitor's mouth and pushed him away before reaching over and turning on her lamp. When the light came on she let out a startled shriek as she saw the face of a total stranger before her.