Disclaimer: Inuyasha is sooo not mine.

Chapter 20

When Kagome and Miroku emerged from the house, they saw a very worried-looking Rini coming towards them.

"Kagome? Are you okay?" She rushed up to the miko, but refrained from touching her, although it was pretty obvious that she really wanted to. "I hope you'll forgive me for what I said earlier. I'm afraid I always tend to 'jump the gun', as they say." She shot Kagome a rueful smile. "But you know, I love the thought of you becoming part of our family. We all adore you."

Kagome blushed brightly at Rini's kind words. She was such a sweet woman with an aura that told Kagome she had a pure soul. There was not an ounce of nastiness in her. "You're very kind, Rini-san. Thank you."

It was Rini's turn to blush and she giggled adorably. "Oh, Kagome! You're so cute!" she burst out and pounced on Kagome.

Miroku, silently watching the proceedings, wasn't sure if he should laugh or help Kagome out of her predicament. In the end, he did both. Chuckling heartily, he took hold of one of Rini's hands and bowed over it. "Hello, my name is Miroku. I'm a monk here at this shrine."

Rini's brown eyes studied him for a moment. "Hm. So I see, houshi-sama." Her eyes narrowed cooly. "You don't wish for Kagome to marry you, do you? Because I won't have it, do you hear?"

Clearly, Miroku did not expect this disdainful reaction and he nearly recoiled from her. "Ah! No ma'am, I don't wish to marry Kagome. I'm already engaged to another young lady. Kagome and I are merely friends." He bestowed one of his sincerest-looking smiles on her.

Rini sighed with relief and smiled back at him. "Well, that's very good, I must say. Now please wipe that insincere smile from your face, young man. I may come across as a silly female, but I know about men and their little tricks to try to bypass female intuition. Why, my own darling husband used to be one of those slick, player-types back in his day." Rini turned on a very stunned Miroku with a gimlet eye. "Ryu crumbled the moment he realized he couldn't put his bullshit past me."

Looking at Kagome, who had finally caught her breath, she said fondly, "Yuki was the same way for years. Yes, Hiro kept us informed of how our eldest son behaved. Yuki was just like his father, only worse. There was no one to make him behave, no one to show him what love was."

Reaching out, she brushed Kagome's hair back over her shoulders. "Then you came back into his life. I know he was a horrible little beast to you, my dear. I put him through the wringers for doing that to you. Just because he didn't remember who you were was no excuse for acting that way towards you."

She sighed, her hands straying to Kagome's clothing to straighten it. "But now... he acts like a gentleman. It's as if he's a completely different man now, and it's all thanks to you." Rini's gaze settled on the girl's face. "He's not only changed because of you... he's changed for you. Yuki wants to be good enough for you to accept him as your husband."

Kagome was moved. How could she not be, hearing a loving mother's earnest plea on her son's behalf?

But Miroku was little pleased with it, Kagome could tell. His aura pulse madly; his soul wrapped around hers in a protective gesture. When Kagome opened her mouth to tell him to stop, she saw the reason why he had done so.

Yuki was making his way towards them. The dark, set look that covered his exquisite face was aimed not at her, but at Miroku. Naturally, Miroku would react this way, seeing as how he was the only one who wanted her to have nothing to do with Yuki.

Kagome shut her eyes for a second. 'I haven't said yes, yet,' she reminded him silently.

There was a surge of anger from the monk as Yuki came forward to claim her hand. 'But you will,' he shot back in her mind, before turning and walking away.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

At Rini's insistence, Kagome changed into her street clothes so they could all go out to eat. They went to a really nice restaurant, so naturally, Kagome felt uncomfortable. Hiro tried to tell his mother that Kagome was unaccustomed to eating in places like this, but Rini pooh-poohed that. A sweet girl like Kagome should have the very best, she told him, shooting a wink at the miko.

