Part 2
It felt like nothing he had ever experienced before, the sensation that washed over him as their lips finally joined.
Her lips were plump and soft under his, laced with a sweet taste he wished to forever sear to memory.
Something peculiar happened, his heart stopped beating, and for an instant, because his lungs were burning, he felt what he thought it must feel like to drown. The next second, he revived back to life, and his heart was beating at an uncomfortable pace, and he was sure it was trying to reach enough momentum to rip out of his chest and leap to the Miko. There was no other explanation for the current racing through his demonic blood.
She managed to consume his world, and at this moment he knew of nothing past this Miko he now held in his arms, understood nothing besides his aching need for her, the human priestess, Kagome.
Overcome by several new tastes and scents, his mind raced to efficiently organize and memorize all of them, not wanting to miss a single second.
He could taste her, an essence that was connected purely to the priestess, heavily spiked with the musk that was her sweet desire, desire for him.
He let his fang graze her lower lip and then he could taste fire and lightning tangled with blind lust.
He moved his hand from her waist to her lower back, pushing her into him and as a breeze brushed her hair forward, her silky black stands tangled with the wind, he smelled the scent that covered her, a sweet tang he couldn't associate with any plant known to him.
He had smelled it on her before and never thought much of it, but now that she was so close that it surrounded him he wanted to know what that fragrance was. As much as he wished to know, the question was quickly pushed out of his mind because it wasn't just her scent he smelled. No, it was also her desperation he scented on her, which sent a jolt to his already painfully erect manhood.
Kagome moaned into his lips, fisting his silk kimono in her hand, holding onto him for dear life.
When she had made her excuse earlier to get the herbs for the salve, she had never imagined that this would happen, but she thanked whatever Kami held her in his favor. The feel of his strong arms around her and, Kami! His lips, so divine in the way they were moving against her own.
Her first kiss. She wondered if everyone's first kiss felt as if there was a thunderstorm waging war inside them.
She felt her feet giving out from under her, but Sesshomaru pushed her against him and held her up, releasing a guttural growl as he felt her pressed so intimately against him, breasts pressed against his chest and legs almost entwined with his.
''Sesshomaru,'' she breathed, and his lips stopped moving. Kagome grew worried, but before she could voice her question, he moved back and buried his nose into her neck. Kagome felt the vibrations of his growl against her skin, sending delightful sparks down her spine.
''Again,'' he demanded, trailing his nose down her neck and to her collarbone, allowing the sweet scent he couldn't place to pull him in deeper under her spell. He wanted to hear his name fall from her lips again, wanted to hear her scream it into the twilight as she wrapped tightly around him. There was nothing he desired more, not even Naraku's death.
The Miko's breath hitched at his light teasing brushes, so distracted she hadn't even heard his voice. She did, however, notice when he stopped moving, making her release a low whine of protest which had him swell with pride. He hadn't even started yet.
She opened her eyes, confusion swirling within her deep azure depths. Sesshomaru watched her with barely contained desire, his smirk momentarily faltering him.
''Repeat this Sesshomaru's name,'' he demanded with a deep growl from his chest. It took her a moment to realize what he wanted but then her eyes softened, and she placed a hand on his cheek, warming the flesh she touched, and it spread like wildfire.
''Sesshomaru,'' she breathed, never looking away from him, biting her lip and waiting for his reaction. She wasn't left waiting long, nor was she disappointed when he roughly pulled her against him again. This time he hoisted her up from her thigh making her wrap her long legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.
He was surprised when she was the first to close the small distance between their lips. Her movements weren't as gentle as he had expected, nor were they frantic or rushed but instead she was rough and demanding, taking what she wanted. He smelt the urgency before he felt her teeth come down sharply on his bottom lip and he couldn't help but thrust his engorged length against her.
He released his hand from her thigh and removed his fur, his tongue now on her lip, begging her for entrance which she granted him without hesitation. Sesshomaru tossed his mokumoku to the forest floor and gently lowered her onto it with her limbs still wrapped tightly around him.
He disconnected his lips from hers and started his exploration, wanting to see and taste every, sweet and delectable inch of her. He started off by placing his lips on her neck, just below her ear. He was rewarded with a soft mewl, her fingers wrapping loosely into his hair.
