A/N: OMG, it's finally out! This is hopefully the first step in a great direction (towards completion).

Anyway, sorry for the horrible delay! I'm really embarrassed about it. Thank you everyone who wrote/reviewed me with encouragements, I was beginning to dread review alert messages because of some more… dispassionate reviews. I'll be replying to everyone shortly after this post (it's my little reward, addressing my dear readers).

Well, I'll save the bulk of what I have to say for the end of this chapter. Expect some changes in writing style. I think I've evolved a little over this time lapse.

WARNING: There's a twist of lime/lemon in this. If you don't want to read it, or breech your comfort point, search this page for (tiny, tiny pieces) without the parenthesis once you feel the content is getting too in-depth. You'll run into a fact in life, but it's not the naughty limey emotional stuff that would encourage you to lose yourself in a night of passion with some kid, so it's 'clean' in that respect. That's my compromise if you get uncomfortable, because if you try to pick things up after that point you'll get lost for the rest of the chapter…

Read and enjoy! ^_^

Chapter 10

Details

Night was thoroughly settled in the sky as Li Hua strode with unusually quick strides through the corridors of the o-shiro, peeved. She had long since dismissed her personal handmaids, Bai and Chiro, to be on their ways attending to other tasks, which were specifically restricted to her quarters. Li Hua did not need any pampering for what she sought to do.

A faint rustling, occurring with every step, had her nose crinkle ever so faintly, and for the umpteenth time she snatched the simple letter from her obi and glowered at it. She had already memorized its contents, but the seal was enough to detain her attention.

The aura she had been seeking since sunset tickled at her awareness, and it was with a flustered sniff that she realized the prior lack wasn't due to an effort to hide. It was possible, after all, to limit one's aura into something undetectable until being nearly upon them, but he wasn't performing that trick. Tucking the letter away, she smoothed her clothing and her expression and stepped through a pair of sliding doors into the early spring air. It was a short wait before Sheng came into sight as a dot in the distance, and an instant later he was walking through the wide courtyard of the o-shiro as though having been for a stroll. Pursing her lips, she approached, schooling her features as best she could.

"What has your kimono in knots, my pretty?"

Li Hua faltered only a touch, hardly breaking stride. She was not showing her irritation. He was simply assuming. After all, she was seeking him out immediately upon his return, so it would be a valid assumption. She opened her mouth to reply, coming within twenty feet of him, and closed it promptly. The yōkai didn't just smell of sake, it was potent enough to taste.

"Where is he?" she demanded instead. Screw serenity, she had lands to govern.

"'He' is a reference applicable to roughly half of every living thing in this land."

Being within slapping distance of Sheng was quite noteworthy. "Do not play games with me. He has been gone all day, perhaps even longer, and he has matters to attend to."

"Indeed he does," Sheng agreed, seeming amused with a personal joke. "I'd say he is taking well measured steps towards long overdue goals. Now, tell me what is so urgent that you need him this instant, after you did quite well in running the empire for a whole summer without him."

Glowering up his height as he continued to walk past, she turned her gaze forward once more, pondering briefly on where to begin while matching stride at his side. "Bashamon's barrier needs strengthening."

"So soon?" was the reply, as though commenting on the weather. "Well, we may either have the barrier reinforced or replaced. Should it fall, the previous Eastern Lord is harmless in his present state. What else is there?" The door opened ahead of them, thanks to silent servants.

"Aside from a plethora of paperwork," she continued, stilling briefly twitching fingers, "Kueng has sent news."

Silently, Sheng held out a leisurely hand as they strode silently down the outer corridor, and Li Hua withdrew the intricately folded parchment and handed it over. She did hope that her initial attempts to crumple the letter were sufficiently smoothed out by now.

It took mere moments for Sheng to read it, and after a second scan he folded it once more, handing it back. "Interesting."

"Is that all you have to say?" she asked, scolding herself briefly for the hint of vexation in her voice. She continued more calmly. "And the ending?"

"Leverage," he supplied, veering down a corridor towards his quarters. Despite his obvious flaws, his quick thinking and ability to sort muddled facts into clear knowledge were talents only a fool would overlook in favor of his playful demeanor. There were reasons for Sheng to be in the council, ones she acknowledged and used as much as possible. "The rest are matters for the council."

