Chapter 33

Sesshomaru stepped back to look at the progress of the house. His father was there, both of them taking a moment to process it. They were building Sesshomaru's home. They were creating the place where Sesshomaru would spend his life with his mate. It was a lot to take in.

So far, they had the frame built. Sesshomaru had needed to come in and pluck the roses that had grown, giving him an area to build the house. He would decorate the house with the flowers he had plucked, that or find some other use. He would take a couple to give to her when he gave her more letters. It had become a habit of his to leave letters on her pillows. Every morning that he did, she would run to him and kiss him for it.

"It's coming together, Son." Touga scanned the work done, nodding his head as he did. Next, they would start with the walls. The house itself was going to be modest, but large. It would be two story, the bottom for nothing but the kitchen and living area. Kagome and Sesshomaru's bedroom would be on the bottom floor as well. Three other bedrooms were up top, those he hoped to fill with children one day.

"It is." Sesshomaru was anxious to get the house built, to get it ready to move in. However, he knew he needed to take his time with it. He wanted to make sure it was perfect. He wanted Kagome to love the home he built for them. Everything he put into it was something he was sure she would like. "I will start drawing up the plans for the inside. It will not be long before it is time to make this a home."

Touga didn't say anything at first, simply looking at the house, but then he turned his head towards Sesshomaru, eyes thoughtful. "Can I be honest with you, Sesshomaru?"

"You have always been honest with me, Father." Sesshomaru could tell his father had a lot on his mind. Touga had been more quiet than normal, more subdued. It wasn't like Touga to be so calm and collected, especially when around others.

"That is true." Looking up to the cloudy sky, Touga furrowed his brows, thinking. "There was a time when I thought you were walking down a dark path. I worried for you so much, wondering just how far you would go. My biggest fear was that I would have to protect the West from my own son. I can't fathom raising my claws against you… but I had to consider the option. You were just so cruel after Satori…"

Sesshomaru panned his gaze around the meadow, thinking of what his father said. It was true. The path Sesshomaru had been walking wasn't a good one. He had been treading along the border between good and evil. The border was thin, and one little slip up would have him falling over.

Touga placed a hand on Sesshomaru's shoulder, squeezing. "I am so damn proud of you, Son. You came back, turned everything around. You gained Kagome's favor when I didn't think she would give you a chance at all. You're going to mate her and create your own family. It's all I ever wanted for you, your happiness." Touga took a deep breath, a smile forming on his lips. "You are going to be a wonderful mate and father. I already said it, but I will say it again. I am proud of you."

Sesshomaru nodded stiffly. He hadn't realized how much he had wanted, needed, to hear those words from his father. Touga was proud of him. Not because he won the war or had been the perfect heir for hundreds of years. Touga was proud of him because Sesshomaru claimed what he wanted. A life with Kagome. Sesshomaru could admit he was proud of himself as well. Getting Kagome to trust him again hadn't been easy. He was glad that he had never given up.

"Thank you, Father." Sesshomaru couldn't bring himself to look at Touga, but he knew his father would know how much it meant to Sesshomaru to hear that. For the longest time, Touga and Sesshomaru no longer had a good relationship between them. Now they were steadily on their way to being better than what they were before Satori faked her death.

"Now, should we get back to building your home? The sooner we get it done, the quicker I can get grandpups." Touga laughed, clearly in a better mood than he had been a moment before. He had said what he needed to. Sesshomaru smirked, motioning towards the home.

They got back to work, bringing in tree trunks from farther away and placing them on top of one another. The seams were created by a type of mud putty that sealed the wood in place and kept the cold out during the winter. It took another few hours, but they got an entire wall done before they had to stop.

They both felt it at the same time, a presence coming closer to them slowly. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, angry to have anyone coming near his and Kagome's meadow. He would have to put up a barrier around the meadow to keep anyone he didn't approve of out.

Together they stood by each other, waiting for the person to show themself. It didn't take long before a woman stepped out into the meadow, her robes black and trailing along the ground with every step she took. A cloak was pulled up over her head, keeping her face shielded. She was a witch.

