Disclaimer: Haha, I forgot to put it in the last chapter—well, it's here now. :D I don't own Kagome and Inuyasha or anyone else from the series (ah...but if I did...evil laugh).

Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews:D I really appreciate them and I hope this chapter will be better than the last. :D

lyn: Yeah, doesn't she:D

yashagirl: Haha, sorry! XP I didn't want to give too much immediate insight on what Kagome's feeling because she currently doesn't know either. :D Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter. :D

Rinstwin: Thank you so much:D I hope you'll read the rest of it and tell me what you think. :D

Kawaii-CherryWolf: I hope you'll find this next chapter interesting as well:D

gillianraine: Haha, thanks:D Yeah, the other fic was a bit shaky...I'm considering deleting it until it's more well-formed. :D In any case, don't worry. :D I have a psych background in the family...I used to read the books for fun when I had nothing to do, haha:D It's helping me cope with college right now. :D Anyway, sorry if I turned this into a getting-to-know-you session. :D Enjoy this next chapter. :D

Chapter 2

Mornings After

Life was good.

He took in the scent of the youkai who lay in bed with him and the musky smell of their sex and nearly sighed with contentment. It was how things should always be—simple and uncomplicated. No sticky, confusing love shit that made him want to hold his head and howl with frustration and agony. Nope...things got sticky in the casual sex joint all right, but it never went past the physical.

Thank God.

Lifting his face from where it lay nuzzled between her breasts, he yawned and checked the time. It was early—really early. It was past one o'clock in the morning of the next day. Something stirred in his memory as he lifted himself up, stretching and testing his muscles.

"Mmm...you know how I get when you do that."

His pensive gaze shot to his current bed partner and it hardened somewhat, though his voice was coated with amusement.

"I do," he agreed. "All women have the same reaction."

"Can we help it?" she purred, sliding her parted legs even further apart and giving him a look that all but screamed: Park your vehicle here.

He bent down and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "No, you can't," he replied. His ego didn't need that little buffering. Countless of women—human, youkai, and hanyou alike had never found him lacking in that department. But he couldn't stifle the disbelief that welled up in him at the fact that she wasn't the least bit miffed that he had all but said she was common to him.

She squirmed eagerly beneath him, her hands sliding immediately to his hips. Her dark eyes raked the expanse of his lean, muscular torso and followed it all the way down to the part of him that made her ache all over. It was mere inches from her and she strained helplessly against him, wrapping her legs around his hips. The weight of his own legs against her was delicious and she felt her frenzy build at being so trapped and dominated by him. He was only half demon, but he could be full for all she cared. He had inherited enough of his father's power to make him the best she had ever lain with.

When he didn't move, she looked up him and found him looking down at her, his silver hair streaming down to tickle her face, her chest. His strong arms held himself away from her and she released his hips to slide her hands up them.

"Inuyasha?" she mouthed seductively.

"Hmmm?" he asked absently, his deep amber eyes focusing on hers, and she realized with a pang of anger that he had not been lustfully contemplating their coupling after all. She reached up and tugged angrily at the velvety ears that protruded from his magnificent mane, baring her teeth at him in frustration.

He laughed, but the buzzing in his brain was far stronger than any other vibrating parts of his anatomy. He had to remember what he was supposed to be doing.

"No," he said without a trace of regret, disentangling himself from her.

"Where are you going?" she demanded as he swung his legs off the bed.

"Doesn't matter," he evaded calmly. "You're not coming along anyway."

She lunged at him and he managed to slide away from her claws, but his foot slipped on some of the silk sheets that had been displaced during their romp and he found himself plummeting to the floor. She followed him down even as his arm shot out to stop his descent, and he heaved himself away from her and onto his feet. She crashed into the floor with enough force to make him wince, but his eyes settled on something else which lay several inches from where he had been about to fall.

He bent and picked up his cell phone, grimacing as he noticed the chip on the screen.

Sixteen missed calls, he read on the call register, and he nearly burst out laughing when he saw who it had been. Then as though Kagome Higurashi herself had appeared at his side and conked him on the head as she so liked doing every now and then, he remembered what he was supposed to do. He pressed the down button and his brows shot up.

One call received. He paused, staring at the phone as he sifted through his memory. He had checked his call registry before he had tumbled into bed with—what was her name?—and he hadn't been drunk enough not to remember that he hadn't received any call. The alcohol was practically out of his system now, after four or five hours of vigorous exercise and tons of sweat. Besides, the call had been answered at nearly eleven o'clock. As far as he was concerned, he was still occupied then.

He hit the details option and his eyes widened as he read the name of the caller he had accepted.

Kagome Higurashi.

"No way," he murmured in disbelief.

Try to remember, man, come on! You were guzzling Bacardi with---what the fuck is her name!—and the maids were trying to listen in when you—but the cell phone was on the bedside drawer!

He then noticed the other items on the floor—his alarm clock, keys, cigarettes—and sighed. What's-her-name had probably knocked them all off when she'd been flailing about in ecstasy.

And she just had to do that when Kagome Higurashi—of all people—had been calling.

Jeez. A lot of help keypad-locking does if it doesn't remain locked when someone's calling.

Rubbing his neck wearily, he walked over to the door and pressed the buzzer on the wall. There was silence for a few seconds before a sleepy voice chimed, "Yes, sir?"

"Wake Myouga and get someone up here to clean up," he said briskly. His eyes fell on his bedmate, who was glowering at him ferociously. There was a split on her lip that she was nursing. "And tell the driver to be ready to escort someone in a few minutes."

"You're letting me leave?" she burst out in shock. "Now? At this time of night?"