Li Hua sniffed delicately, her worries settling slowly. "Yes they are, however, the most important member is apparently off frolicking in his own testosterone."

A deep, rumbling chuckle shook warmly past her cold façade, and it altered her breathing ever so slightly. "Indeed, which may be more helpful now than a group of elderly fretting over every minute detail." Pausing outside of his destination, Sheng regarded her in a measuring way. She began to list excuses in her head, and stopped when he eliminated the need for them. "I hope the rest of your evening proves to be less stressful. Don't worry about Sesshōmaru, he has a good head on his shoulders."

Staring openly until the words registered, she nodded in agreement. "I will see you at the meeting." Why did her voice feel so winded? A returned nod from him, and just like that she found herself walking away from closed doors.

A chastising voice nagged teasingly at her over the sense of disappointment, whipping her emotions back under control and spurning her to arrange the meeting and handle what she could. Perhaps the meeting could wait for morning, seeing as the old fool had consumed enough sake – human brewed sake! The man must have absorbed the stuff like sand! – to risk his stability. It was foolishness on his part, but she would hold off on a meeting for a few hours nonetheless. Not that she cared for him, she simply did not need any hindrances. She thought this while returning to her quarters, fingering the old combs holding back her hair. The action sent an old emotion through her, and smoothly, she veered for another room. Paperwork should settle her nerves a little.

It was a very reasonable rule to never kill the messenger. However, that didn't keep Sesshōmaru from staring death after the hastily retreating lesser yōkai.

"If looks could kill…" Kagome sighed behind him, her tone in relaxed contradiction to the constant rustle of fabrics. To think that Sesshōmaru managed to hold off until they got to the springs – he had no qualms with sand, or being some distance above the ground – and just when he gets her blood boiling at a nice temperature, someone comes and disturbs them. They weren't even half naked yet. Well, he was, and Kagome's hadajuban was proving difficult to tuck back into place, but it was still a huge disappointment. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone run away so formally."

The night had been going along so smoothly. The mood was perfect, the location desirable – for her. Again, he really didn't care about that sort of thing – and the goal was in mutual agreement. Or rather, it had been. Sesshōmaru longingly eyed the knot over Kagome's abdomen as she tightened it. He could almost feel his fingers working the straps apart, sliding along smooth skin down to her-

"Your eyes are going to fall out of your head, Lord Sesshōmaru," she mocked him, closing the distance and straightening out her handiwork on his own attire, which hung from his waist around his thighs, sleeves touching the ground. Deciding that this was completely unfair – it truly was. Every judicial body would support that claim – he ignored the last four minutes and slipped his arms from the sleeves she attempted to cover them with. She looked surprised as he wrapped them around her once more. He brought her firmly against him, kissing her passionately. She was wonderfully compliant, melting into him like chocolate and hungrily returning what he gave. She called an end to it though. Well, she made a good attempt at doing so – repeatedly – and succeeded on her fourth try.

"I heard the message!" she broke into the desire-filled ambiance quickly, breathlessly, her chest heaving nicely. "Stop smiling down at me like that. Anyway, it sounds urgent."

"It can wait," he assured, gathering her close again, smirking as she began to be difficult.

"So can this." That statement sounded deliciously forced, and she licked her lips while staring at his mouth before darting her gaze elsewhere. "That poor guy was pale as a ghost approaching like that. I'm sure your mother was very persuasive to get him to fulfill his orders. And that worries me, that she'd fret over something enough to look for you."

"Hn," he hummed in dismissive reply, slowly maneuvering around her defenses for another kiss. The way she 'blocked' him with her limited speed was utterly endearing, and his toying got him scolded for his efforts while she horribly deprived him of her. She backed out of arm's reach and brushed her fingers through disarrayed midnight hair with one hand, the other held up as a warding. He reined himself in to humor her wishes, the strategist in him plotting for how she would… reward, his patience. A sigh helped to relieve some of his internal pressure, and he gave a proper reply. "They are fully capable of dealing with matters without me around. She is most likely being dramatic." Kagome gave him a pointed, disbelieving look. "It is possible."

