Disclaimer: I don't own the "Inu-Yasha" characters... Damn... I wish shessomaru was here to perk me up.

You wake up the next morning (obviously) to the sound of your alarm clock. Shessomaru is still holding you tight, so you peak over him at the time. It's only 7:30, so you hit the snooze button. Shessomarus eyes open as you lie back down, and he says, "Aren't you getting up now?" He moans.

You shake your head and answer, "Nah, I can sleep a few more minutes." He smiles, "Or you could do something else…" He kisses your neck and you giggle and gently push him back, "No I think I really would like to sleep a little more." He rolls his eyes and answers, "All right."

He didn't mean it though, cause he jumped on you and kissed your neck again. You laugh and push him over, at which time the alarm clock goes off again. You look at him as you reach over top of him to turn off the alarm, and say, "I could have slept then, but now I can't."

He just smiles at you so you stick out your tongue at him and get out of bed, throwing your covers on him. He pushes them off of his face and sits up, "I think you enjoyed it Tabitha." He comments. You roll your eyes at him as you pick out your clothing from one of the drawers. You walk over and kiss his forehead as you leave them room. "You did, Tabitha!" He hollers down the hall.

You turn on a hot shower and soak yourself. Mmmm, that's nice For some reason it always seemed cold in your house in the morning, but a hot shower is so revitalizing. After about half an hour in the shower you get out and dry yourself off. With your towel wrapped around you, and another one in your hand drying your hair, you stick your head out of the door and call, "Shessomaru!" You step back into the bathroom waiting for his response.

He enters the bathroom, "What?" He asks, which you would normally take to mean a person's moody, but he doesn't know that it's rude. "I have a spare last class today so I'll probably be home early today." He smiles broadly and his eyes spark to life, "Great! What do you want to do?"

You walk past him in your towel to get the underwear you forgot in your room and say, "Oh, you know. You know." He follows you, and asks politely, "No I don't think I do, did you mention it already?" You roll your eyes as you pull a lacy red pair of panties from the drawer, "I'm not going to explain it to you, but I bet you can figure it out if you think about it while I'm gone." You walk back to the bathroom, and he follows you again, "What? Tabitha? Tell me?" You stick out your tongue at him and close the door so you can get dressed.

You don't bother to pack a lunch, no one will notice if you don't eat every once in a while, except maybe Wakako, since she often eats half of your lunch. Shessomaru emerges from his room with a pair of jeans and a dark brown hoody on and his hair tied back.

You see him and smile, saying, "Hey I've never seen you with your hair tied back before! It looks really nice!" He looks at himself in the hall mirror and asks, "You like this better then the other way?" you walk up to him and pull him against you with your hands around his waist, "I wouldn't say that." You answer.

He plays with your hair, watching it drop through his fingers and says, "I don't think I've ever seen you with your hair tied up, except once when you were meditating on the lawn… I think…." You shrug, "I don't tie my hair back very often anymore. When I tie my hair it feels like there's a large weight on the back of my head." He smirks at this.

You let go of him and lean down to pick up your bag, "Well I better go, Seiyukis probably waiting outside for me, and kagome will be standing on the sidewalk." You stand up and look at him. He doesn't look very happy, "You still socialize with him?" He asks in a glum voice.

You nod slowly, "Yes, yes I do. It's ok Shessomaru, he knows that we're just friends, I told him that." Shessomaru stairs down at you and says, in more of an order then a remark, "I'd prefer you didn't." you look at him, a tad bit bemused by this statement. (for those who don't know the word bemused is closely related to "surprised" or "stupid" kind of like the phrase "dumbfounded" )

"Shessomaru, you can't really expect me to not talk to him. I've known him almost my whole life!" Shessomaru stares coldly at you, "Yes I can. He has no right to be near you and I'd hope you thought the same." You glance at your watch and say, "Uh, well I gotta go, but I want to talk about this when I get home, ok? Please don't get angry Shessomaru."

You set your hand on the side of his face and look him deep in the eyes. He tries to look at you coldly, but fails. You can see that he's worried, even though he's angry. You quickly kiss him, just a light peck on the lips then rush out the door. Upon your exit Shessomaru takes an unsteady step towards the table and sits down. He slouches and leans his head back, staring at the ceiling and heaving a broken sigh.