As he made his way down her neck, he allowed his hand to roam up her soft bare leg, enticed by her pale skin and the way her body reacted to his touch.
Her own hands traversed his back, making their way around to his chest, leaving a trail of fire behind her. His ministrations quickened then, and he roamed his way up her hip to the flat plain of her stomach, cursing the cloth that covered her from his sight.
His hands were on her and somewhere in the back of her mind, buried beneath her desire, she knew that she should not allow this to go any further, but she couldn't muster the will to stop it. How could she when for the first time in months she felt alive?
She revered in all the sensations he was making her feel and honestly didn't think she ever wanted him to stop what he was doing to her, her earlier words ringing true.
His hand was now on her clothed breast, and he was nibbling on her ear, that combined with his warm breath and sighs made her restlessly thrust her chest against his hand and rub her aching core against him as she sought something utterly unknown to her. ''Shomaru,'' she breathed, and it almost sounded like a sob as she pleaded with him, but she didn't care.
''What is it you want, Miko?'' he whispered into her ear, enjoying the way she was now thrashing under him, nothing but wanton and salacious need shining in her face. He could taste her frustration, and it took all his energy to not give in to her, but he had a plan, a plan that involved him ruining her for anyone else. After tonight she would never desire a touch that was not his own, she would forget any name that didn't belong to the Daiyoukai that was claiming her now.
''I-'' she started, but she couldn't string along words because she didn't know how to articulate her desires. ''More,'' she managed to groan with her eyes closed tightly shut together, and her lip was in between her teeth, being abused by her vexation.
Sesshomaru raked a sharp nail over her covered nipple, and she hissed, her hands now fisting the fur surrounding them.
''Open your eyes,'' he ordered her, and she did as he requested with difficulty, her lids feeling heavy with pleasure. Once he had her dark eyes locked on his gaze, he reached out for her right hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her wrist. ''Tell me what you want, Miko,'' he demanded again
''Touch me,'' she begged, only knowing that she wanted his hands to continue roaming her body.
''Where?'' he asked her, and she didn't know if she wanted to kiss or purify him.
''Everywhere,'' she moaned, feeling slightly insane with need.
She was done being teased by him, so she tugged her wrists free from his grip. She then grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, tossing it carelessly to the side.
Her eyes never left his as she unwrapped her legs from around him and propped herself up with one arm while the other one rested on the top of her bra clad breast. She dragged her hand down, over her breast and down over her navel, enjoying the way his eyes were now fixed solely on her movements. Her hand came to a stop at the top of her skirt, and she waited for a brief moment before she pushed it down over her legs, leaving her laying almost bare in front of him, with nothing but her white lace bra and underwear to cover her.
She should have felt embarrassed, anxious, frightened and timid as she revealed herself to him, but instead, she felt empowered by the way he couldn't take his eyes off of her. The way he was looking at her left no doubt in her mind that she was beautiful because even if she wasn't, she was to him. With that look, she knew that he wanted her, wanted her as much as she wanted him.
''You ask me about my desires,'' she said sultrily, barely able to recognize her voice with how sensual and seductive she sounded.
Encouraged by the sharp intake of his breath she continued, ''but what is that you want, Sesshomaru?'' she asked him, her hand now on her shoulder, lowering the strap of her bra. ''I am here, at your disposal, My Lord. What do you wish to do with me?'' she teased him, hoping she didn't look like a fool. Suddenly, she worried he would find her actions asinine, but she needn't have worried about that because in the next moment he ripped off her bra and latched his lips to her rosy nipple making her release a strangled scream.
Gone was the coy look from her face, replaced by pure ecstasy as his hand found its way to the wetness pooling between her thighs. He had no patience to remove the fabric, so he tore it in half and watched it fall from her.
''I will taste you first, Miko,'' he growled, his lips moving down lower on her body, about to tell her what he planned to do to her but she interrupted him before he could continue.
''No,'' she said gasping, barely able to keep her eyes from rolling into the back of her head as he slipped his fingers in between her wet folds, spreading her moisture. His eyes shot to hers, narrowing in slits, not understanding. Was she refusing him now? ''You will do no such thing without removing your clothes first,'' she managed to say but only because his ministrations had stopped. ''It's only fair seeing as you've now seen every inch of me.''
