A/N: Sorry about the long wait between updates! I took a vacation and my fall semester has started up again as well. So, I've been a little behind. But, I should be able to get relatively close to my old update schedule, as long as my professors don't go crazy on me! But to make up for the update, I made this chapter longer than usual (by about 3 or so pages) and hopefully it is good too! Enjoy!

The First Time isn't Always Everything

Chapter 5

Smooth, small hands tightened their grip upon the wooden handle minutely. That grasp had to be sure, confident. If not, there would be no chance of standing up to the force that opposed the slip of a woman. Although she was skilled, she knew that her opposition was much more powerful as well as driven by anger. She had seen with her own eyes that her opponent was skilled; silent and swift, and incredibly accurate. She saw her odds of winning as slim; however, there was still a great hope that a stalemate could be drawn.

With trained eyes, she watched him. His foot slid slightly forward, warning her that he was preparing to move. He was far too accomplished to do this on his own. No, the movement was deliberate. This action gave Kagome confidence. It seemed that he did not wish to harm her. His concern would be her advantage. His knee bent somewhat more, bracing his weight so that he could spring forward towards her.

He sneered at her. "Are you truly ready, Kagome? Do you really think that you can beat me with mere arrows?" he asked her arrogantly. He was carefully watching her as well.

Kagome smirked in response. "I don't know. I guess we will find out, won't we, Sesshomaru?" she answered as she pulled back her arrow a bit further.

"Indeed," was his short reply before he sprang into action.

He seemed to disappear before her eyes. Kagome tensed briefly, surprised at just how fast he really was. With a scowl marring her pretty face, she released her arrow quickly and swiftly ducked to the side. As she moved, she saw the flash of metal as it passed through were she was just standing. In an instant, Kagome leaped, putting even more distance between them before effortless drawing two arrows from her quiver and placing them into position.

She cautiously scanned the area around her, searching for Sesshomaru. She found him, in stance as well, measuring her up. "How am I doing so far?" she asked sarcastically.

Sesshomaru smirked in response. "Arrows are too leisurely despite your accuracy. I was easily able to avoid your attack."

Kagome snorted. "It seemed that I was able to dodge yours as well. Can you not beat a woman or are you just getting slow in your old age?" Kagome taunted.

The corners of his mouth immediately returned to a straight line. His amber eyes were intensely focused upon her. But still he waited, almost as if prolonging in making another attack upon her. "Perhaps it is neither," he ground out and leapt into movement.

Immediately, Kagome twisted her body, taking a step back from where she was standing. She did not have to wait long before she saw the flash of silver near her. In that moment, she allowed her two arrows to stream through the air. In response, Sesshomaru shifted, leaping upwards to avoid the arrows that soared near his body. Once he landed, he approached Kagome, pulling back his blade to swing at her. Pulling her bow to her side, Kagome dropped to the ground and lashed out a leg, attempting to knock his legs out from under his body. As she did so, her hand reached out, grasping once of the arrows that she had launched earlier. Taking it, she easily loaded it onto the bow and let it fly out while she was still crouched down. Sesshomaru frowned but shifted his attack so that he cut through the arrow and spoiled it from reaching him. With the same swing, he brought the blade down. Kagome's eyes widened as the steel fell. Would he really harm her? However, the blade stopped before it could injure her, despite the fact that he held it almost casually against her forehead.

"Was that too slow for you, Kagome?" Sesshomaru breathed out, moving closer to her face. Carefully, he moved the blade so that it came down to rest upon her hip. "It seems that I have trapped you already."

Kagome's eyes, however, were still wide. She let out a shaky breath. Despite his baited words, she could help the joyous feeling she had. He had stopped the blade. There was not one hair on her body that was harmed. 'I guess he really does care about me,' she thought. 'He wasn't this gentle with Inuyasha at all.' She flashed a smile to the handsome, silver haired man. "You've only won this round," she said sweetly. "Surely you wouldn't object to facing me again. Unless you are afraid that I will win."