"Hey, Tabitha! Hurry up or we'll be late! What the heck took you so long?" Seyuki bellows at you as you scamper towards the sidewalk. You punch him in the gut (not to hard that's cruel) "Ah, shut up, Seyuki, I'm just a little behind schedule." He notices that your obviously a little upset and says, "Did Shessomaru do something to upset you this morning? You're kind of on edge."

You put your finger to your lip and hiss, "Sssshhhh! Some one will hear you. Our cohabitation is a secret remember?" He rolls his eyes, "No ones around Tabitha, calm down." You sigh and stare at the ground as you walk, hoping he'll just drop it. Of course, because he's a boy, and boys are stupid he persists to ask, "So did he do something or what?"

You are a little frustrated that he didn't catch on, but you answer vaguely, "Yeah, I guess so. I don't wanna talk about it right now." You walk along in silence after that, until you reach Kagomes house, and she was not there. At first you were a little confused then you remembered her telling you that she was going to the feudal era today.

"Should we wait for Kagome?" Seyuki asks and peers up the stairs at her house. You continue to walk and say, "No. Her grandfather called me this morning and asked me to tell the teachers that she has been infected with Mitrus Eldon." He looks at you and asks, "What the hell is that?" You shrug, "Beats me, he explained some symptoms but is still don't understand."

You meet Celina and Wakako when you're almost at the school. Wakako hugs you and walks beside you with her arm around your shoulder, "I thought you had been by early so Celina and I started walking! You keep coming late Tabitha, why's that? You been up late with that stud muffin we met yesterday? I know what I'd be doing."

You feel the blood rush to your face and your cheeks burn as she smiles a suspecting smile at you. "Wakako! I can not believe what you're implying!" you say, getting flustered and anxious. As embarrassing as it is, you know she's just chatting with you so she can be close to Seyuki.

You whisper to her, "What was that you said the other day about not ditching Celina?" She glances over your shoulders at Celina, who was feeling rejected and staring at the ground as she walked. She quickly lets go of you and joins Celina, who perks up once Wakako is with her again.

The day goes slowely, especially since you have to explain to every one why Kagome was not there. Transactional Focus was really slow, bleh. You were assigned an essay on the effects that media has on a person and how to successfully manipulate a persons decision through it. It sounds maniacal, I know, but it's the truth in media, at least it is according to your teacher. (that's what they said in my T.F. class, I had a crazy teacher.)

You stuff your… stuff in your bag after 3rd period class.:P and close your locker. Wakako was standing behind the door of your locker and yells, "Boo." When you close it. You look at her with a blank expression on your face, and almost coldly say, "Wakako you tried to hard, and I could smell you." She stops and lifts her eyes brow, like you're nuts, "You could smell me? Are you on something Tabitha? That's the dumbest thing I ever heard!"

You laugh nervously and say, "I meant I saw you, Wakako! You know that's what I meant!" She giggles, "Yeah but you just sounded so stupid!... Oh come on! It was funny, Tabitha, Lighten up!" You roll your eyes and start to walk towards the door. You notice that she's got her bag and say, "Are you skipping or something?"

She shushes you, "Shhh, not so loud. I'm going home sick Tabitha, I'm sick." You roll your eyes again and she says, "You're gonna get dizzy doing that all the time you know." So you do it again, really, really exaggerated this time. She walks with you to the corner where she usually meets you in the morning, coughing every time you pass some one.

You laugh, "Wakako they're not gonna snitch on you, they don't even know you and if they do I'm sure they don't care that you're skipping." She spazzes out and says, "Maybe you think so, Tabitha, but if my parents find out I was skipping they'll KILL ME! I wont be able to go out for a month!"

You stop at the corner and chat a bit before you get tired of her inane babbling and say, "Well I was assigned an essay in T.F. today so I gotta go do that. See you tomorrow Wakako, oh, and don't forget to finish that chemistry assignment." She smiles as she waves at you while she walks away, "I won't! Bye Tabitha."

You walk in the door and set your stuff down on the table. You peek into the living room to find that Shessomaru is lying on the couch. He's on his side with one arm up and behind his head, while the other is hanging off the couch holding the remote. He looks very sexy, in such a leisure position, but you tell your self that you can't let yourself be lured in by him, you really must discuss the problem at hand.