How was it that she managed to surprise him at every turn he took? She wished him to undress, to see him as bare as he was seeing her. For someone as pure and chaste as she was, she wasn't afraid to take what she wanted, even if her desire was the youkai standing before her. It only helped in strengthening his desire for her, effectively unleashing a new flood of crazed urgency.
He reached out for his obi and was about to comply with her wishes, but she stilled his hands, and he looked at her questioningly.
She looked at him from under her lashes, her confidence evaporating. She watched him tilt his head in question, and she bit her lip and slowly got up on her knees.
''I want to do it,'' she told him, instead of asking if she was allowed to because he had asked her what she wanted, and that was for her to reveal inch by inch the man that restlessly invaded her thoughts and dreams.
He peered at her for a moment and gave her a minuscule tilt of his head in agreement, noticing that her arousal spiked at her demand. She was human and yet she acted as if she were youkai, demanding things from him and speaking to him as if she were his equal.
He watched as she tentatively reached around him to his obi, untying it with her eyes focused on her hands and her actions.
Layer after another slipped from his person until he was left standing in his hanjuban and fundoshi. He could smell her shyness and could sense she was apprehensive, but he saw nothing but confidence and determination in her face as she reached for his hanjuban. She slid the fabric over his shoulders all allowed it to fall to the ground to pool at their feet.
Her eyes briefly flickered up to his before they went back to his chest. She lowered her left hand and rested it on his stomach, barely touching him and started running the smooth surface of her palm up to his chest, enjoying the way his chiseled muscle tensed under her touch. She continued her path up his chest and to his bad shoulder.
She looked up to watch his reaction as her fingertips made their way to the shoulder that no longer had an arm attached to it. She touched the rough flesh and felt remorse and guilt at what they had done to him, even if it was a result of self-defense.
''There is no need for any apologies,'' he told her firmly. What was done, is done, and in the past. There is no use in dwelling on it. It wasn't her fault that his beast had left him crippled that night. His actions were his own, and she was not to fault for his lack of restraint.
She nodded her head lightly but placed a gentle and loving kiss on it nonetheless, his words not chasing away her guilt.
His beast whined at her distress and urged him to chase away her bad memories and grief. Sesshomaru had no qualms in agreeing with his beast at the moment; their thoughts aligned for the first time in years.
He pushed her down against his mokumoku tenderly and trapped both of her wrists above her head with his hand.
''You've undressed me, Miko. Now it's my turn,'' he said, lowering his lips to her breast once more, not able to stop himself from ravishing any longer. ''Do you trust me?'' he asked her, curious to hear her answer. Did she trust him? Desire does not necessarily translate to trust.
''I do,'' she said without any hesitation because she does trust him. She knows he wouldn't do anything to harm her. She doesn't know how she could feel so sure of it, but she does.
His nose twitched, trying to detect a hint of doubt or a lie but found none, so he continued ravishing the Miko.
His lips were now traveling lower, and she tried to contain her moans, not wanting to show him how undone she had come under his touches. She managed to do so until he reached her core and ran his tongue over her slit. ''Kami!'' she screamed, momentarily blinded, the shock reverberating through her body rendering her paralyzed.
He growled against her, sending vibrations to places inside her she didn't know existed. ''No Kami here, Priestess. Only this Sesshomaru,'' he teased her, but he was swelling with pride and confidence like he had never before, relishing in the fact that he was pleasing his Miko.
He had never tasted something as succulent and scrumptious as the sweet nectar pouring out of the female he was about to rut. His actions could only be portrayed as that of a starving man as he lapped at her with a quickened pace.
Kagome tangled her hand into his hair and couldn't help pressing him further into her, urging him on, wanting to feel more of what he had to offer her. He chuckled, but she was in no position to care. ''More,'' she begged, wrapping her legs around his shoulders so that she could pull him even closer.
Sesshomaru complied, looking for that bundle of nerves that would have her forget everything but his tongue on her. Once he found her clit, he flicked his tongue over it and nibbled it. She let out a guttural growl from deep within her chest that had him moan with her, wishing he could relieve himself of some of the pressure he was feeling.
