Chapter 24 The hurt of 'For Now'

Avalon wanders the halls not knowing where she is going. She stops her movements and sits on the floor in the hall resting her back against the wall. Tears slip out and she quickly tries wiping them away. 'I thought we were actually starting to open up to each other. Why can't he respect me? All I do is try to help him and he treats me like garbage.' "Ass," she says out loud.

Her hair stands on end. There is a powerful yokai and it isn't Sesshomaru. Reiki rises automatically and the sword manifests in her hand. She stands on guard in an instant.

"Hmm, you are something," a voice purrs from her right.

Avalon turns to face the voice and she lowers her stance. She bows, letting her sword disappear. "My apologies."

"No, no, it will serve you well to be quick on your feet. But tell me daughter, why do you cry?" Gobodo-sama stands in a relaxed pose wearing a purple and white kimono with butterflies, wrapped in a fur trimmed blue robe. Her eyes dance with excitement.

"Daughter?"

"Well yes, you are my son's mate." Sesshomaru's mother smiles. "Not that I expected he would take a human for a mate but as far as human's go, you're not bad. You will give me strong grandchildren."

"My Lady?"

"You may call me 'mother'." She wraps her arms around herself.

Avalon winces. "Mother."

"Now tell me my dear daughter, why were you crying?"

"Your son is frustrating," Avalon grunts out.

"Oh, is that all? Hmm, yes he is a difficult child."

"Will my charge be safe here?" Avalon asks, concerned.

"Hmm, that human child? Yes. I'm not sure what you did, but the servants have been whispering non stop about how terrifying you are. They would not dare harm the girl. You know they will never respect you. You can only scare them into submission."

"It is how I thought it might be."

"Oh, you are aware of youkai/ningen relations? Then you know that you will be targeted by demonesses who are jealous of your bond with my son."

"That will be inconvenient," Avalon huffs.

"You're not scared?" Sesshomaru's mother's eyebrow raises.

"I have dealt with worse."

"Mmm, perhaps. You should go back to my son. He will be missing you."

"Doubtful, I'll eat then go back to him."

"Are you so sure daughter?"

"Yeah pretty sure the string of insults are a good indicator."

"Perhaps, go eat and return. I'm sure by then he will wish to see you."

"Yes, mother." Avalon says half heartedly.

"Good." Gobodo-sama smiles "I'll leave you to it." She walks down the hall. Avalon mopes for a few more moments. "Oh, where is the kitchen?" she asks, then slumps realizing that she is alone. Just then a female with long blue hair and a tight kimono that wraps her body like a glove steps around the corner. She doesn't look like a servant but maybe a handmaiden.

"Excuse me." Avalon gets up. "Can you show me to the kitchen?"

The woman sneers at her. She smells of Sesshomaru. 'Another one of his conquests. Why is she even wandering the halls.' "Shouldn't you be in his bed?" she snips out at Avalon.

"What?"

"You're his newest whore. What did you do to get up in the clouds? He doesn't usually bring ningen up here."

"I'm not his whore!" Avalon glares at her.

"Fine, whatever you need to tell yourself, I'll show you to the kitchen." 'And then I will see if he needs more satisfaction. He is never satisfied.' "This way." The inu-youkai leads Avalon down the hall and points to a door. "Through here," she says as she turns around going back the way she came. 'Now here I come baby.'

Avalon walks into the kitchen cautiously feeling a powerful aura through the door not as strong as Sesshomaru's or his mom's, but powerful. She spots a young man that looks to be about fifteen or sixteen. He has black hair and is speaking with another older looking youkai who is way too large. His triple chin is slightly disturbing to her. "Hello?" she asks gently, from the door.

The younger inu-youkai bows to the older fatter one and then inclines his head to Avalon. He doesn't speak to either but he smiles at Avalon as he leaves, casting a warm glow with his golden eyes.

The older one comes stalking around the counter, squishing through the end of the counter and the wall, making his fat bunch up. "You're Sesshomaru-sama's new mate." He bows low, his fat rolls waving like an ocean. "I'm Hiromaru, that was my son. He doesn't speak much, you'll have to forgive his silence."

"Oh, it's okay, can you please um…get up," she says quietly surprised she is being bowed to by a youkai.

"It's only proper, what with you being who you are. I bet you're hungry. I sent some nice intestines to that little girl of yours, fat and greasy. What would you like? I just got some boar demon, your mate likes that, but it's not his favorite. I might have some gizzard, or a ripe bear liver, plucked it out of the carcass a few minutes ago? I know, how about some fresh pig blood?"

"No, no, no, and no and again no. Ningen don't like raw organs or blood. We like cooked muscle and vegetables and fruit," Avalon says embarrassed.