"Hardly," he quickly returned. However, his gaze fiercely bore down into her. He held her captive with the still visible anger in his eyes. Nor did he make any motion to remove the blade from where it hung on her skin. Did he even want her to move? Was he simply going to question her instead? More importantly, what was he even so furious about? "The move is yours, Kagome," he stated and withdrew, slowly, from in front of her, standing at a reasonable distance away.

Inhaling deeply, Kagome raised herself from the ground. She shivered subconsciously, not able to keep the memory of his eyes away. "As you wish," she muttered, shifting her eyes to his form and pursing her lips in determination and lifting the arrow in her hand to her bow. She would stand her ground against him.

The two made a good show. Both were quick and agile, but it was still clear that Sesshomaru was holding back from his full potential. The pair spun, whirled, and darted about the expanse of the room, each attempting to gain the upper hand. They were relentless, neither pausing nor hesitating in their mock battle. From time to time, each even indulged in moments of hand combat, using a fist or foot. Flashes of arrows and steel could be seen from time to time, most of them penetrating the air millimeters from their mark. It seemed, however, that neither truly wished to harm the other. Their attacks ran to close to each other too frequently to be deemed as strictly coincidental. Instead, they merely seemed to be warnings of what could be as well as symbols of which they do not want.

They seemed to go on forever; however, Kagome was being to get tired from her efforts. 'It's time to finish this,' she thought decisively, 'and find out what is up his butt.'

Quickly, she darted backwards, attempting to put as much space between her and Sesshomaru as possible. But the handsome man was making it difficult. For every step she took back, he took forward. With a scowl, she took a large leap, bringing her hand back to her quiver as she did so. Her sure hand pulled out two arrows, which she quickly positioned and took aim. 'I hope that this works,' she told herself.

She let the two arrows fly, even though she knew that Sesshomaru was already moving upon her in his attack and that he could easily counter her attack. 'Thank Kami for a backup plan!' Sure enough, Sesshomaru shifted his body as he reached her, easily stepping out of the way of her arrows. In that moment, she threaded another arrow, which with his distraction would land perfectly in his skull if she decided to let go. But she hesitated. Unlike a sword, once the arrow was let go, there was no stopping it. Thankfully, Sesshomaru did not make her wait long.

His blade swung down in a gracefully arc towards her. She would not allow her eyes to stray from his eyes though. She stared at him, unconsciously adjusting her aim so that it was always perfectly centered upon his head. And when the blade stopped, that was how they stood. Sesshomaru had the blade resting by her neck while Kagome held the tip of her arrow against his forehead. For a long moment, neither said a word; they merely stared into each other's eyes, waiting.

"You hesitated," Sesshomaru stated.

"You could have been dead," Kagome replied, shifting the arrow slightly as a reminder.

"It seems that I am still breathing. You could have died as well. Two times you have escaped death tonight. How lucky you must be," he said dryly.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Kagome asked.

"Kendo caught my attention during my school years. Once I had surpassed my fellow classmates, I took to studying the sport on my own. Where did you learn to yield a bow as you do?"

Neither seemed to notice that their weapons were still pressed against the other's body.

"Since I was a child as well," she replied simply. "Well, it seems that we have reached a stalemate. Now why don't you tell me what you are so angry about? Being sued by Kouga should be the last of your concerns. It's not like he is a threat to the lawyers that you could get with all of your money."

His hard eyes instantly narrowed. He removed his sword from Kagome and took a step back, removing himself from the contact with Kagome's bow. The sword went back to his sheath as he turned his back on her. "I should not be getting sued by such a fool."

"You were the one that punched him, Sesshomaru," Kagome scolded. "Don't you remember?"

Sesshomaru glanced at her over his shoulder with a look at would make most people immediately retreat. However, Kagome was not afraid of his moods. She had seen enough of them and had seen him worse. 'After all,' she thought, 'he is acting like a big baby.' "It was nothing that he did not deserve. Perhaps if he would have refrained from such language, I would not have had to punish him," Sesshomaru replied.

"Oh really?" Kagome asked with annoyance. She dropped her bow to the floor. Standing firmly, she crossed her arms across her chest. "And what was he saying that upset your precious self so much, Snufalufagus?"