Yuki glared at Hiro throughout the meal for holding Kagome's hand, but finally realized that it was good that Hiro was so close to her. As soon as they entered the restaurant, Kagome automatically fled from his side to Hiro's, her hand grabbing his in a death grip. Yuki noticed that his parents had seen this, but they said nothing, which only served to piss him off even more. But then he saw how she trembled, her face buried against his brother's shoulder and he was reminded of that time in Netsu when he found her with Hiro. They seemed so close even though she had pushed away from him to move to the far end of the seat... and when he had pulled her to him, she went willingly.

Watching them now, he couldn't help but wish it was he to whom she turned when she was frightened. But he supposed it couldn't be helped. Kagome had almost always turned to Hiro for comfort and he was the most familiar face around her. He couldn't fault her for that.

All the same... he wanted her to come to him, and not Hiro.

Beside him, his mother flashed him a knowing smile and a wink. Her hand went out and grasped his as it lay on the table beside his plate.

Later, after they had dropped Kagome off back at the shrine, Rini pulled her eldest son aside. "Dearest, you shouldn't dislike your brother so much."

"He was holding her hand practically the whole time," Yuki muttered sulkily. "What if she needs him more than she needs me? I refuse to be pushed aside for him."

"She hasn't pushed you aside, Yuki." Rini laughed softly and pulled his head down so she could kiss him on the cheek. "You were so busy glowering at Hiro that you never even noticed."

Yuki's brows slid downwards. "Noticed what?"

Rini's smile broadened. "My precious love. My dear, sweet boy. Kagome couldn't keep her eyes off of you."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sesshoumaru was waiting Kagome when she returned home. The moment she opened the door, he was there, arms wide open. She smiled up at her guardian and went to him, allowing him to hold her tightly.

"I missed you today," he murmured against her hair. "You've come back late today. What happened?"

Kagome took his hand and led him to the living room where they sat down on her sofa. She curled up against him and sighed. "Hiro and Yuki came by the shrine today. They brought their mother and father to see me."

He frowned. "Why?"

"Apparently, his mother and and my mother were friends. Yuki, Hiro and I played together as children. Or rather, Yuki and I could only play together as long as Hiro wasn't around." She went on to tell him what Hiro had told her.

When she had finished, Sesshoumaru lay back against the sofa cushions, watching her. "That far back, huh?" He grunted. "I don't like him, Kagome."

She groaned. "Oh, no, not you too."

"What do you mean, not me too?"

Kagome shook her head. "It's nothing. Are you hungry? I can make you something if you like."

Sesshoumaru pulled her up against him. "It's something. What did you mean?"

"Only that... Miroku doesn't like him, either."

A satisfied grin crept over his face. "I'm glad I'm not alone in my thinking. There's something wrong with that guy. I really distrust him." When she opened her mouth to say something, he shook his head and kissed her swiftly. "Marry me, Kagome." His voice was urgent as his lips pressed light kisses along her cheek and down to her throat. "I want you, you know that. Forget him and marry me."

"Sesshoumaru, I..."

Again she hesitated. Nothing had changed. He sighed and moved her away from him. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I didn't mean to do that." Getting to his feet, he turned his back to her. "I should go."

"What? Why?"

His shoulders heaved and he turned around to face her. Kagome stared up at him, puzzled... until her gaze dropped to his crotch. Startled by what she saw, her eyes flew open. "Oh!" she cried, clapping her hand over her mouth. Quickly, she turned away. "I'm sorry! Um... do you need to... um... go upstairs? Take a cold shower?"

"May I be honest with you?"

"Certainly."

His amber eyes glowed with desire. "I want to make love to you," he said without hesitation.

"Oh." Her heart began to pound like thunder in her chest, but she wished it was Yuki saying those words to her. She loved it when he was so intense and passionate; she loved the way he made her feel drawn to him. And those amazing green eyes of his could turn her world upside down without him saying a word.

Sesshoumaru moved forward and resumed his seat beside her. "I need you, Kagome." His hand began rubbing lightly on her back. "I'm perfectly prepared to wait for you, but I had to let you know what you do to me."