"You eat those funny smelling things that grow on trees? No one eats those, except my boy that was just in here. His heart is in the forest, big yoki, but not a big fighter. Maybe he'll have to grow some of those things for that little one if she's going to stay here...oh no...she's probably starving now too. She didn't send the intestines back, bless her. Maybe she fed them to that little dog that follows her around." He squishes back into the kitchen and starts rummaging. "No that's the pan of eye-balls...hearts...livers...you don't like to eat this do you?" He pulls out a shika womb with a still forming deer inside of it. "This one is a delicacy."

Avalon shakes her head no rapidly. "You said you just pulled a liver from a bear? Where is the flesh of the bear?"

"Oh around the corner. But I don't keep a fire here. I can give it to you raw. Which part do you want? It's most tender in the rear section."

"Um, just give me a knife and point me to it and since my ward will be staying here, you will need to cook her food. I'm sorry to inconvenience you," Avalon says defeatedly.

"It's no inconvenience. Now that my boy is back here in the castle, you'll see in no time, he'll have gardens full of fresh fruits and vegetables for your little girl." He pulls out a knife that is longer than Avalon's wrist and twice as wide. He hands it to her and then says, "this way." He waddles under his heavy weight to the back of the kitchen where several different bloodied carcasses are being cleaned. "I pulled the skin off already and the fur. My boy is going to turn it into a blanket for your girl. It gets cold up here some nights. Humans don't last well in the cold."

"No they don't. Your boy sounds very kind. I look forward to getting to know him better." Avalon leans over and slices a thin slice of meat from the leg then she takes another slice just as thin. "Sticks?"

"Sticks?" he asks her, confused. "Right for cooking." He glances around his kitchen, not finding any, he thrusts his fist into one of the walls and rips out a beam, then breaks it into several pieces. "How is this?"

"Extreme," she says, shaking her head. She grabs one that looks like it will work and threads the meat on the piece of wood. "Let's see. Is there no fire place around here?"

"Not here, but Sesshomaru-sama has one in his room. Likes to read by the firelight when he can't sleep at night. Been that way since he was a boy."

"I see. Well, can one be built? Because you'll need one. And it would be more convenient being in the food preparation area,"

"I'll get it built tonight."

"What do you do for hot tea?" she asks, confused.

"Find someone who breathes fire? What do you do?"

"We light a fire and use it to heat the water. You don't breath fire do you?"

"No, but we have a few slaves that can."

"Slaves." Avalon thinks, 'they have slaves here?' "I will be going now. Hiromaru it was a pleasure meeting you," she says while bowing her head to him.

"Take care of yourself Avalon-sama."

Avalon walks out of the kitchen in a daze towards her room. She would have to heat the meat up in Sesshomaru's fireplace.

Yuri slips into the room, swaying her hips. "Sesshomaru-sama," she says his name seductively.

He growls in warning, facing away from her, still wearing nothing but his fundoshi and the makeshift bandage on his hand. "This Sesshomaru did not send for you," he says without taking his eyes off the scroll.

"You didn't have to, my Lord. I knew you would want me. I've come to satisfy your hunger," she says soothingly as she sashays closer to him.

He releases a lower, darker growl, standing up, his muscles tightening. "Leave."

"Let me please you, my Lord," she says, getting on her knees. "You know I will do anything for you."

Avalon comes to the door and hears a female voice in his room.

Sesshomaru walks past Yuri, leaving her on her knees and takes Avalon's hand, leading her into his room. He removes the meat from her hand and tells Yuri, "Perhaps you have not met the mate of this Sesshomaru. Your services are no longer necessary."

"Her? She's just a human." Yuri gets up and glares at Avalon.

"A most satisfying human," Sesshomaru snaps back, easing Avalon against the wall, and lifting her up with her back balanced against the boards. He comes closer to her until he is between her legs. "Maybe you would like to see satisfaction, Yuri?" He pushes Avalon's Kimono apart to reveal her core to him and starts moving his fundoshi aside.

"You must be joking," Yuri crosses her arms.

"Sesshomaru?" Avalon questions under her breath.

He leans his mouth next to her other ear and whispers, "shh," entering her gently but gasping again at how hot and tight she fits him. "Leave," he bites at Yuri, pushing into Avalon again, grunting in satisfaction. "Now."

"You will tire of her," Yuri says as she walks out the door leaving it open.

Avalon wraps her arms around Sesshomaru enjoying the way he moves inside of her.

He kisses her mouth tenderly and grateful that he did not frighten her by taking her so abruptly. "Satisfy this Sesshomaru," he hums in her ear and speeds his thrusting, gripping her ass, making the wall shake as he takes her.