You walk up in front of him and sit down on the floor, on your knees. You hear the T.V. click off behind you and he takes his eyes away from the television to look at you. He drops the remote and props him self up on his elbow brining his other arm down from behind his head. You're not sure what to say and you sit in silence just looking at each other. Normally sitting like that wouldn't become painful so fast but you were so tense that your whole body had a dull ache.

You want to say something but nothing comes into your head. He has a blank expression on his face, like he's waiting. He doesn't look angry, just a little upset still. well I'm not doing anything wrong so it's not like he's waiting for me to apologize, and if he is he is terribly mistaken. I just don't get this, it's so stupid. We can't sit here in silence the whole night!

You're just about ready to give up and ask a very pathetic question when Shessomaru says bluntly, "How was your day?" Your taken aback by this and you're like, "Oh… uh." You shuffle towards the couch and lean on it sort of sideways, so you're facing him, on an angle to the couch. You answer after a second and force a smile, "My day's better now that I'm at home. School went by really slowly, it was so boring."

He nods and says in the same tone and manner as before, "And did you talk to Seyuki a lot?" You nod a little and say, "Shessomaru, you're still worried about that?" You see his eyes flicker; they did not actually move, what you had seen was a flare of anger that was quickly hidden again. Before he can answer, you quickly address this, "Shessomaru I know you're angry, and I don't really understand, but I don't want you to be. I want to make you happy, and see you that way! Please, Shessomaru, don't stay mad."

He says with an obvious bit of rage to his voice, "How can you not expect me to be enraged! You still fraternize with that human, and you're mine.! Damn it, Tabitha don't you understand that! Can't you see what he's going to do! he's known you much longer then I've known you and it's obvious he still feel he has right to you!"

He stops and breathes; he had raised his voice some, but wasn't quite yelling yet. "You're jealous?" You ask, not having a hot clue about what the heck you should do. He shakes his head and says, "No! I'm livid! I hate that boy, Tabitha! Something will happen, he'll do something I just know it."

You are getting a tad frustrated and answer rashly, "Shessomaru, don't you trust me at all! After spending all this time with me do you still not trust me?" He plops down onto the floor in front of you and holds your head in his hands, staring straight at you, "Tabitha you mean everything to me! You are the only person I trust, but I could never trust him. What if he tries to take advantage of you and I'm not there to protect you?"

You answer, with your head still in his firm but gentle grasp, "I can take care of myself Shessomaru!" He interjects immediately, "But I need to protect you! I want to protect you! I don't want any harm to ever come to you or anything to ever take you away from me." he lets go of your head and pulls you in tight against him.

It was so fast, you had not a clue what was going on and let your arms dangle at your side. He holds you so tight that you can feel his heart beating against yours. He turns his head on your shoulder and whispers, "I love you, Tabitha." He pauses, you can hear him swallow, then add, "And the proposition of any other man being able to take you away from me kills me inside."

You feel everything stop, except your racing heart. You stutter, "W-What?" He takes a deep breath and repeats, "I love you…" You slowly lift up your hanging hands and bring them around him. You close your eyes and rest your head on his shoulder. "Shessomaru… I…" You're kinda spaced out, letting everything set in.

In a moment it hits you full blast and you can barely contain your excitement. You thrust yourself upon him yelling "Shessomaru!" and he falls over backwards. You're lying on top of him with your hands on either side of his face on the floor. "I… I love you to, Shessomaru!" He places his hands on your hips and smiles a small content smile, heaving a sigh.

Your hair is hanging down on him, like all the way back to your knees, but he doesn't notice. He had bumped the side table and the phone fell off, but he doesn't notice. He just stares in your eyes. His cheeks get a little red as he answers, "Thank you…" (Kind of like Eichi from "Full moon."-)You lean down and kiss him. (of course!)

You kiss him slowly for a very long time, till he rolls the two of you over so he's on top. His arms envelope you and a warmth surges between you. You drink in every bit of him, every sensation, and every second. You can feel his muscles pulsing aginst your skin and. He tenderly strokes your sides and inches his way to your neck, stopping to whisper sweet nothings in your ear.

