So, it's been awhile. I'm sorry I disappeared. I had three family deaths within three months. it eventually led to a break down that I had to get help for. I lost my jobs and I just had surgery less than a week ago to prepare me for a surgery that's about six weeks out. needless to say, I've been going through a lot. I promise I haven't forgotten about these stories though. I am working on getting my mental, emotional, and physical health back in order. I will try to post more often for all of you, but I can't make any promises. I hope you all can be patient with me while I get my life in order. Please enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 7

Sesshomaru straightened as he heard his angel's voice, happy and calm, even so early in the morning. She spotted him, grinning his way from ear to ear, then made her way over. She was dressed lightly, thin leggings with an oversized shirt. The bag over her shoulder looked heavy and Sesshomaru wondered if her tail was in it. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun, several tendrils broken free so they framed her face..

"I'm glad you accepted the job." Kagome motioned towards the broom in his hand. "I wanted to help, and this does, but don't be scared to tell us if this is something you don't want to do. I know momma probably thrust this on you, but if you aren't happy, just tell us. We can figure something else out."

It was still strange to Sesshomaru, having someone care about his thoughts and feelings. Especially a human. His father had always cared. Izayoi was more of a mother to him than his own mother was. They cared for him. Kagura did as well, in her own way. But they were all demons aside from Izayoi. They understood what it was like to have the world hate them. Kagome was an enigma as much as her mother was.

"Hitomi gave me the option to leave." Sesshomaru turned his eyes towards the broom in his hand. "But this… helping here on the shrine, it is more than what I had. I could not… I will not turn down an offer that benefits Rin and InuYasha."

"I just want to make sure you are happy." Kagome placed her hand on his arm, giving him a quick squeeze before she let go. His skin tingled where her hand once was, as if she had touched his actual flesh and not the sleeve of his shirt.

The breeze blew between them, chilled from the impending Winter coming their way. It caught in those loose strands of her hair, causing them to dance and flutter. Sesshomaru tightened his hand on the broom, fighting the urge to reach out and tuck those strands more securely in her hair. He had no right to touch her.

"Kagome!" Rin's soft voice broke his attention from Kagome's dark hair. She came running from the house, skidding to a stop and crashing into Kagome's leg. Kagome kept herself from falling, placing a hand on Rin's head, just between her ears. "Don't go to work!"

"I have to, Rin." Kagome set her bag down, kneeling in front of Rin. Kagome tsked at the sight of Rin's watering eyes, wiping away her tears. "I will be back soon. It's during the week, so I don't work full days. Just a few hours, Rin, and then I'll be home."

"That place is scary. I don't want you to get hurt." Rin wrapped her arms around Kagome's neck, and Kagome hugged her. Kagome's eyes met Sesshomaru's, a burning fury in them.

"They won't hurt me, Rin. They won't ever hurt you ever again. I'll make sure of it." Kagome pushed Rin away enough so she could look in her eyes. "What if I gave you some of my magic. Then you could get a tail and swim like a mermaid in the pool."

Rin's eyes lit up as she gasped, her little legs bouncing in excitement. "Really?"

"If your brother agrees." Kagome looked up at Sesshomaru, pulling Rin towards her so they were cheek to cheek, both of them with puppy dog eyes. "Please big brother, Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru felt the urge to roll his eyes at Kagome's dramatics, but he didn't. If anything, he was grateful for it. She had managed to comfort Rin in a way he was sure he couldn't do. He knew the world was cruel, and that jaded him. All he knew was harsh truths, and that made it hard for him to comfort Rin the way he needed. How could he cheer her up when he could barely smile himself?

"As long as it's safe." Sesshomaru would give Rin anything she wanted in that moment. "Perhaps you should ask InuYasha? He may enjoy it as well." Sesshomaru knew buying those tails would be expensive, but he would have to figure it out. "Now, go get ready for school. Make sure InuYasha is awake."

Rin's excited bubble burst, her face falling. "I don't want to go to school. They don't care and call me a half breed."

"There is nothing we can do, Rin." Sesshomaru wanted to do better for Rin, but the laws for demon's were not to be broken. With Sango so close to the family, he wasn't going to take any chances. He still wasn't sure how to feel about a demon slayer being near.

"That, I will take care of."

Sesshomaru turned to face Hitomi, his brows furrowed. "They must be in school. If they are not, we will get fined, and if I do not pay that fine or refuse to put them in school, they will be taken from me. I do not like the school any more than them, but my hands are tied."

Kagome scoffed, standing to her feet. "Rin, run inside. Get dressed for school. I promise you will only have to go to that school for a few more days." Kagome gave her a gentle shove, and Rin took off, heading inside. With her gone, Kagome crossed her arms, looking over at Sesshomaru. "I have a friend who is a tutor. I'll call him and see if he can squeeze them in. He's an amazing teacher, and he is a demon, so you won't have to worry about him treating them badly."

"What are his rates?" Sesshomaru would be getting more money now than before, but he would still be conscious of his spending. He wasn't sure how much the Higurashi's generosity would last, and he wouldn't blow through his money and waste it. If he was forced to leave, he needed to have a cushion saved up.

Kagome waved him off. "Don't worry about it. He owes me." Kagome took a deep breath, looking back up at the house. "You don't have to worry about that stuff anymore, Sesshomaru. Those demon laws are shit, and we won't let anything happen to Rin and InuYasha. We promise." She gave him a smile, then started backing away. "I'll go pay a visit to my friend and then go to work. Like I told Rin, I'll be back in a few hours. If anyone gives you trouble, just give them my number." She spun on her heel, giving a wave over her shoulder, and then she was gone.