He knew she was not far from her release, so he pushed one finger inside her, gently, making sure he didn't hurt the delicate human. ''Yes,'' she moaned, and he took that as encouragement to add another. The Miko was tightly clenching her warm walls around his fingers, a few more gentle thrusts and he would have her falling over the edge for him. ''Sesshomaru,'' she moaned, sounding helpless. ''I...'' she trailed off, trashing against his mokumoku and he had never seen a sight as beautiful as this.
Kagome's hair splayed around her, face flushed and glistening with sweat as were her breasts, droplets sliding down her chest. Her eyes are tightly closed, and her bottom lip was once again in between her teeth, a habit of hers he gauged would send him to an early grave.
Then, after one more flick of his tongue, one push of his finger and one more nibble and his earlier statement is rendered false. Nothing was more beautiful than this human finally reaching her peak; face contorted in absolute and blissful ecstasy, lips parted in a silent scream as she arched her back, legs tensing than releasing their grip from around his head, falling helplessly to the ground.
He gave her only a moment before he removed his fundoshi and placed his pulsing length against her sleek and soaked entrance.
Kagome gasped at the contact, and her eyes opened wide. He watched her for any hesitation, any indication that she had somehow changed her mind but he found none.
''It may hurt,'' he warned her, but she shrugged her delicate shoulders.
''I know,'' she told him, tightening her hold on the fur they were laying on. Yes, she was nervous. She was about to be taken by the mighty Daiyoukai Sesshomaru, but she also waited with anticipation for him to push inside her. She desperately wanted to know what it would feel like to have his manhood inside her instead of his tongue and fingers.
He pushed up against her opening and tried to hold on to any restraint he had to ease himself gently inside her. It was probably the hardest thing he ever had to do, but the scent of her blood reached his nose and reigned him in. He wanted her to feel pleasure, not pain.
''It's okay,'' she reassured him with a gasp through gritted teeth, knowing the pain would subside, at least she thought and hoped it would.
How was it that even in her pain she was trying to reassure him, to ease his worries away? How selfless and pure could a soul be?
Finally, he had managed to push all of him inside her. Her walls are so tight and hot and wet around him he couldn't help but groan her name. ''Kagome.''
Her eyes snapped open when she heard her name fall from his lips. Oh, dear Kami! Her name has never been uttered so sensually before.
''Again,'' she demanded as he had done earlier.
He opened his eyes and gasped almost inaudibly when she saw that his amber eyes had turned into a raging fire.
He held her captive in the inferno of his gaze and started easing out of her.
It hurt, but the pain was ebbing away leaving a pleasure behind she hadn't known possible.
He was almost completely bare of her before he pushed into her again in one swift, graceful motion.
''Kagome!'' he moaned as she screamed his name into the twilight, just as he had wanted.
Page Break
Dusk has now settled around them, and the Miko was comfortably resting her head against his bare chest, painting invisible patterns on his skin with feather-light brushes of her delicate fingers.
Satisfaction radiated off her in waves, pleasantly brightening the aura around her. Sesshomaru himself also felt sedated and satisfied, possibly for the first time in his life.
Once his mind stumbled out of the haze that was their rutting he thought that his shoulders would once again tense, but they didn't because he could now feel the barrier she had put around them, protecting not only herself but him too.
He felt oddly secure behind her barrier, it sent an unfamiliar wave of serenity over him, and a human Miko had managed to accomplish that. His human Miko.
He had thought that after giving in to his desires for the Miko his beast would retreat and allow him to do the same, but instead, it was pouting, snarling at him for not marking her as his mate, marking his claim on her.
He couldn't deny it any longer, not when he was holding her against him so intimately, their bare limbs still entwined and their bodies cocooned by his mokumoku as it provided shelter for the priestess from the chill of the night air.
He had found his mate and no longer wished to reject her.
''The others will be wondering where I am,'' she said softly, breaking the calm silence that had fallen over them.
She felt him tense under her, but he didn't say a word to her. She looked up at him and was surprised to see that he his eyes were narrowed at her. ''Sesshomaru?'' she asked him gently, wishing he would speak to her and give voice to his thoughts.
''You wish to go back to my brother?'' he asked her finally, and it was her turn to narrow her eyes.
''I wish to go back to Shippo, Sango, Miroku and yes, Inuyasha because they are my friends,'' she told him. ''Just as I am sure that you wish to return to Rin,'' she continued, hoping he would understand that she couldn't just abandon them.
The Daiyoukai watched her for a moment, turning over her words in his mind. He did understand her reluctance to leave her kitsune and companions, but his brother, he couldn't allow it, not after having her.
''No,'' he said with a sort of finality that had Kagome's blood boiling.
''Excuse me?'' she asked him, trying to untangle herself from him, but even with only one arm he was stronger than her, and held her firmly captive to his side, merely amused by her fruitless struggles. He watched her with fascination as she kept at her tugging and twisting, trying to find a way out even though she knew that her efforts are futile.
''Cease this nonsense,'' he barked when he smelt her pain. Would she injure herself to get away from him?
''Not until you let me go!'' she spat back, putting up a decent fight against him, even if her batteling struggling was for not.
''You will not be going back to him. Bring the Kitsune, you travel with me now, and the decision is final,'' he told her decidedly, and he watched with deep curiosity as her left eye twitched at his words.
''The decision,'' she muttered shaking her head and releasing a somewhat worrisome chuckle. ''The decision is final,'' she mocked him darkly, and he involuntarily shuddered at the venom dripping from her words. ''After what we did tonight, do you honestly think I would do anything with your brother? Do you think so little of me? Do you not trust me at all?'' she asked him, tears of rage starting to form in her eyes.
''I do not trust him,'' he told her, his nose twitching as it burned with the scent of her tears and the hurt that escaped her pores. Sesshomaru knew that in his real form his ears would be flat against his face with his tail between his legs. How was it that she managed to make him feel like a pup?
''And exactly who do you think you are? You can't order me around, Sesshomaru!'' she exclaimed, once again furiously struggling against his hold.
''I'm your mate,'' he told her frankly, and just like that, the struggling stopped.
The Miko blinked a few times, and he tilted his head and curiously watched the emotions cross over her face and paid particular attention to the spikes in her scent. Even for a human, this woman was very expressive.
Her face went from furious to baffled, then utterly blank besides the blush on her cheeks.
What he smelled was another matter entirely. He caught embarrassment, confusion, brushed with mild distrust, joy, possessiveness, and her sweet desire - that musky scent that he was still soaked in.
''I'm your what?'' she asked him, and had it not been for the inuyoukai hearing he would not have caught it. She didn't ask him with disgust or rejection, but rather, it was stated as an honest question as if wondering if she heard him correctly.
''Mate,'' he confirmed for her, and he watched the most bewildering and astounding thing happen. Her face lit up, and she broke out into a breathtaking smile. Her aura lit up blindingly around them, and he didn't think she even noticed. It was the most beautiful and pure thing he had ever witnessed.
''You want me to be your mate?'' she asked him, still not believing her ears. He just gave her a soft look, a smile playing on his lips which made her gasp. She had never seen him smile before and he looked utterly handsome doing so.
She twisted in his hold and reached up to place her lips against his. He growled appreciatively against her and lowered his hand to her firm round bottom, pulling her into him.
She pulled away from him abruptly making him groan in protest. She straddled him, legs on either side of him and he watched her through half-lidded eyes. ''This doesn't mean that I can abandon my friends,'' she told him, slightly out of breath. ''It just means that we have to find another way to make this work.''
''There is no other way, Miko,'' he told her, somewhat distracted by the way his length was still ensnared between them awakening once more at her innocent movements.
''My name is Kagome. I know you know it, so use it,'' she told him, jabbing a finger into his chest making his eyes dance with mirth which only served to push her irritation further. ''If you want to please your mate, you will find a way to make this work,'' she snapped at him. Sesshomaru shot up at her words and grabbed her black locks and pulled, revealing her neck to him. She gasped and moaned, and even though she wanted to cling onto her irritation, her desire electrified it to dust.
Since he has lost his arm, he has not yearned for it as much as he did now, wanting to feel as much of her as possible. He would have to make do with what he had available to him.
He released her hair and lowered his hand to her generous bottom, lifting her slightly so that he could unexpectedly push up into her still soaking folds.
''Sesshomaru!'' she screamed, feeling a sharp pain as he penetrated her so suddenly and harshly but the pleasure she felt outweighed any pain.
''Does this Sesshomaru not please you?'' he asked her as he lifted her and rammed her back down onto his hard member, her tightness almost painful to him. ''Does he not?'' he asked her again, lowering his head to head breast so that he could take her rosy nub in between his teeth, giving it a not so gentle tug.
''You please me,'' she moaned, moving her hips against him and pulling her hand up to her neglected breast, kneading the soft flesh between her fingers and tweaking her nipple. ''You please me so well, My Lord,'' she groaned.
Her eyes snapped open, she pushed her hand against his chest and shoved him onto his fur. He couldn't take his eyes away from her hands on her breast. He wanted her to moan louder, so he reached between them and rubbed his thumb against her clit, eliciting a hiss from her.
''More,'' she sighed and started moving against him, pulling out of him and pushing herself onto him. He had never taken a woman like this before, and now that he did he couldn't understand why. Her head was thrown back, hands on her big breasts as she furiously rode him.
''Do I please you, Sesshomaru?'' she asked him coyly, stopping suddenly.
His growl was her only response.
''Do you wish to spill your seed inside me Sesshomaru?'' she asked him again, still not moving.
Another growl. ''Woman,'' he warned her, and she moved against him, painfully and maddeningly slow.
''Kagome,'' she reminded him, teasingly rolling her hips. ''Give me your word that you will accept my solution,'' she told him, ''or I'll stop,'' she warned him even though the prospect pained her.
He didn't say anything, eyes narrowed at her, but she was purposefully clenching around him, and he had to wonder how the tables have turned so suddenly.
''Give me your word,'' she commanded him with a powerful and firm voice. Such a feisty human.
''I give you my word,'' he told her before flipping them over. She had a look of surprise on her face, and before she knew what was happening, he turned Kagome around so that her stomach was resting on his fur. He pulled her on her knees so that her firm pale bottom was in the air. For a split second the urge to smack it with his strong large open palm came to him, but he refrained, instead he pushed himself inside her, enjoying the way she looked beneath him.
''Sesshomaru,'' she moaned, pushing herself up on her elbows, thrusting back against him.
He pulled her hair and made her look at him as he fucked her roughly from behind. ''Touch yourself,'' he ordered her, ''I want you to feel how wet you are for me, Kagome. See for yourself how much you desire this Sesshomaru.'' She gasped at his words and managed to flush even hotter, but she obliged because he asked it of her and for some reason, she wanted to do so. ''I gave you my word,'' he growled, pumping into her, ''but know that you are mine.''
''I'm yours,'' she agreed, loving how full she felt. She stroked her clit and felt the heat coil in her stomach as it had done three times before that evening. ''Mate,'' she moaned before bright lights engulfed her. With that one word, she pushed Sesshomaru over the edge with a feral, guttural groan that sent the birds flying from the trees.
He collapsed on top of her, burying his face into her neck before turning them over so that she laid on him once more.
''So tired,'' she mumbled into his chest, giggling. He found that he rather enjoyed the sound.
''What is it you wish to do now, Miko?'' he asked her, allowing himself to run his hand through her locks, playing with them. It soothed his mind.
''I'm going to go back to my friends, and I guess I'm just going to have to tell them that my mate is going to be joining us,'' she told him lazily, but he could smell how anxious she was for his response.
''I will give you two days,'' he told her, and she squealed, taking his lips in hers in gratitude. If it meant he got to touch and kiss the Miko more often he would have to comply with her wishes more frequently. He never felt the need for anyone's affections, but he wanted hers, craved hers. He now knew that without them he would be destroyed.
Suddenly, he doesn't know how or why, but it came back to him, the question that had been nagging him earlier. That scent he couldn't place.
''What is that scent, Miko?'' he asked her, and she waited for him to elaborate, running her hand through his soft silky hair. ''You must bathe with it or use it as a form of perfume,'' he explained.
''Vanilla?'' she asked him confused, not understanding what he meant.
''Vanilla?'' he asked her, trying out the word but it tasted as foreign to his lips as it did his nose.
''That's right! Vanilla wasn't introduced to Japan until late into the sixteenth century,'' she babbled before she could stop herself. Once she saw the confused look on the Daiyoukai's face, she quickly turned away from him, the color once again rising in her cheek.
Sesshomaru put two fingers under her chin and turned her so that she was looking at him but she still averted her eyes from his, not knowing what to say, how to explain.
''I find myself not understanding your words, Miko. Explain yourself,'' he asked her, tone as aloof as always.
On the one hand, he has declared that he wants her to be his mate, and she felt so inclined to agree, so technically, he above anyone else should know her secret. It was logical she told him, and only fair, but on the other hand, she was afraid, afraid he would reject her and she would be left in the dust with a broken heart once more. She doesn't want to go through that again, the realization that she wasn't good enough, that she wasn't wanted or desired.
Inuyasha had torn her heart to shreds and discarded it into the wind, uncaring of her feelings as he continued to go and find Kikyo when she was nearby. She never thought she'd feel warm again, never thought she'd be able to escape the agony that consumed her whenever he was around. Somehow Sesshomaru has taken away all her pain and replaced it with something surpassing what she had ever felt for Inuyasha.
This evening hadn't turned out the way she thought it would, but now that she was in the position she was, she didn't want to give it up for the world. She wanted to stay in Sesshomaru's embrace. She wanted to become his mate, maybe not tomorrow or even this month, but eventually. She wanted all of him, and she was afraid that once she told him, he would change his mind and would want no piece of her at all.
''Why are you so afraid, Miko?'' he asked her, wiping away the one tear that had escaped their confines. What had he said to upset her so?
''I don't want to lose you,'' she admitted, going with the truth.
She untangled her fingers from his hair and was about to move away, but Sesshomaru pulled her into his lap and held her close.
''You're my mate,'' he told her honestly. She could never lose him.
''Maybe you won't want to be after I tell you,'' she mumbled. ''You'll probably think I'm a witch or something.''
''You're a priestess,'' he told her, not following her thoughts. Why would she think he would change his mind? He knew she was a priestess, there was no mistaking her aura, and the powers he sensed inside her.
''Mhm,'' she said, nodding absentmindedly, still wringing her hands together.
Suddenly she felt a presence trying to break through her barrier. She looked up at Sesshomaru and noticed that his shoulders were tense. He sensed it.
''The half-breed has come looking for you,'' he told her, but he didn't move.
''I should get going,'' she told him, gently trying to pry his fingers away from her but they wouldn't budge.
''You have yet to explain what has you so troubled you would think this Sesshomaru would reject you,'' he told her, showing her that this conversation was far from over.
''How about we make a deal?'' She asked him, wincing when Inuyasha once again barreled full force towards her barrier. She needed to make this quick. ''I'll explain everything to you in two days when you come to join us, and I'll have the bean to show you, the vanilla bean,'' she elaborated at his narrowed eyes.
He didn't say a word, but he did release his grip on her. She quickly got up and started looking for her discarded clothes. She quickly found her underwear but seeing the tattered pieces of cloth she knew that she wouldn't ever be able to use these again.
''Great,'' she mumbled looking for her shirt and skirt. Once she located them, she quickly put them on and started brushing her hair out with her fingers as best she could.
''If you wish to keep our rutting from the half breed you need to mask your scent,'' he told her, not bothering to hide his smirk. He was proud of her smell but knew that she would need at least the night to sort out through her thoughts, just as he did.
''Dammit! You're right,'' she groaned. Inuyasha would know though, he would know she was masking her scent, but it was better to let him wonder and stew for a while rather than him knowing what she had done tonight. Tomorrow morning, she would go to the stream, and Inuyasha might not know exactly what happened but he will know she was no longer pure.
She had tonight and maybe tomorrow morning at best before the shit storm would hit. She could make an excuse to go home, and she needs to go anyway so that she can get the vanilla bean for Sesshomaru. Yeah, sounded like a plan.
She moved to where he was still sprawled naked on his fur. She blushed slightly but gave him a quick peck nonetheless. ''I'll see you in two days,'' she promised, trying to ignore how good he looked.
She turned around and looked for her basket with the herbs and sprinted off, holding the barrier up until she knew Sesshomaru was gone.
He reluctantly let her leave him but consoled himself with the thought that his brother would know in less than a day that he, Sesshomaru, had claimed his woman and made her his.
Kagome was his, just as he was now hers. Once he marked her, he would never be able to unbind himself from her, but it doesn't matter because he was already her prisoner, shackled to her pure soul.