Avalon groans with pleasure and hitchers her legs up and pulls him into her. She kisses his lips while panting. Her arms move up and down his back, grabbing his rear.

He pushes into her until he can't hold back any longer and together they come. He holds her tightly against the wall, slowly kissing her mouth. "Are you alright?" he asks her. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, it didn't hurt but what on earth was that all about?"

He pants against her lips, letting her down and sliding himself back into his fundoshi. "She came without an invitation."

"And you have sex with me when people enter your room uninvited?" Avalon asks skeptically.

"When it is to insult the mate of this Sesshomaru?" He shrugs, returning the water in the bowl that has been changed and wipes himself. "Would you have preferred I let her complete the task she wanted on her knees?"

"No, I was going to say I hope more individuals come in uninvited if this is what happens to me when they do," she says wrapping her arms around his waist.

He nuzzles the underside of her chin. "And when I take another? Will you still feel the same?"

Avalon's chest hurts. "Another?" She says dropping her arms and grabbing the discarded meat. "I hope you don't mind, I'm cooking this meat in the fireplace," she says, not wanting to answer the question. She sits in front of the fireplace on the floor, placing the meat in it to cook, staring into the flames.

Sesshomaru sits behind her, straddling her hips, pulling her into his chest. "I will leave an heir behind. I told you this and you agreed in return that I give you a hanyou child." He kisses her neck. "Eat and rest with me. It's late."

"You said take another. That doesn't sound like just producing an heir," she says glumly.

"If I had wanted it now, Yuri would have sufficed to conceive for me. She is at the beginning of her heat and not aware of it. I chose you, Onaga." He smirks into her neck.

Avalon nods, still feeling hurt that she has to share him, even if it was only for a night.

"Eat and come to bed. I do not sleep often. I will hold you tonight."

"Alright. One skewer is for me the other is for Hikari, you think one of the servants can take it to her?"

"Jaken."

"Is Jaken always within your calling range?" she asks jokingly.

"Mostly." He reaches for the scroll and sets it next to him. "Had we bonded the natural way, we would spend time in seclusion together. For now," he whispers in her ear. "I want you."

Avalon nods, pulling the meat out of the fire and checks the two skewers. She walks to the door sliding it open and Jaken was at the door about to knock "Hey Jaken-sama can you take this to Hikari?"

Jaken comes running around the corner with a glum look on his face. He takes the meat and leaves, casting Avalon a nasty glare.

Avalon closes the door and turns to Sesshomaru. 'You have no idea how much that 'for now' hurts.' "I don't think Jaken likes me. He gave me a nasty look."

Sesshomaru shrugs his shoulders. "He will learn respect." He moves to the futon laying down. He covers himself with a light sheet.

Avalon nods and starts eating the skewer of bear meat she cooked. "So what's in the scroll anyway?"

"In the morning, Onaga. This Sesshomaru needs rest."

"Sorry." she quickly finishes the bear meat and crawls into the futon with him. She lays on her back wondering if he will want to hold her.

Sesshomaru lies on his right side, not sure why she isn't coming closer to him, so he closes his eyes, giving her the physical space he thinks she needs.

She looks over and sees his eyes closed and moves closer to him so her back is pressed into his chest.

"Mmh." He curls his legs into her knees, wrapping an ankle over hers and sniffs her scalp next to her neck, it's become his favorite place to smell. "I have never allowed a female to sleep in my arms before. In this way," he withholds laughing, "this Sesshomaru is the virgin."

"Just do what feels natural and good," she says softly. 'I wish this was the first time a man had held me in my sleep.'

"Holding you, breathing your scent," his voice quiets as he speaks slurring his words with exhaustion. "Natural...beautiful…" he fades off into sleep.

Avalon smiles gently as she hears him drift off to sleep and she soon follows.

A/N So what do you all think? Tell me your thoughts please! A big thank you to Elohiniar for her help on this. She is my co-author and editor. I love this woman so much and she is going through so much my heart goes out to her.

Smmahamazing- Yup they are trying to communicate with each other and learn.

Curlystruggle- Will they ever stop arguing? Perhaps in time but they were both pushed into a relationship that neither wanted. Avalon may have been attracted to Sesshomaru and had a fangirl crush but she didn't think to be his mate by any means. Sesshomaru never wanted to mate a human and Avalon tries to treat the relationship like a modern one which he can't understand. They were both raised very differently.

Itzatakahashi- I am glad that my OC isn't turning you off of this story. I wanted her to be a real person so to speak. She has an entire history and you will learn more about her as time goes by. Avalon and Sesshomaru both need to learn to bend a little. She wants to make him happy but she is so afraid to lose what little she has left of herself.