"You've already showed me that," she said weakly, wishing he wouldn't touch her like that while she was thinking of another man. She felt bad enough already for pushing him away.

"Then you know how you affect me."

But all she could see was a pair of soft green eyes in her mind's eye. "I wish I could help you, Sesshoumaru."

"You just don't want me in that way."

She hung her head, guilt-ridden. "I'm sorry. I just... I..."

He shook his head. "Don't say anything, darling. Just know that I love you unconditionally. But personally, if you were to marry anyone other than me, I'd like it to be Kouga instead."

Kagome stared at Sesshoumaru as though he'd grown a second head. "Huh?"

Sesshoumaru nodded and gave her a sad smile. "He loves you alot, Kagome, and he's a good man. I know I could rest easy knowing he was the one taking care of my baby girl. But I hope it never comes to that. I'd make you a good husband, Kagome."

"Yes, I know you would."

"Then what do I need to do? Hm? I'll do anything to have you. Anything."

Before she could answer him, the doorbell rang shrilly and the front door opened. "Kagome? Are you home?" Kouga came into the living room... and paused in mid-step when he saw the other occupant of the room. "Oh, there you, Kagome. What's up, Sesshoumaru?"

Kagome, face burning, got up from the couch and crossed the room over to where Kouga stood in the doorway. He was holding a breathtaking bouquet of lilies. He smiled as she walked up to him and held them out to her. "Here, I saw these and I thought you'd like them." His blue eyes lit up when she took them from him and sniffed them delicately.

"They're beautiful, Kouga, thank you." She smiled up at him, all the while fighting the tears that threatened to spill over. No matter what should happen, she would always adore this man, this black-haired Adonis who loved her so much. It was a lovely feeling, having a man worship so openly at her feet.

"You're welcome," was his reply. He reached out and ran a finger along the side of her face. "I love lilies. They remind me of you."

She ducked her head and ran off to the kitchen to find a vase for her flowers. As soon as she was gone, Kouga walked into the living room.

"Oi, what's wrong? Oh." His blue gaze had swept over Sesshoumaru once and he chuckled. "Pitchin' a tent, huh? Man, I've never seen you like that. What happened? She shoot you down?"

"Silence. We have a problem here, Matsuno."

"No, you have the problem, Morikawa," Kouga snickered. "You really should take a cold shower to take care of that--"

"Shut up. That's not what I meant."

Kouga shrugged and went over to sit on the loveseat next to Sesshoumaru's couch. "Tell me. What's the problem, then?"

Sesshoumaru's upper lip curled back. "Yamadera Yuki." He crossed his legs.

The other man froze, his blue eyes hardening. "Oh, yes? What about him? What's he done?"

A muscle twitched in Sesshoumaru cheek. "He brought his parents to meet Kagome today." Seeing the distressed look crossing Kouga's face, Sesshoumaru nodded. "Yes, I know. That's what I thought. He's very clever. No doubt he has reconciled with his parents and had his mother make a plea on his behalf."

"He did, actually."

"What?" Sesshoumaru scowled. "How do you know?"

Kouga returned the scowl. "Because Miroku called me. That's why I came over. He told me that Yuki's mom tried making his case for him. Apparently, she did a good job." His face softened and he dropped his gaze to his hands which lay on his lap. "But... Miroku said that he told Kagome that if she should marry anyone, he'd like it to be me." His shining blue gaze jumped to Sesshoumaru's face. "I couldn't believe he would defend me like that."

"I could. Anyway, what was her response?"

Kouga shot Sesshoumaru a grateful smile, then shrugged. "It doesn't matter, really. Miroku told me that she's falling in love with him." He looked away. "I don't know what I forgot to do, but apparently I missed doing something that I should have done. Or maybe I did too much? Well, however it was, I went wrong somewhere." His hand slid up to his neck and he hooked a finger around the slim gold chain that lay against his chest. He tugged slightly and it came out from under his shirt. A ring was hanging upon it.