This time, Sesshomaru turned to face her fully. With his eyes trained upon her, he walked forward, standing tall in intimidation. He stopped directly in front of her, had to crane his neck down to glare at her from his height. Sesshomaru was so close that she was almost pushed against his body. In a stern tone he asked, "Are the rumors true?"

"What?" she asked, her eyes crinkling up in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"The rumors, woman," he snapped. "The tabloid claims. Are they true?"

"About you being sued?" she stated. "Yeah, those are true."

He growled, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "No," he muttered darkly. "Are you or were you ever engaged to that pathetic man?"

Kagome gasped, surprised that he would ask such a thing. Did he have no trust in her at all? "Of course I'm not!" she cried out. "I can't believe you! What in the hell do you think I am? I'm dating you and no one else. Don't you trust me at all?" Twisting, she tried to break herself from his grasp. His lack of faith hurt more than anything he has ever done to her. After all of this, he had the nerve to think that she would be engaged to another man – and Kouga of all people!

But Sesshomaru would not release her. Instead, his hand tightened and his other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest. "You did not answer the second part of my question. Were you ever engaged to that man?"

"Of course not!" she ground out, fighting his hold even more. "Let go of me, you asshole. I can't believe that you would listen to that stuff. You should really know better!"

His eyes flashed as he growled in warning to her. His arms tightened, drawing her in as well as ceasing some of her struggle. "Should I?" he countered. "Even though he was your date to a formal function? Even though he makes claims that you are his woman? Even though he would encounter us at a public location and insist that you were his, and be so livid that I had touched your body that he would be willing to fight? Enlighten me, Kagome. Should I?"

Kagome trembled in his arms even as she still tried to pull away. He really was insecure. But still…he doubted her. "Sesshomaru," she said in a half whimper half cry. "Don't you think I would have brought up the fact that I was seeing someone all of those times that you tried to seduce me? Don't you think that I would have told him that you were trying that and even threatened me? You always pride yourself that you are in control, but what in the hell are you doing now?"

For a brief moment, some unexplainable emotion flashed across his face. She held her breath as she waited for him to respond. How would he even respond? His jaw tightened briefly and then released himself. She had a feeling that he did not know how to react. 'Why,' she thought, 'Why?'

"Then I'm temporarily relinquishing my control," he said softly before crushing her to him and taking her lips in his.

She squirmed as his mouth invaded hers, hot and fierce. But she found that the intensity was far too strong to resist. She gave in, allowing his tongue to sweep into hers, tasting her with fervor. He spared nothing, using tongue, teeth, and lips to devour her. His hand began to roam, trailing themselves to her hips where they tenderly caressed her skin before pulling her hips into his. She could not help but moan in growing passion as he groaned into her skin.

His teasing lips moved eagerly to the slender column of her delicate neck, tirelessly tasting her skin. Kagome's head sprang backwards, closing her eyes as she allowed the sensations he was creating to rove through her body. As she did so, her hands made their way up his body, lingering over the lines of his muscles and burring themselves into the thick mass of his silken hair. It was then that his hands moved from her hips, slowly pushing the fabric of her shirt up her body, pausing briefly as they reached her breasts. Pulling back from her body from a moment, he gazed at her exposed throat and watched as he pulled her shirt from her head, revealing her now breasts. He could not stop his low growl of appreciation.

This is the edited version...for the unedited link, go to my profile

"Kagome," he muttered, still looking her in the eyes. He pulled her pants and underwear even lower, helping her to lift her legs to slip out of them.

"Yes?" she answered in a voice that wavered. Her body trembled as she gave into the delicious pleasure that she was getting. Her hands returned obediently to his hair, pulling softly at its roots as he continued to torture her. She could not help the erratic sounds that billowed from her throat.

"Did you ever touch that mangy wolf?" he asked huskily before teasing her clit with the tip of his tongue.

"Sesshomaru," Kagome moaned out loudly. Her hips bucked and her legs shook. Sesshomaru had to grasp her hips firmly to keep her from falling. "Please, I can't…"

"Answer my question," he growled into her.

