I do not own the rights to Inuyasha.

This chapter has moments that are sexual in nature and not suitable for minors.

"Lord Sesshomaru! Oh Lord Sesshomaru! I was not certain you had returned. Rin said that she believed she caught sight of you yesterday, but you know how humans can be - always so uncertain. It is so good to have you back with us! What is your first task for…" Jaken's squawking ceased, his next words caught in his throat as he finally looked at his lord. The imp's jaw dropped as his eyes bulged out of his tiny head. "My Lord! Where are your clothes? And why does your room smell like…" he took a few experimental sniffs, "a human?"

Sesshomaru stood still, the small pillow in his claws the only thing covering his nakedness from Jaken. His eyes glaring down his nose at the faithful, although noisy, demon. His golden orbs were the only feature that displayed his discontent - the rest of his face having gone icily blank. His voice was hard when he spoke. "Jaken."

The imp stood rigid, his mouth snapping shut and his eyes forcing their way back into his head. "Y..yes, My Lord?"

"What do you want?" His voice was like steel that had been left in a winter storm - cold, hard, untouchable.

Kagome felt a shiver creep up her spine at the sound and silently thanked the gods that he had never used that tone with her. She was sure that she would curl up and die if he ever spoke so harshly to her. She remained still, thankfully unnoticed by Jaken, and continued to peer out from her hastily assembled pillow and blanket fort at the scene before her. If Jaken saw her, she was certain nothing good would come of it for the small demon and, although he had never been warm or even kind to her, she did not wish to see him harmed.

Jaken stammered over his words. A cacophony of shrill sounds jumbling together. He mumbled about the sudden disappearance of his lord, the terrible things that could have happened to the daiyoukai and he would never have known, the inugami's unannounced return, scrolls that needed his lord's attention and business which urgently called.

"Jaken."

The sound ceased instantly.

"My personal matters are none of your concern. Just as they have always been none of your concern." Sesshomaru took a step forward causing Jaken to inch back. The imp desperately did not want to have his lord's foot in his face again. "As for my business, I will attend to it shortly." Another step. "If you ever barge into my chambers again, however, I assure you that your services will no longer be required." Sesshomaru took one last step towards the fidgeting imp. His voice lowered to almost a whisper. "Even if you were needed, you would not be in a state that you could assist in any way. Do I make myself clear?"

Jaken slowly nodded his head and squeaked out a tiny "Yes, My Lord!"

"You are dismissed."

With his lord's command in the guise of permission, Jaken bowed his way out of the room. The doors slamming shut in his face, almost taking his nose off in the process. Grabbing his precious nose, Jaken took off down the hall - fleeing as far from the forbidden room, and Lord Sesshomaru's feet, as he could.

Turning around, Sesshomaru faced the bundled-up miko. Her eyes peered at him through a tiny window she'd left herself in the blankets and pillows. Slowly, he stalked towards her, discarding the throw pillow as he went, her eyes darted approvingly over his body.

When he reached the bed he crawled over towards her and, in one swift motion, removed all the pillows she had been hiding under. Still clutching a sheet to her chest, she squeaked in surprise. His eyes danced with mirth as he turned over and rested his head in her lap. She looked down at him, surprise splashed across her face, but her eyes filled with love. Tenderly, she reached down and began playing with his hair, her nails lightly scratching his scalp. The powerful daiyoukai sighed and closed his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips. They stayed like that as the sun crept across the floor of the bedroom, gentle caresses in a comfortable silence.

Finally, Sesshomaru reached up and caught one of Kagome's hands in his. He drew her small hand to his lips and placed a delicate kiss on her knuckles - eliciting a small sigh of contentment from her. He released her hand and she let it trail down the side of his face, the tips of her fingers tracing his markings and the proud angle of his jaw before resting on his chest.

She never imagined she would ever hold a man like this, cradling him in her lap as she caressed him soothingly. She never knew it was possible to be so completely comfortable with another person or, in this case, demon. Her eyes drank in his ivory skin, reveling in the places where magenta markings slashed across his normally hidden skin.

Leaning down, she nuzzled her face into the top of his head, breathing in his scent. He smelled musky but sharp, like sandalwood and cedar with a deep hint of amber. He smelled like life in its deepest darkest and most forgotten groves. And he smelled like man. A soft moan escaped his lips as she nuzzled and sniffed. He knew she had no idea how deeply inu her actions were nor how strongly she called to his beast.

He reached up slightly, cupping the side of her face, and turned his face towards hers - hist strong hand lowering her lips to his. She sighed against the softness of his touch, the tenderness of his kiss. His lips were like silk against hers. "Kagome. My Kagome." He whispered her name over and over again against her skin, kissing lightly on her throat and tangling his claws in her hair.

"Unfortunately, the imp is right." He grumbled into the miko's cascading hair.

"About what, love?" Her voice was soft, as gentle as the tracings of her fingers over his hair, his face, his neck.

"I do have business I must attend to today. I have been out traveling so much as of late that my duties have piled up. I am certain Jaken has a mass of scrolls waiting for me to answer."