His breath is warm against your skin, his touch is intoxicating and every fibre of your body burns with passions. You hungrily pull him against you. He nibbles your ear, sending tingles down your spine. Running your hands down his chest you grab his shirt and pull him even tighter against you.

You must have been on the floor for hours. He slips off of you onto his side and brushes your silky hair back as he stares in your eyes. His eyes are rich with joy and you feel something glorious surging within you as you stare back. His Gaze is over whelming. The moments stretch on but you can't turn away from his captivating eyes.

Your head is sitting on his arm while your hands are resting on his face. His free arm is on your waist. He moves this arm to stroke your hair. Every movement he makes is enticing, you're completely taken by every feature, the slightest curve of his skin is beautiful, perfect. He continues to stroke your hair but looks directly into your eyes the whole time.

"You're so lovely." He says softly. The words wrap you in a warmth that only comes from adoration. You sigh and run your fingers over his lips as you bring your arm to rest on the floor. A tiny smile lights his face, but to you it's a huge gesture, at this moment. He pulls you in towards him and holds you tight, resting his chin on the top of your head. Your heart flutters and you feel weak.

You surrender yourself to his embrace, letting him have control. You'd never been so released with anyone before. He kisses your head and sighs. You close your eyes and drift away from reality to the most pleasant place you've ever been. Suddenly an alarming sound pulls you back. The phone is ringing. You don't want to answer it, but you know you really should.

You slowly let go of him, then scramble for the phone before the answering machine picks up. You answer, "Hello?" Wakako's voice, which is perky as usual, sounds like the most annoying thing in the world right now. You sit on the floor in front of the side table, as she answers. "Hey, Tabitha! Hope I didn't interrupt any thing, if you know what I mean." You look at the clock, it's almost six. You lie, "No, I was just making super. So what's up?"

"Well Celina's here, and Kagomes sick, but anyways, I was hoping you'd join us." You know she's probably up to something and answer cautiously, "Why, what are you doing?" You hear Celina giggle as Wakako answers, "Well right now we're here, but after super we were gonna go see if you could "bump into" some boys or something, then we're going to a movie."

You roll your eyes, "Wakako, will you ever give up, I can tell you right now, Seyuki is not at the mall and neither is mark. If they were, by chance there, they'd have too much homework to do to go to the movies with you tonight. If you really want to do that I would reschedule for tomorrow." You thought that saying that might hurt her, but she is not deterred by this as she asks, "Really? Yeah Tabitha that's a great Idea I hadn't thought of that. So would you come with us tomorrow then?"

You're just getting frustrated with her stupidity now and say harshly, "No Wakako, I wont help you with that, I think it's stupid." She wines at you, "But Tabitha you're the only one he really talks to. I know if you were there he'd come with us." Shessomaru sits up behind you and rubs your shoulders. You take a deep breath and say, "Wakako, things don't just happen like that, get to know him more before you try to do something silly like run into him to set up a date with you and Celina."

You are trying to be as tactful as possible. You wish that you could just tell her to get over him and shut up, 'cause it's never gonna happen. You could never be that mean to her though. She finally gives up and says, "Alright, I'll do it by myself, me and Celina. Guess what we decided? Celina will go out with mark and I'll go out with Seyuki! See, now we wont be fighting or hurting each other or anything like you said!"

You lift your head and sigh as Shessomaru massages your shoulders. "Yeah that's great Wakako, I gotta go supper's ready." She says farewell and you hang up. You moan happily and tilt your head back so you are looking at him upside down, "That's really nice." He raises a brow and says, "Really, I saw it on TV. I don't really know what I'm doing but I must be doing something right."

You smile then sit up straight, enjoying the massage. You can sense he's kind of wondering about the phone call so you begin explaining, "That was Wakako and Celina on the phone. They wanted me to go with them to the mall . It was another one of Wakako's crazy boy hunting schemes." He nods and drops his hands from your shoulders till they alight on your hips. "I could tell she was "that type" when I met her.

You know, back in the Feudal era she would have been cast out of town, no man would have anything to do with her." You laugh and answer, "It seems to be that way here as she has yet to get a boyfriend. But, Shessomaru I wish you wouldn't be so harsh when you speak of her; she's not promiscuous, just very chipper.