"Hn," she mimicked, crossing her arms stubbornly. "Let's just head back. It won't kill us." He could beg to differ, and some expression must have relayed the message. "Well, it won't kill me. I don't want to come between you and family." He gave her a flat look. "… Well, between you and your duties, at least. Oh, stop looking at me like that! We can continue later!"

"Agreed," he stated, gathering her up in his arms before she even had time to complain. "I expect that little matter at the o-shiro to be finished well before sunrise, so that gives us the rest of the day to… 'reconvene'."

Her body temperature skyrocketed as she blushed. Her scent was so thick with embarrassment that he could have licked the air and tasted it.

The trip back was full of teasing touches and little pleasures, and it was with fairly good-natured spirits, amazingly enough, that Sesshōmaru began looking for his meddling mother. Kagome strode easily at his side, chin lifted ever so slightly with irritation. Upon their return a group of maids came hurrying after them. They left Sesshōmaru well enough alone, as well they should have, but fussed very politely and very noisily over Kagome, swarming her with suggestions on anything from proper clothing to food. By the look on his dear miko's face, it was blatantly clear that she didn't understand what was happening. The maids would become much, much worse in regards to her wellbeing when they were actually mated, as opposed to her simply carrying a particular scent of his around, and they would become almost aggressive in their caretaking whenever she got with child – a new goal which put a smile on his face. He believed Kagome would be a particularly irritable female when with child, a challenge he would gladly face head-on time and time again.

His searching did not last long, to Kagome's relief. When Sesshōmaru opened the door, his mother glanced up, frowned in a surprised manner, and waved the attendants away while telling her visitors to come in. The women left in the hall made a variety of disapproving noises, and one commented that Kagome was to eat all the food she found before sleeping that night, which got her staring incredulously over her shoulder at the less than smoothly shutting door.

"My apologies for the abrupt summons," his mother graciously gave, ink brush flowing effortlessly as she resumed what she was doing. A small smile quirked her lips, one Sesshōmaru saw both pleased approval and, oddly, sadness in. She delivered her news, offered suggestions, asked if he was listening, told him he was a hopeless lout- Kagome giggled up at him, beaming with humor. Her hand had nestled into his a short while ago, fingers playing around in a distracting fashion. He was about to smile back when the half-heard conversation finally reached him, causing his back to stiffen ever so slightly as he glared at the woman sitting at the low table before them. A lout? Hopeless?

His mother stared back, humored, and he felt Kagome nuzzle her cheek against his arm which, as much as it annoyed him to admit, did wonders for taking the sting away from his pride and calming him. His mother looked amused, in an adoring manner, and he really couldn't bring himself to care about her feelings on what she witnessed. Kagome had much to pay for when they were alone again.

"Have you called a meeting?" he asked. He was not hopeless, Kagome simply hindered him every now and again with certain, never before experienced actions.

"Messengers know when to approach with the news," she replied easily, setting brush aside on the ink stone. "Sheng has swallowed three times his volume in sake, and will not be ready for a meeting until daylight. The council will meet at dawn." Her eyes drifted to Kagome, a knowing smirk on her face. "I believe that will be enough time for the both of you to finish what my messenger must have interrupted."

The miko on his arm flared up to shame a sunset. He was surprised that her face wasn't buried into his sleeve, and making it catch fire, for how mortified she smelled.

"Oh please," his mother scoffed in a very unprofessional manner. "Humans have no right to be so modest in light of everything else they are prone to doing. Now you two run off, and find some time to make me grandpups."

It was a wonder that Kagome's jaw didn't fall right out of her face as he gently yet firmly turned her back to the hall, leading her away.

Kagome was amazed that she didn't have to carry her jaw around. First the maids, now his mother – his mother! – with her mortifying fantastical comments! She was so humiliated and dumbstruck that it took her a while to notice how serious Sesshōmaru was taking her order; it was an order!

"If you do not save enough blood for the rest of your body, you will faint."

Kagome scowled up at him through an impressive blush. She thought her cheeks would burst if forced to endure much more. Discarding all the readily available comments and snide remarks, she settled with a mild scoff. At least to start things off with. "Men… Actually, I think all inuyōkai are insane. Stark raving mad. Put all of you together, and you couldn't know what decency was!"

A clawed hand slipped across the small of her back, resting nicely in the dip of her waist, and pulled her against his side as they walked. She made a face. "My point is now proven."