She had never thought about Sesshomaru needing to do anything he did not truly wish to do. She'd always known, of course, that he was the Lord of the Western Lands - but she had never considered what all he had to do within that title. "What sorts of things do you do, you know, as Lord of the West?"

He smiled a startling soft smile at her. "I am in charge of the Western Lands. This means I must look over and attend to matters concerning both the humans and demons who live on this land. It is my duty to see that the land and those living on it thrive. I must count taxes, settle disputes, and attend to other dreary matters."

"The people pay you taxes?"

He nodded. "Indeed. Some pay with coin if they have it, others with materials: livestock, grains, fabrics, and paper. I offer protection in exchange for these payments. Without them I would be unable to train and sustain those who help me in looking over the lands I protect. I have many demons and men who serve me. They report back to me about any incidents that escape my notice. Though I could do it alone, it is helpful to have others looking at the lands you cannot always see. I have found that this method has increased the quality of life tremendously among all of those who live on the Wester Lands."

Kagome clapped her hands together. "Well then, we need to get you ready for the day! Your people need you!"

He caught her hands in his and brought them to his lips again. "It is true. But first we must both bathe again. Come."

He swept her up in his arms, the sheet still lightly wrapped around her, and carried her down to the pool.

. . .

She blushed as she remembered the passionate kisses shared in the pool of water and against the walls from the night before. He carried her straight into the swirling water - the sheet clinging to her, the water soaked fabric allowing Sesshomaru to see the womanly body beneath the sheet. Setting her down, the sheet floated around her. She looked ethereal. Her raven hair a wild mess around her face, her skin almost glowing in the shimmering light, the wet fabric clinging to her — covering while revealing.

He stepped forward and quickly removed the sheet from her body, flinging it onto the stone surrounding the pool of water, his eye drinking in her milky skin approvingly. She did not try to cover herself. Instead, she stood proud. The lovers stood apart, looking at each other, delighting in the other's form.

Kagome stepped forward. She felt alive and full of fire. Her hands traced the markings on his arms, wrists, chest, and hips. A low rumble shook his chest. She ran her fingers up the proud column of his throat before sliding them into his hair. She pulled him towards her, their lips barely brushing. The daiyoukai's arms snaked around her waist, pulling her hips to his, letting her feel his need and want. She moaned against him and the kiss grew.

Her blood boiled and her skin ached to be touched by every last inch of him. Her hand slipped into the water, touching him. He growled into her. Heat pooled in the miko's core as she felt how much he wanted her.

Sesshomaru's eyes fluttered closed at her touch. His hands grasping firmly at her hips. The tips of his claws dug lightly into her pillowy flesh and the faintest scent of blood filled his nose. She moaned against the prick up his claws. The combination of her moan and the metallic tang of her blood in the air wrenched his orgasm from him, a fierce growl echoing off the stone walls.

As his climax subsided, his eyes opened, worry and distress clouding them.

Kagome's brow arched at his expression. "Now, I know I'm not very experienced, but I don't think that's the way your face is supposed to look after that." Her hand caressed his face, drawing his gaze down to her eyes.

The daiyoukai's gaze drifted from hers down to her hips. Tiny pinpricks of blood rose to the surface and were lapped away by the water around her hips. Each new drop of blood an accusation. "I hurt you." His voice was somber as he tried to step away, but the young woman held him firmly.

"No. You did not." Her voice was firm and calm. "Look at me." His eyes met hers, golden doubt met coffee-colored assurance. "You did not hurt me. Didn't you hear me? I liked it. It was perfect, balanced on the precipice of pleasure and pain. Besides, we both know that simple lap of your tongue will have it healed in no time! So even if it did hurt, which it didn't, it wouldn't be a big deal."

His eyes were doubtful, but he did not smell deceit in her words and nodded, making a mental note to be more careful in the future. He knelt down in the water and lapped softly at the tiny holes in her skin. His tongue making her shiver. Standing up, he looked at her smiling face and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. She stood on her tiptoes and placed a tiny kiss on his chin. "Come on, let's clean up!"

They washed in comfortable silence, enjoying the scents around them.

"Sesshomaru?" The miko asked suddenly.

"Yes?" He smiled at her, releasing a thousand butterflies in her stomach. His smile was rare, perfect, and for her.

"You wouldn't really kill Jaken, would you?" Her face was full of concern and Sesshomaru stopped and stared at her for a moment.

"Jaken?" He asked, trying to figure out what made her ask such a question.

She shook her head affirmatively, drops of water being forced from the ends. "Earlier, when he barged in on us, and you said he was never to do that again or you'd make sure he couldn't do anything…I assumed that would mean you would hurt him…but, you wouldn't, right?"