She's more like a creepy stocker actually." Shessomaru laughs openly and you turn around to face him. He takes your hands and smiles at you. You blush a little and say sheepishly, "So, uh, what do you want to do now?" He shrugs and answers, "It does not matter to me." You think while stroking his face with one hand. After a moment you answer, Go put on a pair of shorts and meet me in the car." He raises a questioning eyebrow but you don't say anything more.

You toss some towels in the car then run to your room. You slip on a white bikini then put your clothing back on over top of it. You step out of the house to go wait for him in the car but low and behold he was already waiting for you. "Where are you taking me, Tabitha?" He asks. You don't answer, of course, you just say, "You'll see." leaving him to guess.

You start up the engine and drive out of the drive way. The sun was still shining, the day was not even close to being over. You zip out to a highway and drive for almost a half an hour when you reach the spot you were headed to. You turn off the highway on to a gravel path that slopes rather steeply down till you hit the smooth sand at the bottom.

There was obviously no use in trying to disguise your purpose now. The ocean spanned out in front of you as you came down the narrow gravel pathway, with a large deserted beach at its edge. You pull the car up to just beside the drop off that was all along the edge of the beach except for where the small stone trail was that you had entered through, the only way in. It was a beautiful place, the sand and water were clean and the air smelled of the sea.

You knew this spot would be deserted no humans ever came here, they believed it was haunted, or cursed. It was actually, by your great, great, great, great... well you get the picture, grandmas doing. She had put an illusion curse on this spot for just the purpose of keeping humans out, so that her demon family could swim or bath here in peace. You grab a blanket from the back of your car and spread it on the sand, then grab the towels and plop them on the ground.

Shessomaru steps out of the car and sits down next to you on the blanket. What are we doing here?" he asks, apparently not understanding. You smile at him, "We're going swimming of course." At that you stand up and strip off your shirt. His mouth gapes open as you also strip of your skirt, revealing your white undergarments. (Which are your bathing suit, in case you forgot.)

Your hair feels cold and silk like against your skin, just as his always had when you touched it. You start to walk towards the ocean, then stop and turn around near the edge. Shessomaru was still sitting on the blanket. He had managed to close his mouth and was looking more dignified and unconcerned, although you could see the excitement in his eyes as they were still fixated on you.

You put your hands on your hips and say, "Are you coming, or what?" He blinks like he's coming out of a trance and says dumbfounded, "Oh… yeah." He stand and starts to walk towards you, and you holler at him again, "Shessomaru, leave your shirt on the blanket!" He strips off his shirt with out stopping and tosses it back over his shoulder onto the blanket. You take a couple steps in so the water is at your ankles and wait for him.

The water is warm, and your feet tingle. You can feel the smooth stones under your feet and the sand in between your toes. He meets you at the waters edge and you lean over and take his hands, pulling him into the water, declaring, "Come on, the water's warm." You carefully step backwards into the water and he follows you obediently.

A broad smile covers your face and he looks calm, no smile but you know by the way he tenderly holds your hands he's happy to be here with you. You let go of one of his hands so you can walk beside him as you enter the water. You get to a point where you can actually swim now so you let go of his hand and dive under the water.

You emerge a little ways off and he strides after you. As he reaches you, his chest is still dry and above water, while you are swimming and keeping all but your head underwater. "Don't you know how to swim?" You ask, standing up. He blinks, "Yes, of course I do." You nod and sink back into the water, "Ok." You say then dive under the water again. You swim out, away from the shore. You pass through a school of tiny brightly coloured fish, which quickly scatter.

You surface about 6 yards from Shessomaru. He turns to look at you. You realize that you can barely, barely touch the bottom on your tip toes. He stats to come towards you then dives just as you had. A few seconds later you feel something grab your ankles and pull you under water. You were about to tare apart w/e sea creature it was, but of course, Shessomaru appeared before you, a playful smile dancing on his lips. You surface in his arms and he, who can stand, holds you up.

You wrap your legs around his waist and you can feel his abdomen grown tense then relax. You put your arms around his neck and let your hands dangle down his back. "You sure wanna hold me?" You ask, obviously not wanting him to drown. He nods, his shoulders are just above the water, "I'm fine, Tabitha." You kiss him and stroke his back, then look at him, "It's nice out here isn't it?" You say.