"Stop." Sesshomaru ordered, eyes narrowed. "This land is owned. Remove yourself from it."

"Of course. I will gladly go after I've delivered my message." The woman lifted her hand slowly, a letter between two fingers. She flicked it away from her, and the letter took flight, going straight to Sesshomaru who refused to touch it. It hovered there, in front of his face. His eyes never left the witch. He was not foolish enough to fall for a trick.

"I work for the Eastern Lord. He sent me to personally deliver that letter, and the potion inside." The woman pulled off her cloak, and Sesshomaru snarled. She wore an exact replica of the scar on Kagome's face. She was mocking Kagome.

"You would dare?" Sesshomaru held up his claws, his poison glowing green as it dripped down his hand.

Slowly the scar began to fade from the woman's face, leaving nothing but soft and smooth skin. She cackled, throwing her head back at Sesshomaru's reaction. "So protective, Lord Sesshomaru. Kagome wasn't even here to see the slight against her. Lord Kouga wishes to apologize for his actions at his last visit. He asked me to research a possible potion that would heal Kagome's scars. It's a potion that is designed to take one back to their most beautiful. It erases time, perhaps even barbaric actions of the soul bonded."

Sesshomaru growled but said nothing. He knew what he had done was barbaric, he just didn't like hearing it. Looking the witch over, he noticed the Easts emblem hanging from a rope tied at her waist. The letter she had sent also carried Kouga's handwriting. Unable to pass this opportunity up, Sesshomaru snatched the letter out of the air, tearing it open. It was as the witch says, Kouga sent her.

When Sesshomaru looked up again, the witch was gone, the only thing she left behind was a few parting words. "Rub the potion on her scars. All of them if you wish. Tell Kagome that Nona says hello."

Looking down at the potion in his hands, Sesshomaru found himself nervous. He had no doubt that Kagome would use this on her face. There would be no hesitation, and he would be glad to see that scar gone. It was the other scar that he was thinking about. The one caused by her carving his name from her skin. They may be together, may be courting, but that didn't mean she would want to fix that scar. He had done so much to her, caused her so much harm. Was it right of him to even ask?

"Go son. Go to her." Touga pushed Sesshomaru on his back gently, urging him forward. Sesshomaru swallowed, looking back at his father.

"What if she…" lifting his arm, Sesshomaru looked at Kagome's name. "With my name gone, she has an escape. If she decides to leave, she can. No one would judge her for doing so."

"Why would she leave?" Touga shook his head, trying to understand.

"Look at all that I have done to her." Sesshomaru gripped his hand around the potion, contemplating shattering it. "Perhaps I should not give this to her."

"Listen to yourself son." Touga grabbed his shoulders, giving him a little shake. "We are standing in the meadow that you and Kagome started your relationship in. She has agreed to court you knowing that it will eventually lead to mating. She forgave you for everything you did. She is looking to your future, the same way you should be. If she can forgive you for what you have done, then you can forgive yourself. Stop looking in the past, Sesshomaru, and just live your life with your future, with Kagome."

Sesshomaru stared at his father, and then he nodded. This time when Touga pushed him in encouragement, he went. Orbing himself back to the shiro, Sesshomaru immediately went to Kagome. Before she could register him being there, he had her thrown over his shoulder, and orbed back towards his rooms.

"What the hell?" Kagome asked as soon as he set her down, a little dazed from the sudden change. Gripping his shoulders, she looked up at him, confused and slightly worried. He knew she could feel his apprehension and nervousness, but he couldn't help it.

"Do you know a Nona?" One last test before he put anything he received from a stranger on Kagome.

"Yea. She works for Kouga. She can be a bit… rude, at times. But overall, she is good. I haven't seen her in a while. Why do you ask?" Kagome lowered her hands, letting them fall to her sides as Sesshomaru held out the small vial.

"Kouga sent her as an apology for how he acted. She says this potion may be able to heal your scars." Sesshomaru ran his fingers over the scar on her face, hating the feel of them like he always did. "If you trust her, we can try it."

"I trust her." Kagome's voice was soft and breathless, as if the possibility of losing her scars after so many years left her anxious. Not because she didn't want them gone, but because she had tried so many other things and none of them worked. Would this be the same?

