Sorry for the late update everyone. I'm not slacking off, I've just been busy with work, finals, and family issues. Things have been chaining me down. So- please forgive me. On a lighter note, more OOC in this chap, more romance in this chap. Sorry action lovers, the speed will pick up again soon! PROMISE! Right now though, the plot's in slow-motion as I work on character development and relationship.

Enjoy everyone. R & R!

-CM

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Sessoumaru couldn't help but agree with her 100 percent; he hadn't had this much fun in years either. Perhaps something about the miko made him be like that, more carefree and fun, not like his usual stoic self. She was...he noted, taking in the beauty of her face and body...amazing.

-0-

The two players stopped laughing as their game came to a staggering end. They both succumbed to the adult passion slowly seeping into the childish sport, letting it alone triumph in the end.

Sessoumaru's tall, chiseled body shrouded over Kagome's lean, petite form, straddling her hips. His long metallic locks formed a silk curtain around her pink-flushed face, and sudden silence followed in the childish antics, each quietly captivated by the other, too lost to move or speak. They stayed like this for a few moments, indulging in each other's warmth, the feel of moist, hot skin pressed together, separated by only thin, wet layers of clothing, and blanketed in warm, clean spring water.

Sessoumaru growled low in his throat, loving the feeling of the small human wriggling beneath his body. He loved that she looked so small and delicate beneath him, making the fact that she was entirely his to protect all the more invigorating. Thoughts straying, her pink lips and dashing smile shot threw his mind, her melodic laugh ringing in his mind. They'd only just been laughing and, Kami, she looked so beautiful when she laughed.

He stared deeply into her warm mocha eyes causing Kagome to shiver at the intensity of his glaze. "Sess...Sessoumaru-sama...is everything-," she suddenly stopped as Sessoumaru let out an audible growl. He visually crumpled before her, letting his body go limp and resting his full weight across her sprawling body.

He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, savoring the feeling of now, just being with her like this. He smelt concern radiating off her in waves at his unusual display, the strong scent mixing in with her already alluring floral fragrance. Though, he concluded, rising up from off of her, the added scent of worry just didn't suite her.

He wrapped his arms around her slender waist, pulling her to his chest as he waded back out into the deeper area of the pool. She smiled up innocently at him and he inwardly beamed with joy at her complete comfortableness around him, despite the given circumstances.

Before, he had wanted the miko out of lust, unnerved by how she would feel, but now...now he wanted her approval; he wanted her to want him, stare at him with the same passion-filled eyes as he did her. But until then...He was satisfied just being with her like this and it was bliss to him.

Bliss is but a brief moment in oblivion...

Reluctantly Sessoumaru released his precious prey, taking a moment to pick a piece of wild daikon out of her hair. She giggled and submerged herself in the water, rubbing her clothed body and ridding herself of the other various food ingredients. Water droplets ran off her body in drowns, and no matter how hard he tried, Sessoumaru couldn't follow the path of any single droplet, but watched them instead as a whole, a single transparent blanket of silk gliding down the curves of her body.

"Sessoumaru..," she whispered, concerned that he sensed some impending danger since he had become stiff and tense. Seeing her wide, concern-filled eyes turn upon him, Sessoumaru immediately softened, his own eyes shining with untold emotion, emotions he would only allow her to see, "Everything is fine...," he averted his glaze toward the sky.

The sun was setting and the moon has falling, both orbs still visibly hanging from the world's bleak backdrop. The contrasting colors melted together as night's blue caressed day's red, night gently lying sun down in it's earthen bed and tucking the world's mountainous comforter and silken oceans around it.

"It's beautiful,"Kagome murmured, turning her own hazy, half lidded eyes toward the horizon. "I love my home, but you can't see things like this there,"she half-yawned. "The sky...," he replied, turning molten eyes upon her "It pleases you?" She smiled, "Of course. I've been so busy hunting shards and fighting enemies...It's not everyday that I get to just relax and just star gaze, you know?" Not expecting a reply, she was stunned when Sessoumaru gently clasped her hand, pulling her into his arms so that her hands rested on his chest and he looked directly into her eyes. "Then this Sessoumaru is glad that he had the honor to "star gaze" with you this night. You are deserving of such simple indulgences." Too shocked to speak, Kagome dumbly nodded in response. "Night is fast approaching and you need to be rested for the rest of tomorrow's journey." He gently squeezed her, embracing her, but caressing her so lightly and ending the action so quickly that Kagome could barely feel it at all. She began to wonder if it had happened at all, still in a half-trance to begin with.