He rubs your back with his strong hands, which are also holding you up with him, and answers distractedly, while looking at the you, "Yes, it's quite beautiful." You're not sure if he's talking about you or the ocean, but it doesn't really matter. You kiss his lips lightly and run your hands through his hair till you reach the water.

You hair floats around the two of you, laced with his. It's like you're floating in liquid silver, swirling around you, dancing in the water and the sunlight. He holds you tighter against him and draws your stare back to his. You stare at him for a minute then cock your head to one side and say, "You've been awfully quiet tonight."

He also tilts his head then answers, 'Yes, I suppose I have been. I've just been thinking." You nod, knowing that if he wanted you to know he would tell you in his own time. You smile at him and he allows a small grin to from on himself. You kiss him again, longer this time, letting his essence fill you before you let go of him.

You notice the sun is getting lower and know it will reach the waters edge soon. It's dangerous to swim in the dark (plus you had school the next morning) So you suggested you head back to the beach. As you walk back in silence he takes your hand and kisses it lightly before letting them rest, fingers intertwined, at his side. What a wonderful day.

You let go of Shessomarus hand and run ahead to the beach, grabbing the biggest towel there. You look back and see Shessomaru emerging from the water, his body dripping and glistening in the fading sunlight. His hair was so wet, clinging to his skin; he looked so damn sexy; you felt your heart leap. Shessomaru soon catches up to you and says, "Tabitha, you're staring." You close your gaping mouth, realizing you were indeed staring.

Your face feels hot as the blood rushes to your cheeks and you apologize, averting your gaze. He slips his hand under your wet hair and onto your back. "It's ok," he answers coolly, "I was doing the same to you." Your face burns and you turn your face from him. He leans down and kisses your neck softly. His breath is hot on your neck and he whispers in your ear, "Don't be embarrassed, there's nothing wrong with me staring at you."

He then kisses your neck again. His lips are smooth and soft, gently caressing your skin as he moves down your collar bone. It sends chills down your spine. He looks up at you. You turn your face back to him, finally, and he strokes your hair, saying, "You're irresistible." Your heart is beating so hard that it feels like he might just hear it. You glance at the sun, which has begun it's descent behind the earth. "Let's Watch the sun set, Shessomaru." You say a little flustered. He stands up straight and answers, "As you wish."

You sit down on the blanket and look out at the sun. Shessomaru sits next to you and puts his hand on your leg. You look at his hand then at him and smile; an unspoken inquiry. He smiles back, a soft warm smile. He looks at the sun and slow wind blows his hair away from his face. He's absolutely captivating.

He looks at the ground then at you and speaks, "Tabitha, I've been thinking…" He sounds uncertain, but you try to be encouraging, and smile. "When we do get… married… where would we live?" You hadn't ever thought of this and it was kind of surprising that he had. Every time I turn around he's way more serious about this then I expect. I know that's what I want but it's so different than ANYONE I've ever known. I've got to get myself in a different mind set if I'm going to keep doing this.

You're very happy to be with someone who is like Shessomaru; no one now-a-days has the same moral standard. He sits there in silence while you think, just looking at you, not pressing you. You realize while you're thinking that he was indeed courting you, not dating you, as was common today.

Almost no one in your age group even knew what courting was. No one who's just dating would be this serious, or this quick moving. That must be it, we're not dating we're courting. This realization makes it easier to understand, well, everything. You look at him and say, "Uh… I…" He smiles and says, "Sorry, that must have been odd."

You shake your head, understanding that it was not odd at all if you're courting. "Oh, no, I'm sorry, I just… it was so sudden, and." He interrupts and says, "I'm not asking you to make a decision or to move to new place, I just want you to ponder it." You nod and he smiles warmly at you, with a great affection rearing it.

The sky is a splash of violet, orange and yellow flames, licking at a dark blue sky. You stare out over the sea and sigh, the wind blowing gently in your face, putting goose bumps on your arm. An arm reaches around you and pulls you towards Shessomaru. You lean on him, grateful for the warmth. He rests his head on yours as you both look at the setting sun. The sun dips below the horizon and you start to get more chilly, so you pack up your stuff and start to head home.

