A/M: Well, these last few chapters have certainly born testament to my own raging and unsatisfied hormones, lol. True love may wait, but that doesn't mean it doesn't want. (:p) Anyhow, I'll hopefully be moving on soon, lol. Start thinking of names for the kids that Sesshy and Kagura have, because I have no idea how to choose Japanese names, so I'll need your input, those of you with more knowledge than me. Or I'll just use a Japanese baby name picker site :p…

Thanks for the reviews, give me more!

"Sesshoumaru, you're back! Thank Kami!"

"InuYasha, it's not like you to show such pleasure at my presence. Has something happened?"

"Well, Rin's sick, but it's nothing, just a cold. Kagura is sulking though, and Kagome's irritated because she caught me looking at Kagura a lot during her heat…how was I supposed to resist that scent?!...and Sango is pregnant again and acting all grouchy, and Kikyo cries all night, and I swear I'm losing my mind!"

Sesshoumaru had little pity for his female beset little brother. He was concerned, however, about the fact that he could smell Kagura's tears.

"What is Kagura upset about?"

"I dunno. She's been acting upset ever since her heat started. She's in her room if you want to talk to her. Rin is staying with Kaede so that Granny can tend to her cold and so that Kikyo doesn't catch it, since she's still so little."

Sesshoumaru just nodded and entered the house. Kagura was curled up in her bed. She wasn't crying, exactly, but every now and then a tear slipped down her face.

"Kagura?"

Instantly she sat up, wiping at her eyes and trying in vain to hide her sadness.

"Hi. I didn't know you were back…"

He sat on her bed and didn't try to hide his worry.

"What's the matter, Kagura? Remember, you must be honest with me."

"I…I just…You left because I went into heat, and even though I know you have a good reason, I kept feeling like maybe…maybe you don't really want me, and you're just making excuses to avoid intimacy…and then I started thinking about Naraku, and how maybe you can never truly love me knowing that I was made from him…and I realized there must be a million better choices for you; well bred demonesses, women with court manners and greater beauty, and real fathers who aren't your enemies…and…just, everything about me is wrong for you…"

Gently he brushed her bangs back with one hand, frowning slightly.

"You feel warm, Kagura. It's unusual for youkai to get sick. We'll have to figure out what's wrong with you, but first…Listen to me. I want you more each passing day, in every way, physical included. Naraku no longer has anything to do with us, and if anything, I should be grateful to him for creating you. If you were a well bred court woman, you would bore me. It is your spirit, your attitude, your humor, everything that is you, that I love; not some superficial noble's daughter. Everything about you is right for me; you fill every blank spot, every empty hole in my life. I promised to always be honest with you. It is not easy for me to speak such words. Do you think I would say such things if I were lying, Kagura?"

She shook her head slightly, a tiny but sincere smile touching her lips.

"Good." He kissed her lightly and then pulled back. "Now," he picked up her hand "I'm going to nick your thumb, alright? It shouldn't hurt much. I need to taste your blood, to see if it's tainted. It's very unusual for a youkai to get sick, but you have a fever. I need to be sure you weren't poisoned somehow."

"Okay."

He used one claw to make a small cut across the pad of her thumb. She gasped quietly, but didn't make any other sound. He waited for blood to well up before lowering his mouth to the cut. Suddenly he sat up and cursed more strongly that she'd ever heard him do before.

"Sesshoumaru? What is it?"

His entire body was tense. She grabbed his hands, interlacing her fingers with his to keep him from harming himself with his claws. His eyes were completely red, his markings jagged, and she could see his claws elongate while she held his hands. What on earth could the problem be? Then suddenly it hit her too, like lava pouring through her veins, and she reacted without thinking, fisting her hands in his sleeves and kissing him as deeply as she possibly could, not caring in the least when his fangs drew blood. It felt as if some kind of power swirled around them and then burst outward. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru snarled, ripping away from her and turning towards the door. InuYasha stood there, his own eyes bleeding slowly red, his hand clasping Tessaiga as if for dear life.

"Sesshoumaru…" InuYasha's voice was rough and hoarse. "Get out of the house. Until it fades."

Sesshoumaru snatched Kagura and the next thing she knew they were standing in the meadow where the well was. He was gasping for breath, leaning heavily on the well, his claws dug far into the battered wood. She felt as if she was burning up, desire overwhelming her, and even with her lesser senses, she could sense the waves of instinct and pheromones rushing around them. What on earth had happened?!

She sank down on the grass, her breath coming in gasps, her entire body aching with unfulfilled need. Sesshoumaru was panting like a lesser member of his species, his eyes tightly closed and sweat running down his face.