Her spell was broken as she realized Sessoumaru was making his way back toward camp. She stared at his retreating form for a moment, watching his silver mane gently sway back and forth as he shifted weight from one foot to the other, and taking note of how his soaked clothes clung to his broad shoulders, highlighting his muscular form and making his demonic markings show translucently through the thin, yet elegant traveling kimono he wore, as opposed to the bone and metal armor he usually dawned around her.

Blinking, Kagome scurried to catch up...

They finished dinner and Kagome gleefully snuffled into her open sleeping bag.

-o-

He watched the human girl that had fallen asleep on the ground beside him, but who had also incoherently moved in her sleep so that she curled against his own strong, broad chest. The night had gotten colder, and she had slowly inched her way over to him, subconsciously leeching on to his warmth. Laying there like that she looked so innocent, so fail...so human. His heart suddenly ached at the thought,"She'll be gone one day, Sessoumaru. You'll be alone." Alone. He'd been alone all his life, but why did the thought only burden him now. No. He knew why. She was why. She was beautiful, and fragile...yet, so full of life. The thought only intrigued him more. Compared to his own immortal life, her life was just the fall of a rain drop- a quick decent towards the end. Still, she seemed so happy. Her life was exciting and compact, everything strung together between a few short years. Did it bother him though, that if he even dared to blink, he'd miss her- miss the fall of the rain drop entirely?

She wiggled in her sleep, fisting the demon lord's still damp Kimono into her palm as she turned to lay on her side. Long ebony locks wildly fanned around her face, some dumbly scraping the forest floor, others clinging to his clothing. Lovely. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she mumbled nonsense into his chest and he couldn't help but smile. He allowed himself to recline, leaning partially against a tree trunk as he stared down at the woman child in his lap.

No, he concluded. She was here now, and that's all that mattered. What would be the point of living, living as long as he would, if he never took the time to watch the rain fall.

"Kagome...," he whispered a warm breath into her ear and she shuddered slightly. Just this made him burn with happiness.. Perhaps you put a spell on me long ago, Kagome. Perhaps these feelings in which I have never felt before are only momentary and will pass. Perhaps... "Perhaps I've simply fallen in love with you, Kagome."

As if on cue her long lashes gently fluttered open and mocha eyes glazed up at him. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her tongue darted out quickly to wet her dry lips."Aren't you gonna get..", she paused to yawn, "some sleep tonight, Sessoumaru?" He remained silent for a moment, and his silence nerved her, and -that look-, his face boasted some unreadable emotion. Maybe he had been lying earlier when he has said everything was ok.

And although worried, she couldn't stifle the following yawn, woefully stretching out her achey limbs, spreading out her legs, pointing her toes and extending her arms above her head to rest on either side of the demon's head. She groaned softly, luring the stiffness from her form as her lovely brown eyes battered up at him.

As she pulled her arms back down, his arm caught her wrist gently, wrapping it around his neck as he twisted her around in his lap. She faced him then, at eye level, as she straddled him on the cool forest floor, one arm veiled securely around his neck, tickled by long silver strands, and the other laying limply between their bodies as knees bent and legs tucked around his warm body. He couldn't help but take in the feel of it, her body molding against his and bending to his demonic will.

Suddenly, and without any warning, warm lips captured her own. Her eyes widened in shock at the sudden advance, all sleep exiting her mind, as, to her own dismay, her body did nothing to stop him. Her mind told her to shove the perpetrator off, but her body told her this was good, this was acceptable. A dull heat immediately pooled in her belly. She'd been kissed before and hated it, but somehow this was different.

The kiss lasted forever to poor Kagome. It was so soft, so gently passionate and patient that she almost didn't want it to end. It felt good to feel loved, raw physical affection as thin, masculine lips caressed her. And, Unexpectantly a small, erotic moan came from the back of her throat, the back of her mind. Sessoumaru pulled away, growling lowly as he moved his mouth to her neck. Her little cry of content made him ache with unspent lust, and as he briefly remembered her mouth tasting of the spicy soup they'd eaten after their "bath," he couldn't help but take his frustrations out on her innocent neck, harshly bitting and nibbling his way up to her earlobe, tiny pricks and wet touches on her skin. He wanted her so bad, his budding erection was clear evidence of that. He wanted her body pressed against his, her feminine cries ringing in his ears, her plump red lips pushing against his own...but most of all...

"I want you, Kagome," his rough, almost growlish voice echoed into her ear. Those words alone pulled her out of her sensual daze and she snapped her head up to look at him. "Wh-What," she stammered, unsure of how to take him, especially not with that red color seeping into his iris. He growled again, not threateningly, but unpaitenly, looking away quickly, almost as if he were...embarrassed. "Sessoumaru, please," she inquired, moving her hand to his cheek, "W-what do you mean?"A rough tongue and sharp teeth raked against her pulse. She shuddered, suddenly noticing the hard staff pressed against her abdomen.Again a coarse sensual voice in her ear,"I want you to be with me. To..be my mate." "Sess-Sessoumaru..," she gasped. He could feel her hesitation and he felt her begin to move, a doe taking flight from its hunter. He quickly wrapped his arms around her slender waist to stop her from fleeing. She couldn't leave him now. He wanted her so badly.