Sesshomaru looked back at Hitomi, seeing the older woman walking away. He wasn't used to their generosity, but it was a normal occurrence to them. Enough for them not to even react to it. He wondered if they had done this for anyone else before him. It wouldn't surprise him.

…

"Fuck." Kouga grunted, his eyes closed, head tilted back. Kagome watched him, her own body trembling as his cock stretched her. Her nails dug into his chest with each roll of her hips and grind into his pelvis. There was something about knowing she could bring a man to their knees, something about seeing a male begging for more. Kouga was exactly what she needed to take the edge off the day she knew she had coming.

"I need a favor." Kagome was panting, barely able to catch her breath, but she hadn't been able to get the reason for her visit off her mind.

Kouga just chuckled, his hands rubbing up and down her thighs. He didn't miss a beat, and neither did she. "With my dick inside you, I'm inclined to agree to anything you ask for. Just no cubs. I'm not into you like that."

Kagome scrunched her face at the thought of having children with Kouga. They enjoyed sex. They enjoyed sex with each other. Once every few months they would meet up, having meaningless, but great sex, then move on. They were friends who texted often, fucked less, and were happy with the way things were.

A long time ago, they had discussed becoming more. They got along great, and were physically compatible, but they both decided quickly that this was all they would ever be. If either of them met someone else, what they had would end and they would be left with a lasting friendship.

Nothing more, and that was exactly what they wanted.

"I need you to tutor a couple of kids at the shrine. That demon I was telling you about, the one I wanted to help. I found him, and now he is living there." Kagome leaned back on Kouga's thighs, feeling his cock shift inside of her.

"He has kids?" Kouga had been teaching demonic children straight out of high school. It took time, but now he was a licensed tutor, and that was exactly what Kagome wanted for Rin and InuYasha. This way, they wouldn't have to endure the hateful human teachers they had now. They could actually learn and maybe one day become more than what they ever dreamed of.

"No." Kagome gasped as Kouga rolled them. He gripped her thigh, lifting it over his shoulder, spreading her wider so he could go deeper. Kagome's eyes rolled into the back of her head, her head falling back into the pillows.

"You do know how to take my cock, Kagome, I'll give you that." His mouth moved over her neck, nipping, licking, and kissing away all of her stress, her troubles.

"They are his siblings." Kagome said, her voice breaking with each hard thrust Kouga gave into her body. "He hasn't had it easy. He is doing his best for them, and I admire how hard he has tried. The demon laws made it impossible for him to succeed caring for them, especially with him being a daiyoukai."

"You sound like you like him, Kagome." Kouga teased at her ear, his breath hot. "Maybe he should be here, fucking you instead of me." Kagome blushed, and Kouga laughed, nipping at her earlobe with his fangs. "The nail on the head"

"I don't like him. I barely know him." She argued, but then he stopped, his hips pinned against her own. Kagome met his blue eyes, seeing the smirk on his face. He wasn't going to move until she told him the truth. "I don't like him. That is the truth. I barely know him, but there is something about him that I just can't ignore. He seems so… lonely. So withdrawn and I want to break his shell. I want to see him smile, a real one."

"I'll tell you a secret." Kouga grunted as he surged into Kagome's core harshly once before stopping. "That means you like him."

"It means I care about him as a friend." Kagome turned them again, so she was once more on top and in control. "Now stop playing and finish this Kouga, or I'll finish myself."

"As the princess demands." Kouga gripped her thighs, thrusting into her body as she rolled her hips over him.

"Shut up." Kagome growled, hating being called that. She wasn't a princess. She was just Kagome, a woman who wanted to change the world, to make peace between demons and humans. Her body seized in orgasm then, a cry leaving her lips as she threw her head back. Her nails clawing at Kouga's chest, leaving a red trail behind, and he let out a deep moan, yanking himself from inside of her, and spilling over his chest and stomach in hot waves.

Kagome rolled to her back, laying beside him in the bed, catching her breath. It only took a few minutes before she was standing, getting dressed and putting her hair back up into a messy bun. Kouga leaned over, grabbing a cigar from his nightstand. A gift from Kagome. Both for their friendship and a bit of bribery. "You never gave me an answer."

He lit the cigar, taking a puff before curling one arm under his head, the other holding up the cigar as smoke wafted up from it in curls. "I'll be there tomorrow. I'm interested in meeting this Sesshomaru."

"Don't start sticking your nose where it doesn't belong." Kagome narrowed her eyes at him, then hurried to his bathroom, grabbing an old used rag. Kouga lived better than other demons with his income as a teacher, but he still didn't have much. He was still considered poor by human standards.

"Would I ever do that?" He laughed as she threw the rag at his face, and he took another puff of the cigar while cleaning away his cum. "I'm going to guess that these meetings are going to come to a stop. If you are already interested in him this much, it's only a matter of time before you leave me behind."

"I have to get to work, Kouga, see you in the morning." Kagome grabbed her bag, waving at him over her shoulder. He was teasing her, she knew, but her face was pinched. She didn't like Sesshomaru like that, she was sure of it. She just wanted to help him, to make his life better and easier, not only for him, but for Rin and InuYasha as well.

They deserved to have someone care about them.

They deserved more than life had given them.

That's all there was to it.