Then, suddenly, it lifted. The air washed clean, the ache let up, and Sesshoumaru opened his once again amber eyes and pulled his claws out of the wood. He slumped down to sit with his back against the well and waved her to him.

"Sesshoumaru…what happened?"

"We accidently bonded ourselves, that's what happened. There are three stages of soul-bonding, you see. One is simply decision; when I asked you to be my mate and you accepted, our souls began to intertwine. The second is the sharing of blood. Remember during your heat, when you licked the wounds on my palm? That was your side of the blood bonding. You got a fever and began having doubts about our relationship because the bond was not completed."

"But you've drawn blood with your fangs before while you're kissing me; shouldn't that have counted as your side?"

"No, it's only when it's certainly intentional that it works, and that could be an accident. When I tasted the blood on your thumb, the bond completed. Normally, however, blood bonding is done on the 'wedding night' if you want to call it that, because it is accompanied by such a rush of lust that is next to impossible to resist, and it is usually while the couple is entirely alone; the only ones in the entire building, as the bond spreads outward and affects any other demons in range; hence InuYasha's response. The third bonding is the actual physical act of mating, which usually begins within a minute of the second."

"But we resisted…It kinda feels like a waste of an awfully good feeling."

He laughed weakly, retracting his still elongated claws and running his tongue over his teeth to see if they'd changed as well. Finding everything in good order, he sighed and allowed himself to finally relax completely.

"Then you'll be glad to know that that can be repeated at any time. All we have to do is taste a drop or two of each others blood, and we'll go stark raving mad over each other."

She laughed at that and moved to lean against his side, but he gently held her away with one hand.

"Give me a moment. Your scent is too strong right now. Too hard to resist."

She rose and walked away a little, rather pleased with the affect she had on him. It was odd, ever since her heat she'd been depressed, but as soon as the bond completed, her melancholy vanished. He must be right then, that the half-completed bond had been what made her feel so uncharacteristically insecure and slightly sick as well. She sat in the grass and began picking flowers, forming a small bouquet idly, arranging the flowers as she went.

"How do you know how to do that, Kagura?"

"Do what?"

"Arrange flowers like that. What you're doing now is better than some of the arrangements I've seen the maids set out at my home, and flower arranging is part of their education, so if you do it better than them, you're very skilled."

"Naraku's castle was dark and dreary. Sometimes if he sent me on some mission, I'd stop for a few minutes and just pick and arrange flowers, so that I could take the memory of their brightness and color back with me."

Sesshoumaru walked over and sat down next to her, pulling her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her, tucking a pink blossom behind her ear and speaking softly.

"There will always be brightness and color for you now, Kagura. You'll never have to face darkness again, if I have anything to say about it."

She leaned her head back against his shoulder and sighed happily. Suddenly InuYasha bounded into the meadow and sat down near them. He appeared exhausted.

"Sesshoumaru, if you're gonna do stuff like that, warn me first! Yeesh! I could have hurt somebody!"

"Hn. It was not intentional. Now then, InuYasha, we're leaving in two days." Kagura gasped quietly. "Find something for Kagura and Rin to pack their clothing in."

"You're leaving? To go to the estate and be mated?"

"Yes."

"Hey Sesshoumaru, where is the palace, anyway? I've never seen it or heard of where it is."

"It's built on the shoreline quite a distance northwest of here."

"Like, by the ocean? Doesn't the salt smell bug you?"

"Not particularly, no. It's actually rather pleasant once one becomes accustomed to it. Father loved the sea, and since I spent much of my youth there, I came to enjoy it as well. At some point, I'll likely invite you to come and see the estate, InuYasha. You should see your ancestors land. Our family has resided there for as long as they have lived here. The palace is new though. It's almost tradition for each son to have his father's palace ripped down and rebuilt. We each begin our reign with a fresh slate, rather than lingering in the shadows of our forerunners."

"I'd like to see it sometime. Anyway, I'm going to go find some bags or something for Kagura and Rin's stuff. Should I tell Rin you're leaving?"

"No, I believe I'll do that. She should know that she's not obligated to come with us. Only if she desires it."

"Oh, come on! Of course she'll go with you! She's been chafing to go away with you again ever since she moved in here."

"Still, it's important she have a choice. She's never been to the estate either, and it may be hard for her at first, seeing as many of the demons will be prejudiced against her, at least initially."

"Keh, she's got nothin' to worry about. If she could win you over, she'll have the entire palace wrapped around her little finger in a week."

InuYasha bounded away without another word, and Kagura turned quickly to kiss Sesshoumaru, excitement written in her eyes.

"We're going in just two days?! Finally!"

He smiled and pulled her closer.