"Hn. At the very least, consider inu to be courteous in general." The look he gave her was almost sweet, caring and warm. Too bad it was laced with a predatory gleam. "I do not have to wait until we reach my quarters, after all."

The threat moved like sludge through the canals of her brain, and each inch it slid made her eyes grow wider. She opened her mouth, and didn't know what to say. She couldn't call him on it, because knowing Sesshōmaru he would do it for the point alone. Names would slide right off him, and make her seem childish, and denying him would only work for so long… Exhaling, hoping it didn't sound too much like a groan, she frowned up at him from under her lashes. "Do not make an enemy of a daily presence."

His hum was almost pleased, which made her bristle not for him being please, but for her feeling good about pleasing him so easily. She was a disgrace to women! She was weakening by the minute, being so close to him! She was-! Right outside his bedchambers, and noting with shock the pleased look on the female servant's face as she slid open the door for them. Kagome was led inside, and she heard the door close and the woman's feet go padding away without having been ordered to…

Kagome wheeled away, and balked for half a moment when Sesshōmaru regarded her, frozen in the act of bending down to be closer to her face, or neck, or anywhere else he could probably woo her – which she had to admit was anywhere. "The nose!" she accused, poking her own to emphasize the declaration. "It's that damned nose! That's why everyone's acting so funny!"

He straightened, and if she didn't know what his intentions were, she would have been afraid at the determination radiating from him, along with some heated passion that she had shared in not an hour gone. "I should think that to be an obvious fact."

"What do I smell like?" The demand sounded odd in her own ears, and she blushed a little for it. "What's different? What are they responding to?"

The look he gave her while coming closer sent a wave of desire from her head down to her toes, where half of it stayed to tingle. The rest stayed between her bellybutton and thighs.

"Their reactions have nothing to do with you," he informed mildly, and she bumped into a wall. She flinched at its presence. She had been backing away? She didn't have time to be irked over him pushing her instincts before his hands planted to either side of her. Kami, he was so much taller, she almost had to crane her neck to meet his shadowed face. "The scent they respond to is mine, and I plan on enforcing it now."

The tingling intensified, causing her to rub her knees together a little uncomfortably. She'd feel much more comfortable if he provided the rubbing and saved her the trouble. That thought caused her cheeks to flare all over again. "Where's all that damned audacity I had earlier?" There was nothing in her mouth to swallow, but her throat performed the act anyway. "But… They'll smell… it…"

"That is no cause for concern," he informed, brushing her cheek as he gazed down at her, a slow burning fire in his eyes. "It is natural."

"It isn't to me," she snipped back, head tilting slightly into his touch before she caught it.

The smile he gave her, full of all that she felt for him on a good day, nearly had her knees giving way, her desire building. "You will grow accustomed to it." Her eyes didn't leave his as his unoccupied hand smoothed over the plane of her belly, sliding up and tucking under her clothing to gently squeeze her breast. He waited for her moan to die before speaking again. "The sooner you do, the less time you will spend being embarrassed over such a simple matter."

"It isn't simple…" Kami, it was hard to sound stern while being fondled. She blinked, and cool air rushed in against her skin. She blinked again, startled over being half naked in half a second, and was brought up off her feet and sensually dazzled in a whirl of motion and colors. By the time her brain caught up with everything, she found herself kissing him with all consuming urgency, and laying on her back in his bed. Trying to clear her head, looked up, towards the wall near her head, panting, and lost track of time under a wave of delight as his lips assailed her neck, working down to her bared chest, his rumbling growls of pleasure vibrating the knot of sensation below her midriff. It could have been ten seconds or an hour before she felt the cords around her waist slacken blissfully, and the feeling had her noticing that she was stripping him as well, actually yanking the fabric from his back clean out of their bindings. It was quite nice to throw them aside, and soon joining them were the remaining bits of her clothing.

An old emotion surfaced, and her breath caught as his attentions stopped and he drew away. He actually wanted to see her? The desire to cover herself was difficult to resist. Kami, these people needed to invent user-friendly razors. Mini daggers simply did not work well for her needs.

Feigning some bravery, she propped herself on her elbows. This examination would not have been so bad if she could have closed her legs, but his knees were quite in the way. She wondered if all virgins felt this way. No one had seen her down there since she wore diapers, and things were much, much different now.

Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, she tried to think of ways to make him stop his scrutiny. Nothing came to mind before he send all her fears running away. He didn't say a word, but the way he rubbed her inner thigh, almost in an encouraging manner, and his face… She never would have thought serenity to play any part in any of this, but there it was, a calm radiating from the yōki he slowly released, hovering an good four inches from every part of him. She couldn't figure out how this yōki felt unique, but when it touched her she gasped. Her skin lit on fire, waves of sensation rushing through her to her quickly overwhelmed mind. She could feel him. Not just where his hands were on her inner thigh and now smoothing across her stomach, but all over, on her skin, in her heart, in her head, everywhere. Emotions settled alongside her own, filling her with satisfaction, achievement, joy… There was so much, and yet she was drowning, desperate for more.

Sesshōmaru might have been shocked – and was if the foreign emotions in her head had anything to say about it – when she reached up, took fistfuls of his long gorgeous hair, and pulled him down to her with a kiss. He could have been amazed when she held him firmly to her with one arm around his back, her other hand assailing the knots around his waist and nearly ripping the fabric apart. What she really paid attention to was the eager lust that echoed her own as she slid her body against his. She liked that, and did it again, causing another rumbling growl to resonate in her chest.

"Untie this," she demanded, voice hoarse, and she gave up on the knots with a sense of knowing he would comply, which he did with admirable promptness. Rather than kissing him again, she assailed his neck, wondering what she'd receive for that. Another not wave passed through her, and she dug her nails into his back, pulling him closer, and inhaled with a moan near his ear. Her whole body was all hot and bothered, tingling with need, desperate for him. She whimpered something to him, lost in a feeling of emptiness, needing him in a way she could never satisfy by herself.

"Yes," she moaned lightly, feeling a warm firmness press between her legs, exciting her nerves and intensifying the pulsing desire. She was going to go insane at this rate. His hot erection slid along her, rubbing her clitoris in a way that had her bite her lower lip and cry out, and her hips bucked up, seeking him, nestling the round head of his phallus into the outer dip of her womanhood. Want and need hammered her over and over again, begging silently for him to continue, desperate for more, pleading-

Pain shot through her and shattered everything into tiny, tiny pieces. With a shriek she scrambled away, the same pain lancing through her again, and her actions ended up making her fall off the bed. Getting to her feet hurt in a way she had never felt before, and with very different whimpers she hobbled, emotions assaulted and leaving her a bit confused.

Sesshōmaru was there in an instant, holding her in place. The yōki was gone, but his worry was so evident that she could almost feel it herself. His hands held her arms almost convulsively. "Are you alright?"

Kagome forgot all about the pain for a moment, shock taking its place, and she whipped her head up with a wide-open face to look at him. The look of sheer terror matched his voice, and she couldn't help but stare. The poor bastard was absolutely terrified!

"Kagome!" he yelled at her, giving her a small shake. "Are you alright? Tell me!"

"I-!" Him being terrified was the most terrifying thing she had ever experienced, and her being stark naked didn't help at all. "I think so?"

The silence was so taunt you could have plucked a note from it. "What does that mean?"

"I'm-!" "Damn it, Kagome, speak before he rattles your head off your shoulders!" "I'm a virgin!"

Sesshōmaru blinked at her. Twice. Three times before words came out. "What does thatmean?"

"It means I've never had-"

"No, no," he interrupted, his expression still showing a fragment of the worry he held for her. "How does that apply to the present?"

It was her turn to blink. "It hurts…"

"What hurts?"

"Sex."

Blank ignorant innocence blanketed his face, and a small amount of confused shock pushed his head back a little as though it had punched him in the nose.

Before he asked the same question for a third time, she clarified. "I- All women- All human women are tender down there. At least, initially. It's supposed to get better, so I hear." Dear kami, why did she have to explain this to him? "Um, it's because you- men, are initially… dry, and erm, when- Oh, kami, when you- Fast… You know. And it- Um… Yeah…" She trailed off, not really knowing how to explain it without either using similes, which could be humiliating, or hand gestures, which could be mortifying. Taking a deep breath, she just plowed on. "It feels like your tearing a new hole in me until everything's moist! That's why I wanted the hot spring!" Her jaw clamped shut with a loud click, and she stared with mild horror into his face, waiting.