He crossed his arms and leaned casually onto the wall.

"If you continue staring at me like that, yes."

"It's your fault! You don't want to fuck anymore!"

He grinned suddenly, his smile every bit the youkai that was in him.

"You're wrong there," he said hotly, giving her body a long good look. "I always want to fuck. But right now I've got something important to do. You can either accept that, lie in bed like a good bitch and wait for me to get back, or you can try to fight me and go home a bloodied mess. What'll it be?"

Without a second's delay she was clambering onto the bed and tucking the sheets around her quickly, like some chaste virgin ensconcing herself away from an amorous lover. He nearly burst out laughing at the hilarity of it. He gave her a nod of approval and walked over to pick up his clothes and dress. There was a lot to do.

---

When he stalked into the living room a few minutes later, he nearly jumped a foot at the sight of his older brother.

"What are you doing up so late?" he asked, unable to keep the snarl out of his voice. He didn't like being caught unawares—particularly by his ever-superior sibling.

Sipping his whisky, Sesshomaru gave his younger brother an assessing look that was not uncommon but nonetheless freaky in its intensity. Seated by the blazing fire with his long legs propped up on the ottoman, he looked every bit the billionaire despite his relaxed stance, his Italian leather shoes and Armani suit only adding to his impressive, imposing countenance.

"I'd ask the same of you," he replied at last. "I thought you'd retired for the night."

"I remembered something," Inuyasha said stiffly, still trying to decide whether or not Sesshomaru was insulting him with his last sentence.

"And?"

He bristled. "I'm going to see to it as soon as Myouga gets here."

Only a slight tightening of Sesshomaru's mouth gave away what he thought about Inuyasha's dependence on Myouga, but he gestured to the seat in front of him.

"In that case," he said simply, "you might as well sit down and have a drink with me."

Inuyasha then realized that he'd been standing and hadn't advanced a single step into the room since he'd spotted his brother—like he were no different from the servants waiting to be acknowledged or spoken to. Gritting his teeth at how he had unconsciously waited for Sesshomaru to tell him to sit down and have a drink, he trumped over to the proffered seat and dumped himself into it.

"Cutty Sark?" he snapped at his sibling.

"Unless you prefer Southern Comfort," Sesshomaru said with a lift of his brows, referring to their mother's favorite drink. When Inuyasha merely glowered at him he went on. "Or perhaps you've imbibed and overindulged enough for one night?"

"Shut up."

"Milk then? Or hot chocolate?"

"I said, shut up."

"Coffee," he concluded. "There's some over at the drinking cabinet, if you're steady enough to get some. Or would you like to wait for Myouga to do that for you as well?"

Inuyasha surged to his feet and then checked the impulse to attack his brother. Not only would Sesshomaru once more prove that he did have some power over his actions, but he'd probably be too thrashed to work on the report by the time the fight would be over.

"I've got more important things to do," he said brusquely, turning from his brother. "And they require more of my time than you."

Inwardly, Sesshomaru graced his brother with approval at his restraint, but he prodded him nonetheless.

"There's always time. I'm sure it can wait."

Inuyasha just started walking away.

Sesshomaru quirked a brow, seeing the opportunity to strike the instant it appeared. "So you don't have all night to take care of business then? You have to see to things now?"

At his phrasing, Inuyasha's head snapped around viciously.

"What did you say?" he growled, his eyes blazing.

Sesshomaru did not reply, merely sipping his whisky.

Forgetting about the report issue completely, he turned and began stalking towards his brother, his claws already poised to strike.

"Have you been spying on me?" he hissed. "Jeez, big bro, I knew you'd have to be a perv with your zero-percent sex life, but can't you just pick up some porn?"

Hiding his smile, Sesshomaru set down his glass and stood up, giving Inuyasha a level look.

"Some advice, little brother," he said with a stab of superiority despite the gentleness of his tone. He moved closer, impervious to the threat of Inuyasha's claws. "Never keep a lady waiting."

And before Inuyasha could register just what the hell that meant Sesshomaru was gone. Scowling, he walked out of the living room and slammed the door shut, barreling straight into Myouga on his second step out.

"M'lord!" his old servant piped up, taking in his ominous expression and rightly taking a step backwards. "I'm sorry it took me so long, but I came as quickly as I could! It must be an emergency if you had to wake me up so inconveniently in the early morning—"

"I want you to have the secretaries write out a report on this," he said, ignoring the impertinence of Myouga's words and shoving a paper in the small servant's face. "I need it done by morning. I'll fix the draft myself. Tell them to come to my study once they've been wakened."

"Yes, my lord, but it will take a while since those fools are so lazy—"

"Get it done, Myouga," Inuyasha ground out.

"Yes, my lord. I'll see to it at once, my lord."

Satisfied with the unconditional assent he preferred, Inuyasha checked his watch. It was a quarter to two already. His brother's words rang in his brain and he remembered the bitch that was waiting for him upstairs.

"While you're at it, bundle up whoever you'll find in my room and send her home," Inuyasha said with another twinge of irritation. Damn Sesshomaru and his double-meaning sentences. "I expect you'll have more trouble with that than waking the secretaries, so make sure you do it after you wake them." He remembered how pissed she was at his not wanting to fuck and concern for his old servant made him add, "Bring Jaken or anyone who can protect you, if you must."

Myouga sniffed at the mention of his household rival's name.

"I can do it by myself, my lord. Leave it to me."

"Good." He turned in clear dismissal and then stopped before turning back a mere inch. "Oh—and Myouga?"

"Yes, m'lord?" Myouga asked, staring at Inuyasha's careful expression with a great deal of apprehension.

"Get me some coffee."