Chapter 58

The cave was a mess. The place settings and centerpiece of flowers that had been on the table were on the floor, several furs were also on the floor, some ripped to shreds. The night had passed with the couple letting their bestial sides reign and their escapades had been wild and violent. There were even claw marks on the walls and floor to prove it. His beast had claimed his mate in dozens of positions, remarking her in every one, and his minxy inu bitch had even managed to mark him in the course of the night as well. Near noon, they had finally succumbed to sleep and held each other close from their place among the shredded furs on the ground.

It was evening when they stirred, smelling the sweet aroma of food, ascertaining it as leftovers from the wedding. Kagome actually sat up before he did, her belly growling in frustration over her ignoring it for the last 24 hours or so. She pulled on a cotton yukata from the dresser and slipped on the sandals provided for her and made her way to the source of the scent, seeing they had been left presents at the mouth of the cave. There was a large picnic basket full of food and another basket with fresh towels and linens. It had to be Jaken—he was so good to them. One day, she was going to wheedle out of her mate just what started this undying loyalty of his.

Sesshoumaru met her halfway back to the cavern and relieved her of the heavy baskets before returning with her. He placed the baskets on the floor beside the table and waited for his mate to take her seat before picking up her place setting and placing it in front of her. He did the same with his own. She groped in the basket and poured his water and green tea and he sat and did the same for her. She ladled some of the kelp soup in each of their bowls and he placed freshly grilled lobsters and omelets on their plates.

They ate quietly, both of them ravenous, but kept looking up at each other and smiling into the other's eyes. There was a casserole of grilled squash, eggplant, and onion in a sesame sauce that they dug into as soon as their plates were free. When Kagome finished her plate, she scooted over to Sesshoumaru and fed him, both of them enjoying the intimacy.

When they were done, Sesshoumaru helped her take the rest of the supplies out of the basket before placing their dirty dishes inside. There was bottle of Gewurztraminer from Sonoma, a round of New York strawberry champagne camembert, one of Kerrygold Dubliner, one of French babybel and one of French brie. There were also roasted and sea salted macadamia nuts, walnuts, and cocoa roasted almonds as well as fresh blueberries and raspberries. The top layer of their wedding cake was there as well, complete with topper and a plastic container of fresh whipped cream that they placed in their refrigerator for later with the wine and berries. It was sufficiently cool in the cave to house the cheese without refrigeration.

They sat together on the pallet, Sesshoumaru bolstered on pillows and Kagome settled between his legs, his right knee up, with her head on his shoulder. The fingers of his left hand played with hers idly as they sat enjoying the afterglow of their meal. He was watching the light reflect off her engagement and wedding rings, happy to see the tangible evidence of their union. Kagome's thoughts turned to their play of last night and she turned in his arms.

"Can I see them?" she asked.

"See what, miko?"

"Our marks," she said, proving her thoughts were along the same line as his. She blushed as she said the words, as it if were something naughty they had done. Well…

He smiled his small smile at her and pulled down the left flap of his yukata, baring his left breast. There, right over his heart, she had bitten him repeatedly last night. There was no sign of a bite, but in the youki torch-lit cavern, she saw a magenta filigree just above and to the left of his nipple, twirling and swirling over his pale as moonlight chest.

"Wow…I did that?"

"Your youki and purity etched that into my skin, like a tattoo or a brand. It will remain for always and I am honored you chose to mark me in return, though it is no longer a common practice."

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure I knew what I was doing last night. It was like I was without thought, only moving on instinct."

"Hn. That is what your bestial nature is: the home of your instinct. You will find the voice louder and more distinct now than when you were a human." He took her chin in his thumb and forefinger and kissed her lips. "Would you like to see this Sesshoumaru's mark on you?"

She nodded her head in the affirmative and he smiled before swatting her butt. "Up. I will take you to the mirrors on the way to the onsen where we might also cleanse our bodies."

She jumped up, slipping on her sandals and followed him down a hallway she hadn't noticed before, torches springing to life as they walked. She could smell the steam and minerals from the hot springs ahead and saw the large, gilded mirror on the wall. She skipped up to it in her excitement and nearly tripped down the steps before Sesshoumaru caught her and gave her a beleaguered look. Not to be deterred, she smiled up at him then turned her attention to the mirror.