Of all things, he merely nodded, a considering look in his eyes. "I am sorry." She balked, and his grip loosened, released, leaving red imprints of his fingers on her upper arms. "I did not know."

"No no, it's okay!" she assured. Kami, she overreacted. Bad, Kagome, bad! "You couldn't have known, I don't blame you at all. I'm fine, just feel a bit sore, that's all, really!"

He nodded, in a solemn manner. If he showed her anymore new emotions that night, her brain was going to start oozing out of her ears. "I have never seen such a reaction. It is strictly a human limit, one I will keep in mind."

Kagome had more reassurances lined up for a mile on her tongue, but her mind put a halt to it until it was done mulling over his phrasing. Slowly, she frowned. "What do you mean you've 'never seen such a reaction'?"

Sesshōmaru's eyes widened for a moment before ice prince mask fell over his face, which angered her. He was hiding something? After all this time?

"You know I am not a virgin," he stated, voice almost perfect, but not quite.

"How many?" The question stabbed at her tongue and tightened around her stomach, but she pressed on, advancing on his naked self with her naked self, jabbing a finger at his chest. "You wouldn't say that only over Chiro. You sound like you're basing this off of more than her. Maybe more than a few. How many, Sesshōmaru?"

He took one step back, then firmed, refusing to retreat further. He was so accustomed to being around others who could sense a lie at a sniff, he simply never lied, and now began to skitter around the truth like a cockroach under a kitchen light. "You are making assumptions."

"I'll confirm them with your mom," she replied. "Over tea."

"It will be a dull conversation. There is nothing of importance to say."

"So say what's so unimportant that it requires you to avoid it." She was neatly boxing him into a verbal corner for the first time in her life, and the thought was thrilling, in a dreadful sort of way. "Tell me straight out. How many women have you taken to your bed?" A look crossed his face momentarily, and she ruefully altered her phrasing. "How many women have you had sex with in your life?"

Muscles in his cheeks popped as his jaws clamped, which was the only sign that he was having a very difficult time with this.

"More than ten."

Kagome could have slapped him, for the number and the continued evasions. "How many more than ten?"

He dodged again. "More than five."

Anger built in her. "More than fifteen women? How many total? An exact number."

His cheeks twitched again. Making a noise of disgust, she marched over and threw open her small portion in his wardrobe, pulling out a thick yukata and a narrow makura-obi. She was tying it all shut while marching past him for the doors.

"Where are you going?"

"Out," she bit at him, slamming the screen door shut so hard that it slid back open a bit. She stalked down the halls, mind boiling in anger. Fifteen? More than fifteen? She was hooking up with a whore! She was going to get sick and die a miserable, rotten death because of some yōkai STD, and then she'd have to haunt him until her spite turned her into a succubi so she could then rape his very soul from his body.

Her automatic pilot had her stepping into an unlit room and slamming the door shut, the darkness bringing her out of her miserable thoughts. Trying to recall where she was, someone spoke.

"Now what could possibly bring you here, dressed and smelling like that?"

"Oh!" she gasped, stepping back for the door. "I'm so sorry! I heard you were under the weather. Sorry, I'll just go now."

"Calm down, girl," Sheng assured some distance away. "One moment, I'll get a light, and we can speak more comfortably."

She had about four seconds to wring her hands, ashamed for just barging in on him, before a single flame lit the room to a soft, somewhat dark glow.

"Is that better?" the old yōkai asked, setting it down. "Can you see?"

"I can see you," she assured, glancing around. "Can't see in that corner too well, but I can see you fine. Thanks."

He nodded, and had a seat, gesturing for her to come over and do the same, which she did. He was still fully clothed, making her feel a touch uncomfortable. Him not giving her clothing even a questioning glance helped a little.

"Where is Sesshōmaru?"

"Probably still in his rooms," she replied, sensing him out without a second thought. "And in a temper. Sheng, how many women has he slept with?"

The elder blinked, then chuckled to himself. "Ah, so that bit of past is finally coming out. And at such an inopportune time, too. What has he told you?"

"More than fifteen." Glaring, she pressed him for information. "How many, Sheng?"

"That is for him to tell you," Sheng replied, remaining upbeat, which kept her spirits from plummeting further if nothing else.