"What's that?" Sesshoumaru asked softly, already knowing what it was.

Shaking his head, Kouga slid the ring onto his index finger, but it barely went past the cuticle of his fingernail. "Just the engagement ring I bought her. Like I said, it doesn't matter anymore. I don't know why I keep it. I guess I'll always have hope that she'd want to be with me. Pretty stupid, huh?"

At the sound of her approaching footsteps, Kouga quickly tucked the ring and chain back under his shirt. She came into the room, carefully holding her flowers and vase. "They're amazing, Kouga!" she cried happily, and sat it down on her coffee table. She stepped back to admire them, her eyes shining. Turning to Kouga, she gave him a brilliant smile. "Thank you so much!"

Kouga smiled back at her and Sesshoumaru could see the hurt in his eyes. "You're very welcome, Kagome. I'm happy you like them."

"Like them?" She giggled. "I love them, silly!" Then after realizing that both men were staring hard at her, her face turned red. "Um... I should go change my clothes. Excuse me." She fled up the stairs.

Silence weighed down on the men in the living room for a few moments. Then Sesshoumaru spoke up. "If it makes any difference to you, I told her that if she were to marry anyone, it should be you."

"Huh?" Kouga looked over at his companion, startled. "Why would you say that? I thought you hated me."

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "I've seen how you treat her and I've seen how happy you've made her. Its glaringly obvious that you're in love with her and I know, without a doubt, that if he wasn't in the picture, it would be you she would choose to spend her life with."

"Sesshoumaru--"

Sesshoumaru put up a hand. "Silence! I don't want her to marry that man and I know you definitely don't want her to marry him, so give me a few days and I'll come up with a plan to get rid of him."

"I could help you with that, Sesshoumaru. Remember? I work for him. It won't bother me to tell any of his secrets. He's hurt Kagome too many times for me to give a shit what happens to him."

The two men stared at each other wordlessly as they waited for Kagome to return.

Later, before Kouga took his leave, he pulled a letter out of his back pocket and left it on her coffee table next to the vase of flowers. On his way out to his motorcycle, he hoped that she would think over what she was most likely going to do. He'd written it earlier, just after Miroku had called him.

'Please,' he thought wretchedly, feeling his heart break all over again, 'let her realize that I'm better for her. Please, Kami-sama...'

He sat outside for awhile, thinking.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

After they both departed, Kagome saw a folded piece of paper propped up against the vase of lilies. She opened it and read the letter with a heavy heart. Kouga... that wonderful, sweet man! As the tears spilled down her cheeks, she noticed that he'd neglected to date his letter.

She chuckled softly. He always did that with any correspondence, she thought fondly, rereading it. If Yuki hadn't gone after her, she would undoubtedly still be with Kouga. In a way, she almost wished he hadn't pursued her. She truly loved Kouga. She loved him. But Yuki... there was just something more with him.

Going upstairs, after reading it once more, she lay it on her dresser, face up and admired it. It was a love letter. She'd never received a love letter before.

After taking a quick shower, knock came from below. Kagome turned and she could hear a key in the lock turn. "Kagome!"

It was Kouga.

Letting her hair down from from her hair clip, she came out onto the landing and looked down. Kouga was standing at the foot of the stairs, staring up at her.

"Kouga? What's wrong?"

His eyes narrowed. He shook his head slowly and began mounting the steps. "I don't give a damn about him, Kagome, but I'm not going to let you go without a fight." When he reached her, she saw that his eyes were lit up like bright blue flames. Without a word, he rushed forward and pinned her against the wall, taking her lips ruthlessly with his.

She gasped, but did not fight him. In truth, she missed his kisses and the feel of those powerful arms around her. When his mouth moved away from hers and back towards her ear, she felt like she could turn to jelly at any moment.

He carried her into her room and lay her down on the bed, before lowering himself gently on top of her. "If you think I'm going to back away because you love some other guy, you're completely mistaken," he growled angrily at her. "He doesn't deserve you. He doesn't deserve you at all. You are my world, little girl. My entire fuckin' world."