"Kagome..," the words dangled in the air, shattering into her mind as warm lips yet again pressed against her mouth. Strong teeth gently chewed on her bottom lip, and when Kagome failed to respond, lips quickly brushed against her own before pulling away. "You deny me then," a sad voice sounded across the brisk night air.

She was shaking. She was afraid, but not of death or pain. She was afraid of something else. Suddenly, as if having a mental break down, Kagome began to sob. Clinging onto her lord and allowing her tears to soak into his skin, mingling with his hair, and running down his back. "No, please Sessoumaru," she sobbed, "I'm not denying you- I, I just don't want to be hurt again, and I don't want to hurt you! I'm just a human and, and, I may still be pregnant- and- and," sob. "Shhh," he cooed, rocking her back and forth in his lap. She had been so strong, so long. He had only been selfish in his attempt to make her his. Perhaps he really was a beast. "Kagome, karen, Kagome..." He felt like a beaten dog. He'd made his Kagome cry, and now this was all he could do to comfort her, after all, he was never good with words; hell, he was never good with emotions in general.

Suddenly, wiping a few stray tears from her eyes, she looked up at him, "Sessoumaru, do- do you love me?" He blinked. He'd told himself he loved her, but now, now it was different. Now her beautiful brown eyes looked up at him, demanding and expectantly. He didn't question his feelings; he questioned his courage to voice them.

With a sharp intake of breath and quick kiss on the cheek Sessoumaru told her, "I'm a demon Kagome. My definition of love may be different from that of yours, but- I can not stand to see you hurt, I can cannot stand to be without you, and most of all," he said, wiping away a drying tear, "I can not stand to see you cry. If love is any of these feelings Kagome, then curse the Gods, but this Sessoumaru is indeed in love with you, be whatever the circumstance."

She sniffled and smiled up him, eyes shining with tears. She suddenly felt happier than she had in a very long time, and for the first time in a very long time, she felt that everything would be ok.

She tilted her head up, slowly moving in to place an unsure, chaste kiss on his jaw. She was still so new to all of this. He growled deeply, the sound coming out like a soft purr. "Sessoumaru...I'm happy," she whispered, pressing her forehead to his, large, doe-like eyes alining with deadly, metallic orbs. "This Sessoumaru is glad." They both smiled, and Sessoumaru pulled his Kagome into a comforting hug.

He had wanted to claim her, but... He assured himself that this was equally important. After all, he wanted to future mate to he happy; He wanted her to want this. And, he decided, if she was happy, then so was he. The beast inside him could wait...until she was ready too. He ensured his youkai that it would be better that way, more enjoyable when the true time came. She was his intended now, and his beast had been somewhat satisfied. Having kissed her neck, he had claimed her as his future mate. Her scent now mingled with his own, a combined scent that was so alluring it made his eyes bleed with want.

Though, he had realized, even his beast acted differently now. It no longer overpowered his conscious will in a greedy need to spill it's seed and otherwise dominate her disobedient attitude, forcing her into submission. Now it was like it almost worked with him, both desiring the same game, and wishing to reek the same benefits.

He glanced down to realize that the powerful little miko was snoring softly in his arms. Laughing at her childlike appearance as she slept, drooling slightly and clinging to his chest carefully, he lowered himself to the ground. Her body sprawled upon his own, her head snuggled into his neck and her arms loosely dangling around his shoulders. He felt her body shiver and instantly wrapped his thick boa tail around their conjoined bodies. The youkai inhaled her lavender, honey and now pinewood scent, letting the scent stroke his inner beast and settle his splintered nerves. He smiled into her hair, before following her to the land of dreams.

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I really tried with this chapter, but I'm still not happy with it, and not to sound like a perv...but I really want to get to the lemon chapter soon. I want some passion and when I started writing this chap, I had planned to have a lemon. However, the more I wrote and the more I thought about it, sex seemed a bit too soon. It seems like forever since I started wring this, but plot wise, it seems unlikely that Sessy and Kag would be ready for it yet (especially considering what Kagome had recently went through.) Also, sorry for, yet again delaying Kagome's pregnancy results. I'm trying to put emphasis on the fact the Sess would love her even if she was in fact, pregnant. The truth will be found out soon. Promise.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review. Please continue to do so. Keep my inspiration alive!

Burritos and Bon Bons,

ChibiMinko 3