He pulled her into his arms, the water making their bodies smooth against one another. Leaning down, he captured her lips in his. He nibbled on her bottom lip and smiled at the way she moaned and wriggled against him. He forced himself to pull his lips away from hers before he lost all self-control. Looking down at the woman in his arms, he smiled. She was radiant - her raven hair cascading around her shoulders, parting around her breasts like a stream parting for a rock in the river. Her eyes were hooded with lust and her lips bright from the constant attention. His eyes traced the line of her neck, the pride in the way she held her shoulders, the slope of her breasts and curve of her hips. The water hid the rest of her from view, but his mind's eye could see the strong and shapely legs that he loved being wrapped between.

"Oh, Kagome." He sighed and rested his forehead against hers, their noses almost touching.

She ran her hands up and down his back, before bringing them to his front and tracing his markings again. "What is it?"

He smiled and a small laugh escaped his lips. "What are you doing to me?" He closed his eyes and felt her head tilt sideways slightly, indicating her confusions. She is more inu than she will ever realize, he thought to himself. "If you do not wish for me to harm Jaken, I will not. I simply wish for him to remain out of my bedchamber so that I may remain in it — with you — undisturbed." He shook his head. "I would do anything you asked of me. Anything. No one has ever had this power over me," he opened his eyes and looked in hers, "and I would not trade it for the world."

She smiled at him. "Well, I promise you, I'll try not to ask for anything too unreasonable." And with that, she kissed him.

It was a searing kiss that threatened to burn them both up. A kiss full of need and want. She ran her nails down his chest and earned a throaty moan from him. He kissed her harder, nipping her lips and then her neck, moving down. Her breathing was heavy and when his mouth came in contact with her sensitive skin. He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up, her legs automatically wrapping around his hips, ankles locking behind him. His mouth continued its assault as she panted and moaned. He set her down on the side of the pool, untangling her legs from around him, and stepped away. Her eyes were full of fire when she looked at him.

"Sesshomaru," she pleaded, "I want you. No, I need you. I've waited long enough since coming here, and I've been teased to the edge of my senses. Please, Sesshomaru, please." Tears caused by need and sexual frustration tinged her eyes and he stepped forward, bending down to kiss them away.

"I am sorry. I promised you that your first time would not be in the bath house."

"You said you would do anything I asked, right? Well, I'm asking and begging you to please just fuck me!"

He smiled and guided her back onto the stone floor, placing her feet at the edge of the pool, her knees in the air. "You are right, I did say that I would do what you asked of me. Unfortunately for you, in this instance, I am also a man of my word. So, no, I will not enter you here and now, because I promised I would not have you here for your first time. Believe me when I say that it is just as difficult for me to not have my way with you as it is for you to wait. I want nothing more than to bury myself in you, to feel you around me. But I will wait, and so must you."

She huffed at him and began sitting up. His hands caught her shoulders and he pushed her back down.

"That being said," he continued, "I will not let you leave this bath until I please you again - no teasing this time, I promise."

. . .

Kagome's head was still spinning and her knees still weak when Sesshomaru scooped her up and carried her back up the steps to his bedroom. She nuzzled against him and sighed. She was fairly certain that she was addicted to his skillful touch at this point and she couldn't imagine having to go a day without it.

They reached his chambers and he playfully tossed her onto the bed. Eliciting an excited squeal and fit of giggles from her. He turned from her and crossed the room to his wardrobe — putting on his usual outfit, minus the armor, and grabbed an extra kimono.

"Here," he held up one of his red and white kimonos with the accompanying yellow and blue sash.

She stood as he helped her in to his clothing, making a few adjustments here and there, until she stood before him in his colors. The kimono hit just above her knees, and the sash wrapped around her multiple times to secure the garment. The sleeves were too long, but their loose nature made it so they did not limit her movements. Noticing her bare feet, his brow furrowed. He returned to the wardrobe in search of something that would fit.

As he rummaged, he spoke. "If you would like, feel free to roam the castle grounds. If you need anything, simply ask. My colors on you will ensure that no one questions your authority. I will also leave Mokomoko in your care. I am linked to it and will sense if you need me. It will also ensure that everyone knows you are under my protection. If you wish to visit Rin, you will most likely find her in the stables with A-Un or in the gardens. She knows the grounds well and would be delighted to see you."

He straightened, having found what he was looking for. It was a simple pair of black slippers. "I had these made for Rin, but I overestimated her size and she seems to prefer being shoe-less. See if these fit." He bent down and slipped the shoes on Kagome's bare feet.

She smiled and wiggled her toes in them. "They're perfect! Thank you."

Taking a step back, the inugami looked her over. "This will do until I can have clothes made for you." He placed a kiss on her forehead. "Oh, and Kagome?"

She looked up, a smile plastered across her face. "Yes?"

"You look good in my colors."

"And you look even better out of them," she replied saucily.

He flashed a devious smile her way. "Behave, little one. I will see you soon, though not soon enough."

With a final look at his lover, he turned and headed to his significantly less sexy duties.

A/N: Some of you will notice that this chapter is significantly different than it once was. To remain within the available ratings on FFNet, I have modified this and the following chapters containing sexual scenes. For information on where to find the original and uncensored content, please visit my profile. Thank you for your understanding!