Warm drops fell on her face but she didn't bother wiping them away. She deserved this and she knew it. She needed to feel pain because he was feeling pain. How dare she make Kouga cry like this? How could she think of herself when he was hurting?

"I love you," he whispered as the anger vanished and his face contorted with anguish. "I never knew love was so painful, but even if I'd known beforehand just what torture it could be, I'd go through it anyway. Do you know why? Because I need you. I need you to love me. I've never had a mother, the one woman who'd love me no matter what I did, no matter who I became. And then I found you and I knew you could be that one woman to me. You were everything, damn it... everything I needed and so much more." His eyes became slits and his lips pulled back from his teeth. "I will be damned if I let you get away from me."

Kagome wasn't frightened. How could she be, when all she felt from him was love. Love for her. It radiated out of him from everywhere and it comforted her. "Kouga," she began quietly, her hand moving up to touch his face, "I don't know how I know this, but... one day, I'll have need of you. I don't know in what capacity, but I do know that it will be of the utmost importance."

His face relaxed somewhat and she wiped away his tears. "Nothing has happened yet, Kouga. I'm still free and just because I feel strongly towards this man, it doesn't mean I love you any less."

Kouga dropped his head down to her neck. "Then why does it feel like I'm losing you?" he whispered brokenly against her skin.

Burying her hands in his cool, silken hair, she held him to her. "I don't know," she admitted with a shake of her head. "I wish I did."

"You'll end up with him, won't you?" There was a muffled sob and he collapsed on top of her. "Please don't leave me. Please..."

She held him for a long time, whispering to him that she loved him and how much he meant to her. He rolled to the side of her and pulled her with him, his arms wrapped around her and held her, keeping his face against her throat. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep. For a moment, she blushed when she felt his lips move downwards against her chest in his sleep, but she got over it. It felt nice to have him so close like this.

Smiling into his hair, she pressed a kiss against his head before allowing her eyes to close. But... only for a moment...

oooooooooo

Soft movements somewhere near her feet woke her from her slumber. It was dark. She felt her eyes open but it was so dark in her room... and her arms were empty.

"Kouga? Where are you?" she called out softly, feeling a little hurt. Had he left without saying goodbye?

But the movements continued and the rest of her body woke with a jolt when she realize her legs were spread rather wide. A large pair of hands were gripping her hips and... What was that feeling between her legs? Something hot and wet was holding her down... making her feel...

With cry, she flung back the blanket that covered her and put her hands out in the direction of that weird feeling between her thighs. Her fingers came in contact with a familiar feeling of cool silken hair running through her fingers... Kouga!

"Kouga? What are you doing?" she yelped, panicking. Oh god, whatever it was felt so... so... incredible! Her hands instinctively gripped his hair in order to keep him anchored to her.

He said nothing, but pushed her back down on the bed and began to hum. The vibrations drove her body wild and Kagome screamed his name as sensations she'd never knew existed exploded inside her.

Then, feeling somewhere in same category as a jellyfish, she continued to pant hard as the world righted itself.

She passed out.

oooooooo

Kagome woke with a start. It was dark and she could feel a hot mass of body in her arms. She leaned forward a bit and sniffed. It was Kouga; she could tell by the shampoo he used.

Even though it was cool in the room, she felt herself sweating like crazy. What had just happened? Kouga was in the same position as before; his lips were in the same spot on her chest and his breathing was deep and even.

Silently, she gave off a sigh of relief. It had been nothing more than a dream. There was no blanket on her, either. Duh, Kagome! Of course it was a dream.

Oh well, it may have only been a dream, but what a dream!

After pressing another kiss on his head, she fell asleep again, feeling gloriously contented.

ooo

Her breathing had finally deepened.

Kouga grinned into the dark, licking his lips. She had been delicious; even more so than he could have imagined.