"No," she groaned.

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The pair remained there, panting heavily as they rested against each other. Sesshomaru's head was tilted towards Kagome, his mouth above her ear, puffing his hot breath against the appendage. Kagome's arms, which were once wrapped tight around Sesshomaru's neck, loosened as her muscles collapsed after her orgasm. She merely breathed against time, savoring the feel of him against her, savoring the incredible ways that he made her feel.

Eventually, though, Sesshomaru moved. He leaned back, using his forearms to support his weight as he gazed down upon the still panting form of Kagome. Her glazed, azure eyes slowly shifted to his. She met his eyes and gave a small smile up at him. "Maybe you losing control isn't such a bad thing," she stated breathlessly. Sesshomaru said nothing in response. Instead, he leaned upon further until he was straddling her waist. "I still can't believe that you are so insecure, though," Kagome muttered.

Sesshomaru frowned. "I am not insecure," he stated.

"Oh," she replied, lifting an eyebrow to him, "Then what did you just call your little display?"

"I was merely asserting your fidelity."

"Really?" Kagome returned, her anger building up again. "So all of that was just a test, was it?" Her eyes flashed. "So picking on Inuyasha was part of my test as well? All of your anger? Are you sure? Is that anyway to deal with your problems? Has it ever crossed your mind to simply ask me if the rumors were true? That was just messed up, Sesshomaru. This isn't the first time that there has been rumors about us. But this might be the last one. You stressed our trust with your little antic." With a mighty heave, she pushed on Sesshomaru's chest, causing the stoic man to grunt and shift on her slightly. However, that was all that Kagome needed to worm her way from underneath him. She began picking up her discarded clothes, haphazardly beginning to through them on.

"Kagome," Sesshomaru called, standing up.

She did not listen to his call. "If you really have that much trouble believing that I am solely with you, then I don't know if I want to continue this relationship."

"Kagome," he called again.

"Eff off, Fluffy-stiltskin," she bit out. "Sometimes you are an idiot."

"Kagome," he ordered forcefully, grabbing her attention. This time the voice was directly behind her.

She stopped at his command but did not turn to face him. She held her shirt tightly against her body. Her blue eyes were still furious. She waited. For a moment, she thought he would say something to her. Yet again, though, he was silent.

For moments more, neither moved, both wondering on how the other would react and what exactly they wanted. Should they even continue this? Why was it such a big deal? Can trust be rebuilt with time? Then, Sesshomaru hesitantly placed his hands on Kagome's shoulders. 'When did I start caring?' he thought to himself.

Although Kagome did not move from his touch, she was quite tense. But then again, so was Sesshomaru. His hands stayed there. He was not sure what he could do. There has never been a time where he had to console a person, nor had he ever been driven with the desire to do so. It was a strange feeling for him. When he had seen Kagome walk away, when she had uttered those words, he could not describe what had gone over him. It was almost a pain, a thud in his chest that did not leave him. Even now, it was still there, panging against him despite her being directly in front of him. 'What is this?' he questioned.

Kagome still did not relax in his touch. He knew that she was angry but he could not bring himself to utter the words that she wished to hear. He did not know how. It was as if his entire vocabulary was gone. All he knew how to do was to touch, and that is what he did. Stepping a bit closer, he leaned his head down, gently pushing her hair and neck briefly with his nose before resting his chin on the top of her head.

In response, she snorted and let out an exhausted sigh. "You're not getting off that easy," she said.

"I understand," he replied simply.

"This isn't something that can be automatically fixed, you know, nor can this manner of problem solving continue," she continued, scolding him.

He was silent for a moment, pondering to himself. "I will let that mongrel off easily. We shall settle this matter outside of court. Hopefully this will give the fool a prime example as to where exactly his place is and where his boundaries fall."

Kagome smiled softly at his words. 'Perhaps he is getting better at life,' she thought. 'He deserves an award. Good puppy!" She allowed herself to relax a bit under his touch.

"It's a start," she said.

TBC…