"Getting that number out of him was like pulling teeth from a crocodile," she fumed, glaring at the base of the small, simple lamp.

"To be honest, I don't blame him," Sheng admitted, continuing and refusing to regard her glare. "After Chiro, anyone would be cautious about the subject with you. It is normal for any male of our species not only to have multiple mates but also to have intercourse with several females in order to acquire those mates. Part of that is to help decide who to keep as a mate. This is normal for males, and tolerated, sometimes even encouraged, by females. Take Li Hua for example. She stays here because she was the alpha female of her mate's personal pack, and produced the strongest heir, though only one. Sesshōmaru grew up with a litter of siblings though, most of them dead now, and with multiple women who treated him as a son. This lifestyle has been fixated in his instincts, and asking him to make the changes he is making without request from you is very inconsiderate to say the least, as far as any inu will see it."

Kagome could only stare. "But…!"

"No buts," Sheng interrupted. "Sesshōmaru is doing very well, now that he knows you will promise yourself to him. He's a good lad, despite what your upbringing says, and he is working for your approval on a daily basis." Her teeth snapped as her mouth shut. "If you want others to compare him to, look at the council. In our days, we all had personal packs, though time has brought an end to seeking fertility. Tao still has three of his seven mates from youth, and Le has two females who dote on him in private right here in the o-shiro. Li misses her mate in China, and Shu Fang still mourns the passing of hers."

Feeling a little bad over never, ever having assumed anyone would have had a family in the council, Kagome ventured to ask a question. "How many kids do you have?"

Sheng sighed, a clawed hand scrubbing through his hair. "Twenty-three."

Kagome nearly fainted. "What? How old? Where are they? I'd love to meet them!" At least, she thought she would, if they were anything like their father.

The smile he offered was a tired one. "I would have loved for you to have met them as well."

His wording gave her pause. "Will I?"

His head shook slowly. "Not until you pass into the next world, my dear."

Her facial muscles slackened with shock, and then pinched with sadness. "What happened?"

Taking a loud inhale, he shook his head again. "That was a long time ago. Long before Sesshōmaru was even born."

He was evading the subject, and Kagome respected that. "Well, they better not be reincarnated until I get to meet them then."

Sheng smirked. "Ah, they'd love to meet you, but you have a long life ahead of you yet, so don't get their hopes up." He smiled genuinely at her. "Listen dear, I know that you have notions of what's right and what's wrong. Everyone does. What I'm asking you to do now is to make a few sacrifices, for your sake and for Sesshōmaru's." Sheng's calloused hand rested over hers on the table, patting it. "His past has nothing to do with your present and future. Regardless on whether he's slept with twenty, fifty, a hundred, even a thousand females, that does not change his feelings for you, nor yours for him. You are the female he is seeking to mate. You are the one he chooses to impress, you are the one by whom he judges himself, and you are the one he is deciding to bond for life with. There are many promiscuous beings in the world, many who will seek the temporary comfort of another for all their lives, but you, my dear, have caught the attentions of a member of the inuyōkai clan, and that is an open door to a very rare opportunity, one for a long, earnest relationship which will never stop burning in your heart, no matter what happens. Do not allow morals or opinions based on less than thirty years of young life affect a shared lifetime that will last for centuries. Do not deprive yourself of that flame."

Kagome stared, blown away. He just cracked open her head like an egg, added some ingredients, and put it all seamlessly back together in the shell. Her hand was patted one last time, and Sheng laced his fingers over a drawn up knee, nodding at nothing. "You should go to your mate, Kagome. You being here will have him in more pain than you can possibly imagine."

She was walking back down the hall within moments. Within a few more she was running, as fast as she could, legs pumping underneath her as she flew down the halls. She made it to his quarters in record time, panting and gasping in the doorway to his sleeping chamber just as he tied his own yukata closed with a kaku-obi. She watched him watch her. He was waiting.

Closing the door, she ran to him, jumping into his arms and swinging her own around his neck. The hesitance he expressed in the seconds before embracing her stabbed into her heart, and she sobbed before knowing she was crying.

"I'm sorry," she blubbered. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Those words sounded very familiar, but she gave up trying to recall who had said them while listening to him make small shushing noises, a hand rubbing her back.