She knew he had bit her on both sides of her neck over the course of the night, but what she saw in the mirror, like her own mark, looked nothing like teeth marks. She had a silver filigree in a collar around her neck, highlighted with sparkles of gold. It was far more intricate than her mark she had given him and was the loveliest body art she had ever seen, at once delicate and bold. She had never been much of a tattoo or piercing girl, mostly through her fear of pain from her father, but she was fiercely proud of Sesshoumaru's mark on her and couldn't wait to show it off to her family and to display it in public. She'd have to make sure all her future clothes highlighted this artwork of his love and ownership of her.

Sesshoumaru watched her reaction playing on her lovely face and saw as she raised a shaky hand to touch the marked skin. She was in awe, and there were tears in her lovely eyes. Wanting to make sure she was alright with the change, he moved behind her and circled her waist with his arms, nuzzling the side of her head with his own. "Koibito?"

He didn't have to ask, she knew he needed reassurance. She turned in his hold and wrapped her arms around his neck. She smiled brilliantly, a full, real, smile that she had been unable to make in several years and he was astonished at the change it made in her appearance. His once beautiful mate was now stunningly radiant and he knew this wasn't demon-enhanced beauty; she had always looked this way. She took his breath away.

She bore no marks of her change that he could see, though he could have sworn her eye makeup was different yesterday for their mating, but it was in the style she usually wore so he could be mistaken. She had obviously been healed of her scars and there was her change in scent, but that was all he could tell that was different about her physically.

"I love it, Sesshoumaru! It's so intricate and pretty! So much cooler than the one I gave you…" She couldn't help but notice he was looking at her strangely. Like he was seeing her for the first time. As her smile faded, she realized it was fading from both sides of her face. Her eyes widened and she whipped back around to look at the mirror and smile.

She laughed aloud in joy. "Sesshoumaru, look! I'm me again!" Her fingers found her face this time as she made faces in the mirror.

He looked over her shoulder with amusement at her antics, still holding her around the waist, but when he realized she might just stand in front of the mirror all day if left unchecked, he whisked her up in his arms and carried her off to the spring. "Be careful not to look at your reflection in the water as well, miko. You may recall that Narcissus drowned that way."

"Hey! You'd do the same thing if you'd been missing a part of you for a long time! It's only natural to want to play with it and test it out," she said defensively.

He untied his yukata and slipped into the water with a groan of satisfaction, watching his miko as she followed him, settling down with a contented smile. "Hn. You are correct. As it happens, this Sesshoumaru was without a part of himself for a time as well. When it was returned to me, I will admit to 'playing' with it, as you would say."

"Really? What did you lose?" She reached for his shampoo which was on the edge of the pool along with her things and motioned for him to dunk.

When he resurfaced, he wiped the water from his eyes and answered, "My left arm was taken from me over 500 years ago by Inuyasha in a fight over Tessaiga." He practically purred as his mate's fingers and, now, the added bonus of her claws, massaged and scratched over his scalp.

"Inuyasha cut off your arm?!"

"Hn. And he was right to do it. I was overly emotional and gave him an opening. He was defending his gift from Father and I resented them both for it. I saw Tessaiga as my birthright and railed at the thought of it going to my younger brother born of, what I believed at the time, an opportunistic human bitch who had betrayed my mother. I was hurt and angry and I let my emotions ruin my attacks. Inuyasha was nowhere near the swordsman he is today, but he was able to cut through my meager defenses and removed my arm. I transformed and formed my orb and sped away before he could finish me off. As it was, I had to hide away for many days to recover." He dunked his head to rinse the shampoo away before rising again.

"Oh, Sesshoumaru…" She kissed his wet shoulder. "How did you get it back?" she asked before loading up his beautiful locks with conditioner and massaging it though.

"This Sesshoumaru was in a battle, fighting alongside Inuyasha. I had a moment of clarity and realized I didn't want the Tessaiga after all, that it was where it belonged. Immediately following that revelation, my left arm regrew itself and in my hand was Bakusaiga, the sword I created. Bakusaiga is more powerful than any of my father's swords and thus at that moment, I surpassed him in power."

"Wow. That's amazing!"

He dunked again, using his hands to help remove the heavy conditioner she liked to use. When he resurfaced, he turned and tapped on her shoulder, letting her know it was her turn. She lowered her body into the water but while she was under, felt adventurous and latched on to his semi-erect penis with her mouth. She teased him with her tongue and lips, gaining an instant reaction from him until she needed air and resurfaced, throwing him a cheeky grin as she swiped water off her face.

"Why did you stop?" he asked playfully.

"'Cause I couldn't breathe, of course. But if you sit up on the ledge, I promise to finish what I started...," she vowed as she ran her hands over his chest, scratching him lightly with her claws in the way he loved, as she had discovered last night. She knew he wouldn't do that, because he almost never did what she suggested with his need to show her who was alpha, but she looked forward to his alternate activity, and he already had something in mind if the look on his face was any indication.