You don't say anything on the way home, but it's not uncomfortable, he knows you're thinking. where would we live, and if I don't have children in this era how will my family live on? Wait if I really am the Bride of Shessomaru in my family history then if I don't have a child back in the feudal era how will I come into existence at all? I guess I don't really have much of a choice as both options are neither good nor bad. I have nothing really to lose in this time, except maybe Seyuki and my Grandma. He has an entire empire to lose.

You continue to debate in your head all through out the drive. You park the car and he starts to get out. You grab his hand and say, "Shessomaru…" he stops and sits again, "Yes." He answers, smiling at you. You can understand that he's probably expecting a concrete answer, and you know it'll disappoint him to hear the answer you have right now. You take a breath and continue, "Shessomaru, I can't decide where we should live, I just don't have that capacity."

He doesn't stop smiling as he answers, "I know, Tabitha, I told you I don't need an answer…" You put your index finger against his lips and say quietly, "I wasn't finished." You think for one more moment, double checking if you were really going to mean what you would say next. You take a quick breath and continue, "I'll live where ever you choose Shessomaru. I don't care what you choose, I know I'll be fine."

He looks a little surprised and his eyes dart to the ground. He stares at it for a moment then laughs and says, 'I hadn't expected that answer, but I think that can work… You're sure that you will be fine with w/e I say?" You nod and he smiles again. he smiles so much more lately, I'm not sure why. It's hard to get used to when I know he can be so much different.

You go into the house and drop the wet towels in the dryer. You close it and start to whisk off down the hall the tidy up the living room when Shessomaru grabs your wrist and pulls you back to him. He looks down at you and you feel a lump in your throat. He's smiling again and you're actually getting a little nervous about it now. "Shessomaru…" you stutter.

His smile fades as he looks at you and his face is blank. You don't know what's going on in his head; he's been acting strange all evening and you're getting worried. He pulls you into a gentle hug and just holds you. You don't really know what the hell is going on, and you don't really like the idea that he's possibly being so emotional about something, it really subtracts from his manly demeanour.

You're about to ask him what's wrong when he breaths into your ear, "Please tell me what's wrong." You let go of him and step back so you can see his face. He looks straight into your eyes, piercing through any defences you could have established. He looks very concerned. "N-nothing." You blurt.

He looks at you questioningly and says, "You're not upset?" You look at him just as inquiringly and respond, "No, I thought you were." He shakes his head and stands up straight, looking down at you blankly, "No, You didn't talk to me all the way home, and you seemed worried when we got here, so I thought I might have upset you."

You giggle a little and say, "Really I thought my answer might have upset you." He smiles and shakes his head, "Nah, it was perfectly fine." You smile happily and he looks down at you adoringly. You lean up and kiss his cheek, "You're wonderful." You say then continue to the living room.

You tidy up the house then get into your pyjamas. You go into the kitchen to find Shessomaru staring out the window at the night sky. He has a smile on his face and seems to be deep in thought from he doesn't notice you as you come up behind him. You put your hands over his eyes and exclaim, "Guess who!" He grabs your hands and turns around, "Why, there is no one else here but us, what a silly question." You smile a silly smile, like a child, which is a good indication that you are getting tired.

He takes your hand and leads you back to your room, where you climb into bed. He takes off everything but his boxers and climbs in next to you. He takes you in his arms and you curl up right next to him. He's still smiling blissfully, even as you get ready for bed. You look up at him and ask, "Shessomaru, you've been smiling all evening. I've never seen you so ... untroubled and blissful, might I ask why you're so happy?"

He looks at you with a some-what shocked expression on his face, like, "What, you really don't know?" A small grin fits his mouth and he answers, "I'm so very pleased that I finally told you that I love you." You blush profusely and say ,"Oh… really?" You smile at him, even though you know your face is beat red.

He places a hand on your face and rubs your cheek affectionately with his thumb. He kisses you lightly on your lips and says, "Yes, that is why." You lay there and just smile at him, you really don't know what else to do, he's completely overwhelming you, every part of him intrigues you, draws you, and makes you incredibly happy.

At length Shessomaru reaches over and turns off the lamp, then says, "Good night, Tabitha… I love you." You smile at him in the dark and reply, "I love you to Shessomaru." He grins and closes his eyes, mumbling as he drifts into sleep, "I could never say it enough to exclaim how I feel." You could feel the blood rushing to your cheeks again even as you fell asleep.