"Did something happen?" he asked, which pained her all the more. She shook her head against his chest, probably staining the yukata. Wiping her nose with her sleeve first – thoroughly – she slid down to her own feet, cupped his face, and went on tiptoe to kiss him. It was a sweet kiss, one of many of its kind she would share with him once the new-love fires began to calm. When it ended she hugged him, listening to the slow rhythm of his heart with the side of her face pressed to his chest.

"I love you, Sesshōmaru. Your past won't change that. I'm sorry for judging you as a human."

"Hn," he hummed, petting her hair. "That is only natural. Do not apologize."

His words only drove Sheng's that much further home. "I've wronged you," she continued. "In so many ways. I don't know if I can ever make that up to you."

Some light laughter filled her ear. "You will have centuries to try, if you choose."

Smiling, she hugged him tighter, enjoying the feel of him. She hadn't learned yet how to live as long as him. Maybe she never would. So she would have to make the best of things while she still could.

"Sesshōmaru?"

"Hm?"

His hand felt nice in her hair, soothing her rumpled emotions, banishing bad thoughts, comforting her with his presence. She couldn't imagine life without him. She didn't want to. And not with just the two of them.

"I want to have a baby."

The petting stopped, and she smirked, rocking them side-to-side, him letting her rock him. She grinned, thinking on how carefree he was with just the two of them. No one else saw that side of him. No one else was given permission to.

"Now?"

She laughed, wiping at her face again, sniffling. "Well, I have to get pregnant first, don't I?"

She didn't have to say anymore.

Li Hua watched as Kagome quickly built up her pace to a run down the conjoining corridor. Walking into it, she stared after the girl, who was now a jumble of emotions all bundled together into the little miko who had worked her way into all of their hearts in one way or another.

Shaking her head – everything would work out well – she glanced to the side, and saw the open sliding door to Sheng's quarters, with him seated at a table. She resisted the desire to duck away, watching him. He did not look well.

Without looking, seeing as a weathered hand was covering his eyes, propped there with an elbow on a drawn up knee, he reached under the table, and a small secreted jar came out. Undoing its seal, he took a long drink from it, and actually winced with the last swallow. She couldn't think of many drinks to do that to him.

She turned around and left, wishing she hadn't stayed. She didn't know much about Sheng's past, but that was unnecessary. She knew he was in pain. It was made obvious by the fact that he was crying.

A/N: Aaw, I'm so mean, I know. Okay, here are the promised endnotes. I'd again like to thank all of my supportive readers, this chapter would not be here without you. Some things I'd like to address in case anyone asks me:

1. Yes, this chapter needs some editing. I will get to it within a few days. I feared though that if I didn't post it now, I'd get stuck editing it over and over again (again) and just killing everything. So I've posted it now, and I will make it prettier later. :)

2: I'm sorry if the writing style is different, hopefully it's in a good way. Everything will be rewritten once this story is done so that it all matches up later on, just bear with me. Again…

3: Sorry, the story got a little limey, somewhat lemony, on fanfiction. I said it wouldn't. I lied. It helped with the writing vibe though.

4: If something seems out of tune (as in, I've written something that doesn't match up with past chapters or past facts), let me know. I have not read my own writing in a very long time (the really early stuff actually makes me go red in the face when I re-read it), and I have most likely forgotten some things. Yes, even though I thought of them. Another one of my less-than-epic moments I feel while updating now.

5: Something which helped me a little, and which may help you, was a video on YouTube. Uploaded by AgentXPQ, it's called "How to Get Out of a Rut", and it struck home with me on a few notes. I felt inspired, because despite how silly the video was, he still uploaded it, so despite how silly this chapter may have been (or maybe incomplete on some notes, again, sorry), despite that, I uploaded it.

6: *sobs* I'M SORRY! It's been over a year, and I've been kicking myself in the butt since the second month of not updating. Trust me, any kicking you wanted to get in has been done, please feel gratified for my thoroughly bruised ego. :)

7: Thanks for reading this far. I love you guys, and always will. Part of my not updating is due to not wanting to face any disapproval, especially if the chapter wasn't 'all that' or not 'worth the wait'. I hope it was, and if not, I'll do my best for the next chapter (but this time, not to a point of delaying so damn long).