He sat up on the ledge, throwing his hair over his shoulder, and scooted back, sitting lotus. "Come, miko."

She had a feeling what he was up to, in fact, it was a position she had often wanted to try because it seemed so intimate but had never found the right partner. He had her stand above him and he licked her and played with her until she was dripping for him, until she was so weak-kneed she had to hold on to his shoulders to stand, then he led her down to sit in a perfect mirror of him in his lap. As she sat, he lined himself up with her and she impaled herself on him, both of them groaning at the delicious feeling. He supported her bottom in his hands and she wrapped her legs around him, holding on to his upper arms.

She was unsure how to move at first, but he led her, guiding her hips with his hands as he moved his own to thrust in and out of her. The difference in their heights was evened out in this position and they sat face to face, breath mingling, staring into each other's eyes as they found pleasure. She was starting to get the hang of things, using her legs as well to pull against him and push away, all the while exchanging short, sensual kisses with her mate.

Her mate. It had really happened. He was really hers. The most beautiful being on the planet chose her, loved her, owned her as she did him. She was glad she had never done this position with anyone before. It was new and exciting and just their brand of intimately delightful. His skin had dried of the onsen water but now beaded with sweat from the steam of the room and the effort of holding himself back.

She knew he was keeping this pace just for her, to remind her of their special time last night when he had made love to her, just as he was doing now, but what she now realized was that no matter what they did together from now on, it would always be making love. If she was gagging on his cock with her hair tight in his fist, it would be making love. If she was in the inu position and he was pounding away at her while sinking his teeth into her neck, it was making love. If he had her tied up and teased and licked her body until she sang for him, it was making love. They were fated, they were one, and they loved each other more than anything else in this world. Any time they enjoyed each other's bodies, they were expressing their love for one another.

Minutes turned to hours as they kept thrusting against each other sensually and she had lost track of how many times she had reached her pinnacle for him. And they were his: they belonged to him. He brought them to her and jubilantly accepted her moans and cries, her gasping shouts of his name. Sometimes he made her beg, made her hold off until he gave her permission. She was amazed that she had the control to do it, but waiting until he told her so made it all the sweeter. It was like he was taking possession of them, appreciating them all the more. And so he had done this time with her. She didn't know how many there had been, but she had given him each one and he had graciously accepted.

And so she begged him now, not for her release, but for his. She wanted that feeling of being tied to her mate, of being one, of him filling her to the brim. Gods, it was such an awesome feeling. "Please, Sesshoumaru…I need you…come for me…please…please, my darling…," she whispered huskily in his ear.

Her sweet entreaty broke the reign on his control and he grabbed her hips tight, sharp claws digging into her skin lightly, leaving ten perfect pinpricks, as he rammed himself home inside her, squeezing his knot past her tight opening and emptying himself into her with a growl. She joined him in bliss one last time, placing sweet kisses all over his face and stroking his hair as they came down.

She wondered if they could scoot themselves into the hot springs for the duration. Surrounded by warmth, with him shooting up inside her, nestled in his arms, as they both rode waves of bliss: a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

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A/N: LovelyLys asked in her review how many chapters are left. Hmmm…best answer: as many as it takes, but there's only a little bit of story left, one little arch after they're done loving each other up. I'm toying with the idea of a sequel, but mostly against it, at least for now. The part of me that's for it keeps saying, "C'mon, you didn't let her keep her holy powers for life if she wasn't ever gonna get to use 'em again!" We'll see.

I have two new stories in my head and that's a little confusing when I'm trying to work on one story at a time, namely this one, so if you like ROTSM, there will be more Sesshy-Kaggy fluff on the horizon from me. The next is gonna be a period piece, probably gothic. (think big, scary house, dark mysteries and a Byronic hero not lots of eyeliner and black clothing; Charlotte Brontë not Anne Rice…not that I'm remotely that talented, but you get the idea)

I actually have no idea why my story ideas are all AU. I almost exclusively read canon, in fact most AU annoys the bejesus out of me but I'm not sure why that is, either. Maybe 'cause it's easier to lose sight of the characters? God, I hope I haven't done that…

Also, special snuggly hugglies to Skyfire Dragono and Zerhai Dragonspirit for once again slapping me silly when I was stuck in whiny indecision about my final story arch. Yay! I made a final decision about the ending!

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Addendum to glossary in first chapter:

Koi Love

Koibito Lover, sweetheart

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