As he lay with his head against her, listening to her little heart beat gently, he relaxed and enjoyed just being with her. For once in his life, he was thankful he'd been an assassin. They had the ability to move around, in the light or the dark, without making a sound. Of course, he'd had to move about a bit to wake her up, but after that, he just sat back and enjoyed those exquisite sounds she made. Sounds that he caused her to make...

He almost chuckled when he'd removed the blanket and stuffed it back in her closet where he found it. The poor girl, when she woke up, would think it had been a just a dream, for she knew as well as he did that there had been no blanket to begin with.

When he resumed his position in her arms once more, he couldn't help but shiver with passion. She had called out his name... not Yuki's. That had to count for something, right?

"I love you," he whispered to her, then let his eyes close.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A few days later, Kouga got a call from Sesshoumaru. He and his boys went to Morikawa's office and were immediately shown in.

"What's up?" Kouga asked as the three of them took a seat in front of the silver-haired man's desk.

"I've figured out a way to keep her away from him, at least for awhile. It'll keep her busy."

"And that is?" asked Ginta, crossing his arms over his chest.

A satisfied smirk crossed Sesshoumaru's face. "Parties."

"Huh?"

"I've been thinking that it was time to have my associates all come together. You know, improve relations between my company and other companies. It'd be great for business."

One of Kouga's eyebrows slid upwards in disbelief. "Great for business? But you own like, all of Tokyo, don't you?"

Sesshoumaru let loose a hearty laugh. "Don't be ridiculous, Matsuno. I only own half of Tokyo. Now listen up." He leaned forward. "As host of these parties, I would need a hostess, would I not?"

Kouga, Ginta and Hakkaku all looked at each other and nodded. Satisfied, Sesshoumaru sat back against his leather seat. "And as the only female in my family, Kagome must naturally stand by my side and play hostess for me."

"But Sesshoumaru, you know she's terrified of things like that," Kouga remarked quietly. "I don't know how you'll convince her to--"

Golden eyes narrowed slyly. "That," began Sesshoumaru, "will be your job. Not even Hiro has gotten her to open up to the world as you have done. You will be beside her every step of the way; even take her shopping if necessary. She'll need new dresses for these galas I'm throwing and I know your taste in clothing is excellent."

"So... basically what you're saying is that you want me to step into Hiro's place?" Kouga tried his best not to look too hopeful.

"Correct. But I won't have you living with her."

Kouga didn't bother hiding his disappointment.

Sesshoumaru grinned at the man. "Sorry, I trust you with her, but not that much. If you were to give into your desires, I'd have to have you banished from Japan and I'm pretty certain you wouldn't enjoy that. You will behave properly with her, I know. You usually have. Anyway, I want the three of you to come work for me."

"Are you kidding?" Hakkaku burst out, but was instantly silenced by his brother's and Kouga's glares. "Sorry."

"I never kid, young man. If the three of you are to watch over my precious girl, I want you to be comfortable doing so and not feel as though you need to look over your shoulders. I'll pay you more than what Yuki pays you, if that's alright with you."

Eagerly, Hakkaku jumped up, but Ginta's hand shot out and yanked him back down to his chair. Kouga shot the youngest Kawase brother a look, then nodded. "Yes, that will be fine. Um, we also have a share in Yuki's club, the Netsu. We'd lose it once he found out we left."

Sesshoumaru waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about that. I have a proposition for you." Reaching out, he pressed a button on his phone. "Send Inuyasha up to see me."

A few minutes later, the office doors opened and Inuyasha stepped through. "Hey, what's going on?" His gaze slid over to where Kouga sat and he scowled. "Kouga," he said curtly.

"Inu," returned Matsuno stiffly, turning his back on the newcomer.

"What do you need, Sess? I was busy working."

"For once. Anyway, I was about to tell these gentlemen that you were thinking of purchasing a nightclub downtown. Perhaps they would like to become your partners?"

Inuyasha cocked his head to the side and regarded his brother thoughtfully, before turning his attention to the other three in the room. "I see. Would you be interested in going into business with me?"