Sesshomaru uncorked the small vial, pouring a bit of the clear liquid on his hands. Reaching up, he massaged the liquid into her skin, gently running it over her scars and making sure he didn't miss any of it. Even when it had all been coated, he put a little more on just to be sure.

Her skin was shiny and glistening from the potion. Sesshomaru eyed her scars, beginning to frown when they didn't disappear. Kagome kept an eye on his reactions, and when she saw his frown, her shoulders slumped.

"It was worth a try." She gave him a smile, but he could see it was forced. He could feel her disappointment through their bond, and he hated himself. He should have just left it alone. He shouldn't have even tried.

When he opened his mouth to apologize, he froze, noticing something happening. Slowly, as if it took a minute for the magic to work, the scar on Kagome's face began to fade, melting away to be replaced by new and undamaged skin. It took less than a minute for the scar to be gone, leaving Kagome left with nothing but her beautiful smooth skin. "Kagome."

He reached out, running his hand over her skin. Tears had sprung to her eyes, and when she reached up to feel what he was, they fell, wetting her cheeks. Her scars were gone. A wet laugh left her throat, and Sesshomaru pulled her into a hug as she sobbed out her relief. Her face was in his chest, her tears wetting his clothes. But he didn't care, hardly noticed. She was letting out everything she had ever held back in regards to her scars. They were gone, and she would never have to look at them again.

When she pulled away, she wiped at her slowing tears, gaining control of herself once more. She took a deep breath, and then turned from him, facing the mirror he had against the wall. She gasped, her fingers running over her skin. Even her eye had returned back to it's vibrant blue. "It's really gone."

"It is." Sesshomaru came to stand behind her, his arms lacing around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. "You are beautiful. You were always beautiful before, but now you're radiant. My mistakes are no longer damaging your flesh. I am sorry, Kagome."

"I forgave you a long time ago." She leaned back against him, looking at him in the reflection of the mirror. "Can I see the potion?" He passed it over, watched as she inspected it. With a sigh, she shook her head. "I don't know enough about witchcraft to know what she used." Uncorking the potion, she poured more in her hand.

Sesshomaru felt hope rising in his chest when she massaged the potion onto her scarred wrist. He had decided he wasn't going to ask. He would accept whatever she decided. However, watching her rub the potion into her skin had his breath seizing in his lungs.

They waited with bated breath, waited for the scar to fade. As soon as it did, Kagome gasped completely shocked. Sesshomaru could only watch as his name once more took shape on her arm, as perfect as it had been when they first met over fifty years ago.

"I wasn't sure I would ever see my name there again." Sesshomaru grabbed her wrist, running his thumb over his name. The elation that filled him at seeing his name was all consuming. He knew she could feel it, knew she realized just how much this meant to him.

Spinning in his arms, Kagome grabbed his face, harshly pulling him down to kiss her. She thrust her tongue between his lips, and he reciprocated, happy, elated, soaring the skies as he fisted his hands in her hair, holding her in place as he kissed her back.

When she backed him up towards the bed, he let her. When he fell to his back, she climbed on his lap, straddling him. When she tore away his top, and then his bottoms, he could only watch. When her mouth engulfed his length, his world fell into place. When he kissed her between her smooth thighs, there could be no wrong. They were all emotions, all love, all feeling. They were a tangled mess of adoration and obsession. They were perfect.

...

And the scars are finally gone. The last of Sesshomaru's mistakes are behind them. Some of you wondered why Miroku hadn't healed Kagome's scars. He doesn't have that kind of power. Kagome is the one with the power of healing, and even then, she can only heal by giving a piece of herself away. For the most part, their power is more offensive than anything else. But now her scars are gone, and with the soul bond mark restored, it's another step to them healing. Just in case it wasn't clear, they did not have sex at the end of this chapter. just a bit of citrus, nothing more.

As for the challenge, I need twenty-five reviews by the end of Wednesday to post the next chapter. Teaser: Something is wrong with Sango and the baby. Kagome does something drastic to save them.

I hope you all enjoy!