Kouga rose to his feet. "Possibly. How will the profits be split?"

"Well, since there would be four of us... a quarter each, obviously. I'm not a greedy man, you know and I don't really need the money. I just wanted to own a club for the experience. Sesshoumaru says it would be good for me to learn something on my own."

Kouga shrugged. "Sure, I don't mind as long as Sesshoumaru is going to watch our backs. We don't want to get stiffed."

"Keh, like I'd do something so low. But just so you know, I've already picked out a name."

"Let's hear it."

Inuyasha grinned. "Kaze no kizu. Catchy, huh? I just sort of came up with it one day while looking at dad's sword collection."

"Wound of the wind, huh? Nice." Kouga turned to his boys. "What do you think, lads? Does it sound good to you?"

The Kawase brothers nodded in unison, both giving the thumbs up sign.

"Then it's settled." Sesshoumaru leaned back in his chair. "Now, about these parties..."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was finally decided that Kagome would need to have a hand in ordering the catering and she would need to oversee the wait staff. Sesshoumaru and Kouga both felt that it would be good for her to learn such things, as it would give the young woman some confidence.

As expected, Kagome was extremely distraught at hearing the tasks set before her. But she dare not back down from her duty. She knew that as Sesshoumaru was unmarried and that she was the only female relation to him, it was her job to act as hostess, to stand by his side and greet his guests.

But when it was first laid out to her, she fainted into Kouga's arms. Kouga held her until she recovered then told her that he would be by her side the entire time. Weakly, she nodded, her face pale. She would do it if he stayed with her, she told her step-brother.

And so it was that Kagome began her training to be a hostess. She had hardly any time to dedicate to the shrine, but her grandfather and Miroku were more than happy to see her take some time off to do something else.

Kouga was with her through the whole process, helping her along when she nearly broke down and cried. He continually told praised her work, but Kagome was less than happy with the results. Everything, she felt, was completely wrong. Kouga only shook his head and told her that she was doing just fine. Kagome took his word for it and kept on doing what she was doing.

On the day of the first party, Kouga, Ginta and Hakkaku took her out shopping for an evening gown. The one they chose was an ivory and gold affair with a small train; they being Kouga, Ginta and Hakkaku. Kagome was far too nervous to know what looked good on her and what didn't.

As soon as Kouga saw her emerge from the dressing room with it on, he had to force in a breath. "Kagome," he breathed, eyes wide, "you are so... beautiful."

She blushed and checked herself in the mirror. "Don't lie, Kouga. It looks... okay."

He came to stand behind her and gripped her shoulders. "I would never lie when it came to you, Kagome. You look amazing in this dress." His hands slid down her arms to her waist and he pulled her back against him. "You look good enough to eat," he said, licking his lips while his eyes burned into hers through the mirror.

She melted into his embrace and finally, bought the gown.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The first party was a huge success. Kagome received many compliments on her gown and how well the wine flowed, not to mention the deliciousness of the food that was served.

When Sesshoumaru told her that the next party would be in a few days, Kagome was ready to take on the challenge with Kouga and his boys by her side.

Meanwhile, Yuki grew restless. He knew of the party that Sesshoumaru had thrown. Indeed, he had been invited. When he saw Kagome standing at Sesshoumaru's side, he thought only of how lovely she looked in her ivory-tinted gown. His eyes slid over to the host, who turned suddenly and smiled at him. That smile was triumphant ... and calculating. Yuki had the feeling that Sesshoumaru was sending him a message.

'You can't take her,' Morikawa's mind seemingly whispered to him. 'She belongs to me.'

Yuki snarled, his hand closing tightly around the handle of his cane. Like hell she did!

But everytime he tried to get close to her, Sesshoumaru managed to move her farther and farther away from him. After chasing Kagome for a few hours, Yuki left the party in a furious state. The bastard had done that on purpose!

Well, no matter, he'd get even somehow...

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo