Lulled to sleep by the Sesshomaru's gentle petting and the occasional nuzzle, lick or nip to her feverish skin, Usagi eventually dozed back off in his arms and woke just before dawn to find him totally out cold, his breath ghosting along her neck, making her shiver at the sensation.

But she couldn't think about that for long, thanks to her bladder sounding an alarm that had her mentally squirming and her eyes floating. She tried her best to carefully extract herself from the tangle of arms, legs and mokomoko, but it wasn't one minute into her attempt to escape before Sesshomaru's eyes cracked open and they glittered down at her. "Sleep," he ordered, shutting his eyes once more.

"I need to pee, I'm sorry, Sesshomaru. Really, really bad."

Those golden eyes regarded her again and he sleepily blinked before nodding. "This Sesshomaru will take you."

"No, you sleep, Sesshomaru," she said gently with a kiss to the crescent on his forehead. "I'd really like to walk if I can, ok? I'll call for help if I have trouble, and come right back and sleep some more. Kay? Please? Gotta go now," she added urgently.

"As you wish," he rumbled, releasing his hold on her and closing his eyes once more, reflecting worriedly that he was having trouble dozing back off without her in the bed. Sure, it was an interesting novelty to hold a female while he slept, but he'd never thought he'd actually miss not having her snuggled tightly to his chest. Those slow, dreamy thoughts were interrupted when she slid back in beside him, though, and Usagi immediately shivered and snuggled tightly into his warmth.

"Cold outside," she whispered. "Gods, you're like a giant fluffy space heater," she added happily, humming with pleasure when he wrapped his arms and mokomoko about her tightly.

"You are still very hot, Usagi. Do you require medicine?"

"Nah," she yawned. "Just sleep… and moonlight. Didn't see any outside, though."

"It is the new moon. Now sleep. This Sesshomaru still requires much rest."

Usagi did as she was told, unable to think of a suitable argument when the crystal in her chest pulsed in approval and made her admit to herself that being in his arms felt like a hundred different kinds of heaven.

She was disappointed to wake again, roused by movement, and found him trying like she had to free himself from her grasp without waking her. "Nope. Stay put, Lord Fluffy. You're warm," she purred sleepily. "Mmm, thanks," she sighed when he only growled a little about addressing him properly, but went still so that she could lay her head on his chest.

"This Sesshomaru has lain in bed far too long," he finally rumbled when she began tracing delicious little patterns on his abs and the markings on his hips that had his inner demon wondering if she was well enough to be seduced. She probably wasn't even aware of doing it; he could tell that she was dozing back off and well on her way to deep sleep.

Usagi shook her head when she felt him move again and cracked open her blue eyes to smile softly up at him. "I take it you don't just relax and enjoy the little things once in a while, do you?" She whispered.

The tousled, sleepy look on her face did funny things to Sesshomaru's stomach—and his groin—when she smiled, and he found himself half-wanting to scurry away from the gorgeous creature in his arms. Damn it, when she genuinely smiled and wasn't simply being a smartass or mouthing off, she was stunningly beautiful, and it wasn't just his libido that was responding. "This Sesshomaru would like a chance to bathe," he finally responded, stopping the unconscious stroking of his hand through her hair when she shivered with pleasure. "I did not venture out while you were ill."

That smile shifted to something light and teasing, and he still marveled at her beauty when she winked at him. "So that's what I smell," she giggled.

"It is likely yourself," he responded almost lightly. "This Sesshomaru was unable to fully bathe you without travelling to the lake and did not want to risk your drowning. Though the thought of letting you crossed my mind several times."

Usagi gawked at that and then laughed. "Are you teasing me, Lord Fluffy?"

"This Sesshomaru does not tease," he replied solemnly, running a hand through his hair as he sat up. "And do not address me as such. It is highly disrespectful. You are allowed great liberty by not even referring to me by title."

"Tell me, Sesshomaru-sama, are you uncomfortable?" Usagi chuckled.

Knowing there was some sort of punch line, Sesshomaru nearly didn't answer, but the way her eyes were sparkling happily up at him had him entranced. "With what, pray tell?"

"That gigantic stick in your ass."

"You were much more alluring when your eyes were closed and you refrained from moving or speaking," he grumbled. "With your mouth, it is a wonder that all three of your bodies are not untouched."

"What can I say?" She replied sheepishly. "Many men have found my mouth quite enticing," she giggled, sitting up along with him and handing over the kimono at the head of the bed. The little grin on her lips died when he growled, his gaze locked on her mouth, and she tried for a shaky smile. "It was a joke… sort of."

"Unless it is a platonic reference, you will refrain from speaking of other men in my presence," he ordered stiffly.

The fresh hell…? He was jealous? "I didn't think such a thing would matter to you, since you're just going to fuck me once and leave," Usagi replied seriously. "That's it, right?"

Skirting the point she was trying to make, Sesshomaru donned his clothing and scooped her up, using his youki to fly them to the lake once they were out of the house. It was there that he finally answered. Sort of. "You have decided then. You will lie with this Sesshomaru."

"I never said that!" She yelped, wincing at the ache in her muscles from the fever when she squirmed out of his arms. Damn it, the way she'd worded her question had sounded an awful lot like an acceptance of the inevitable, though. "Contrary to whatever you might think of me, Sesshomaru, I don't just fuck around! I'm over two thousand years old, and every man I've ever shared my body with has been…" She shook her head and sighed sadly. "Special. With every one of them, I had my heart set on something more, and with a few, I had that. But many of them left me or died before I could find that something more."

"I know. This Sesshomaru heard you speaking with the wolf, remember? And it is not my intention to harm you, Usagi. My sole purpose is to give and receive pleasure, and get your scent out of my demon's head. Nothing more."

Usagi could only sigh once more and shed her nightgown, shivering as she waded into the chilly lake where she'd spent many nights in her goddess form. It was only when she heard him joining her in the water that she finally spoke. "Sesshomaru, I'm grateful to you for saving my life and want to find some way to repay you for it, but I don't know if I can just have sex with you in exchange. I don't do things like that."

The inu lord felt a touch of guilt at the tears in her eyes and approached her slowly, kissing the golden crescent blooming on her forehead. "Do not think of it as repayment if the idea repulses you so. This Sesshomaru will not consider it as such."

Usagi relented at the feeling of his genuine concern for her sadness wafting through her empathic powers, and gave his hand a brief squeeze, sensing his unfamiliarity with the gesture. "I'll think about it?" She suggested.

Tipping his head, Sesshomaru felt a little relieved, knowing that she would likely come to the logical conclusion and offer herself. "How long do you require?"

Puzzling over the question, she shrugged slightly. "I… I don't know. It's not the sort of thing that I can decide overnight," she whispered. "I don't understand how a daiyoukai's inner demon works, either. Will it like, get crazy or something if I refuse or wait too long? It would help me make a decision if you could give me some information."

"You may ask this Sesshomaru anything you wish to know, and he will answer truthfully," he replied as he began to wash himself meticulously.

Usagi nodded and produced a bottle of bodywash from her subspace, smiling at how little effort it took to do so. She really was getting better! "Oh, yay, I can even shave my legs," she sighed, retrieving a couple washrags, tossing him one, then digging around for a razor.

"Women in your culture shave their legs?" He asked curiously.

"And their armpits… and a lot of girls shave down there, too," she answered with a hint of color to her cheeks. "Minako once told me that going down shouldn't be like flossing your teeth."

Sesshomaru actually chuckled at that, fighting to keep it from becoming a full-blown laugh, and Usagi beamed at the sound. It was low and sexy, just like his speaking voice, and the way his lips curled up and his eyes glittered with laughter made him simply look kissable. "You should do that more often," she said aloud before she could stop herself. When he stopped chuckling and looked at her questioningly, she shrugged for what felt like the millionth time. "You're very handsome when you smile, Sesshomaru."

There was a long silence when he merely grunted and continued to bathe, and Usagi uncomfortably glanced his way on several occasions—especially when the washrag ventured south and below the waterline. "So, how long can your beastie thing wait?"

"This one does not know." Sesshomaru stopped then and truly contemplated the question. "It is the first time anything like this has happened with a female that was not youkai. And this Sesshomaru has never been denied. A female will emit a scent when she desires sex, and a male will appear and attend to her needs."

"Oh. So the woman just says, 'hey, I'm horny!' and a guy shows up to have sex?"

"If a male in the area is receptive to the idea, he will approach her and take her." Sesshomaru rinsed his hair then and noted that her arms seemed weak as she began to wash her own weighty mane. "This one will help you, megami. Soak it well, then get up on the bank," he ordered with a point of a clawed finger.

Usagi complied, but when he came out of the water, she looked away shyly and focused her eyes on a very interesting tree. Damn, if Sesshomaru wasn't one hot piece of sexy daiyoukai, and if what she'd caught a glimpse of had been any indicator, he was also very, very well endowed.

You can only prove that by seeing him aroused.

"Shut up shut up shut up!" Usagi hissed down at the silver crystal, tapping the glow in her chest.

Scenting a touch of arousal coming from the goddess patiently waiting for his help, Sesshomaru felt his lips twitching up in a smirk as his ego was generously boosted, knowing that she'd been turned on by what she'd seen. "It is commenting on my body?" Sesshomaru asked in amusement, unable to stop his hands from trailing beneath her hair to drag the tip of a claw down her spine.

"Just on one part of it," Usagi grumbled. Stop commenting on Lord Fluffy's junk!

Lord Sexy is more like it.

Aghast, Usagi just gawked down at the crystal. "You seriously did not just fucking say that! You are such a fucking ho!"

I call it as I see it.

Chuckling at the healer's flabbergasted expression, Sesshomaru took the bottle of soap from the ground and began to work it into her hair as he simply listened to her quietly argue with her weapon; apparently the crystal was vastly approving of his physique and trying like hell to convince its mistress to surrender her body to him, so he wasn't going to waste his breath on interrupting.

He nearly had all of her hair properly soaped by the time the debate between her and the crystal got heated, and by then it was obvious that she'd forgotten he was even there when she started to loudly rant down at the brightening glow between her breasts.

"That's it! By the gods! I swear, have you been like, possessed by Mina's starseed or something!? Because you totally fucking sound like her right now! Sesshomaru is not some piece of man meat for you to just gawk at and declare fuckable! He's a person and has other qualities that are just as admirable and sexy as his body, so just shut the fuck up!"

Usagi blushed, swallowed, then turned her head when she heard Sesshomaru chuckle and found him smirking down at her, his ego obviously well-stroked by her outburst. "This one is glad that you find so many of his merits appealing. Come, let me rinse your hair, and you can enlighten me on which qualities you find most attractive."

Once in the water, Usagi had regained her mental balance and she snorted and shook her soapy head when he gestured for her to continue. "Why? I don't have to do a damned thing for you to want to fuck me, Lord Fluffy. Shouldn't it be you that's trying to woo me with compliments?"

"This Sesshomaru believes in actions, not words," he purred as he stepped forward and bent low to nip at her ear. "And do not call me that again. Ill or not, I will punish you for your insolence next time?"

Is it a punishment if you enjoy it?

"For the last time, shut up!" Usagi hissed down.

But you enjoyed it when Alucard punished you for teasing him, if I recall. Wasn't there a silk rope involved and hours of—

"That was Alucard, not Sesshomaru, and if you don't shut the fuck up, I will pluck you out of me and bury you at the bottom of an ocean!"

"Yes, by all means, cease speaking of this other male. Both of you," the inu lord growled, pulling the healer tight to his chest and lowering her into the water so he could rinse her hair. "Tip your head back," he ordered, then grit his teeth when she did as she was told, fully exposing her throat to him. Such a display communicated a female's total surrender to a male youkai, and the way her eyes were slipping shut in utter trust made him want to wrap her legs around his waist and take her right there. "You need to rinse your own hair," he finally choked out, helping her to stand before backing away quickly.

Usagi had felt just why he had backed off and blushed as she also scurried away by a few more feet. "Sorry," she whispered, not even sure why she was apologizing.

Just as impressive as you thought?

"Shut up," she hissed for the millionth time at the crystal. Though truth be told, she was quite impressed with the arousal she'd felt pressing into her hip, and she resisted the urge to lick her lips as she totally submerged herself in the water and held her breath, scrubbing the soap from her ankle-length locks. "There, all done," she said when she came up for air, only to find him very, very close. "Sesshomaru?" She squeaked, swimming far back into the deep water to put some space between them, which he only closed once more.

Smelling her fear, the daiyoukai stopped moving and closed his eyes in an effort to block out his inner demon's desire to seduce the hell out of her. "She is still not well," he breathed. "You must be patient."

"Thank you," Usagi whispered when he opened his eyes and regarded her silently. "I'll go put my clothes on, now."

"That would be best."

With that, she dove under and moved swiftly to the shore, gulping for air as she surfaced and drew two towels from her subspace. She set the second on a clean rock for Sesshomaru, wrapped her hair, then dressed in a long skirt and a camisole. "There, all—" She had turned as she'd spoken, and Usagi choked on the rest of her sentence when that godly body came out of the lake fully aroused. "Um—uh—well—"

Seems you were right, Majesty.

Unable to even retort as she stared with wide blue eyes, Usagi found herself licking her lips and imagining doing the same to the lengthy treat approaching her steadily.

"Do not stick it out unless you plan on using it, megami." Sesshomaru smirked when that little pink wonder disappeared back into her mouth and she turned bright red, swiftly looking away from him and staring off at another very interesting tree.

Still reeling from what would forever be burned into her memory, Usagi didn't even hear him approach and actually yelped when his arms went around her from behind and her nipped at the back of her neck.

"This Sesshomaru is pleased to have made such an impression," he rumbled knowingly, his lips twitching up against her skin. "We shall return now, and you shall rest. This one can tell that your body is sore, and you are still very hot to the touch." When she only nodded and wouldn't look at him, he scooped her up and saw how red she was just before she concealed her face in his kimono. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, Usagi. This Sesshomaru has seen you naked many times and you were never bothered by it."

"Because I hang out with mikos in the nude at night and give kisses to boys that have the balls to sneak out and ask for one!" She retorted without looking up. But when he growled, she huffed into the silk and shook her head. "It's a game, so don't get all snarly with me, Lord Fluffy! The boys dare each other to come out to the lake, and if their intentions aren't overly impure, I give them a kiss. If not, the mikos kick them out of the clearing. It's become a rite of passage over the last several years, and now the boys think my kisses are lucky."

Sesshomaru merely grunted and carried her to the futon, placing her carefully upon it before leaving the room and returning with a small clay pot. "Disrobe," he ordered in a business-like tone. When she hesitated he huffed with impatience. "It is an ointment for your aches. The hanyou brought it last night after you had fallen asleep."

"Oh. Well, I can put it on if you'd like and—" Usagi shut her mouth when he shot her a look that told her he would harbor no protests, and quickly shed her camisole. Another sharp look had her discarding her skirt as well, and she laid back down and gazed up at him a little nervously when he knelt beside her on the futon.

"Relax," he grunted, dipping his fingers into the pot to coat them in a lavender-scented ointment. He started with her arms, carefully spreading and massaging the medicine into her biceps, working his way down to her hands to gentle work it into every sore joint. By the time he finished with her second arm, Sesshomaru paused for only a moment to take in her angelic face. Her nerves seemed to have disappeared, and her blue eyes were half-closed and her body relaxed, and every now and then she had let out a little sigh of pleasure whenever he'd nursed a spot that was bothering her.

Usagi's chest came next, and Sesshomaru hummed in amusement when he began to massage the ointment into her breasts and she let out a sound so quiet that he barely even heard it. "I am hurting you?" He asked, knowing very well that he was doing quite the opposite. There was already a hint of arousal perfuming the air as he slowly rubbed the medicine into her nipples, dragging his thumbs over them several times even after he had finished with them.

"Fine," she peeped, gnawing on her lower lip as he moved to the undersides of her breasts. Gods, his hands felt like absolute heaven, and if she'd been in her goddess form she wouldn't have bothered choking back the soft moans that were threatening to erupt from her mouth. When he reached her flat stomach she relaxed again and thanked the gods that he was no longer in a place that would arouse her badly, even though his gentle ministrations weren't curbing the heat that had built between her thighs. "My back is the worst," she managed when his fingers drifted further south and stroked over her curls.

"Then turn," he said, fighting back a chuckle. He knew damned well what she was doing; he could smell her desire and she was obviously giving herself some time to calm down before he moved on to her thighs. Well, this little megami was about to discover that he could use any part of her body to turn her on, whether or not it was normally one of her sensitive spots… and of course, there was another little matter that he still had to deal with, but he would get to that bit of business shortly.

Relaxing on her stomach, Usagi sighed in relief, but was quickly shutting her mouth and breathing in sharply when he delicately caressed the length of her spine with only his nails. "No, Sesshomaru," she whimpered. "Wrong body… and I haven't decided."

"And you are still ill," he added to her list of complaints, "but it does not mean I am not curious."

"You're curious an awful lot, aren't you?" She muttered dryly.

"It is in this one's nature; he is a dog demon. Dogs are extremely curious creatures, especially when it concerns certain scents… and the scent you are emitting now is very enticing."

"I can't help that and you know it." She then shivered when his claws whispered over her sides, and tried not to jump as they curved over her hipbones. "Ticklish there!" She warned him, sagging when he withdrew and returned to her shoulders, his hands now lightly coated in salve. "Besides myself, what are you curious about?"

"This Sesshomaru will admit the he is very curious about human mating customs. You have yet to ask me any questions, so I do not know if our cultures greatly vary."

"Oh, well…" Usagi puzzled that over for a moment as he lingered at her shoulders, massaging them until she was relaxing into the futon and sighing with pleasure. "Mmm… don't youkai date?" When he didn't answer, she elaborated. "Courting, I suppose."

"Like the hanyou and the miko did before they mated," he uttered softly. "No. This one is sure his father courted the hanyou's mother as well, but youkai do not normally mate with the same partner more than once."

"Huh? What about your parents?" Usagi asked, turning her head to see his eyes bleeding a little red around the edges. She swallowed at the sight and quickly backpedaled. "Never mind, sorry I asked."

"No, this Sesshomaru vowed to answer your questions honestly. InuTaisho and InuKimi were an arranged pairing, since my father was the Lord of the West and needed an heir. Once that heir was produced, they spent less time together… even though they were bound as mates. InuTaisho became infatuated with a human princess and mated her after several years away from my mother."

"Wow… that's kinda fucked up," Usagi whispered. "Please tell me she kicked his ass?"

"My mother bore him no ill will. Why she did not puzzles me greatly to this day. I would have been furious if I had been in her place. Inu mate for life once a bond is formed."

"That's so sad, Sesshomaru. I'm sorry." Usagi closed her eyes then as he gradually worked lower, clearly massaging her back beyond the purpose of simply applying the medicine.

"Do not be. Tell me, do humans mate for life as well?"

"Mmhmm… I've been married a few times, actually. For life," she sighed sadly.

"They passed on."

"Yeah… I was married to Sabin the longest, and it was a wonderful life with him. He had a lot of great friends that I enjoyed spending time with as well. Even his pervert brother, Edgar. He's a lot like Miroku, I imagine. Kagome told me all about him. The longest relationship was Alucard, though… we weren't married in the technical sense since he thought the ceremony was meaningless, and I sure as hell wasn't going to force him into a church," she added with a tiny smile. "Er, a temple," she corrected when she sensed Sesshomaru's confusion.

"Ah. Inu mating is done with a mark to the shoulder or the neck, either just before or during the consummation. There is no ceremony."

"Sounds a lot like Alucard," she giggled. "Gods, I miss him… I hope he's doing alright."

"He could not tolerate your light? I recall you saying as much before."

Usagi nodded and sighed wistfully. "I could have stayed in this form, but I would have died of old age if I'd stayed in it too long, and since Alucard is immortal, the temptation to bite me and make me like him was too great. At least in this body. So after a close call, I stayed as Serenity or Cosmos. His kind can't tolerate the sunlight, and I love it too much to let it go," she explained. "They also drink blood."

"Which this one has noted, you are not fond of."

"Ew, no. Not at all. Mmm… right there," she purred when he moved to her lower back. "When I'm a little better, I wouldn't mind returning the favor, Sesshomaru. You ever had a massage?"

"Yes, this one has had many. Remember that I am a lord. But if you are offering for the sake of exploring this Sesshomaru, I have no objections," he chuckled, sliding his hands down to her perfectly rounded bottom. He relished the soft moan that escaped her lips then and rewarded her with a caress to her inner thighs, which drew another one from her throat. He'd been arousing her the whole time without her even realizing it as he'd distracted her with conversation, and now every inch of her was tingling with sensitivity and begging to be touched.

"Sessh… Sesshomaru…? I… I think we should stop," she gasped as he moved to her thighs and they parted on their own as her body ached for more.

"No, I do not think we should," he replied with a thoughtful hum. "There appears to be an ache here that requires my utmost attention." He said that with a slow stroke to the crease of her sex, and wasn't disappointed when she whimpered and involuntarily arched into it. "Besides… this Sesshomaru promised punishment should you refer to him disrespectfully. You did so while we were returning to your home." Scenting her fear, he eased his fingers past her folds, careful not to prick her with his poisonous claws. "Do not worry; this Sesshomaru has no intention of harming you or taking you. This time. And if you hold still and do not complain, I will not withhold your pleasure."

Just go with it! Enjoy it!

Do not fight him, he is serious about that and will coerce your submission should you struggle.

That first voice in Usagi's head had come from the crystal, but the second had been from the Tensaiga and sent a shiver down her spine as she tried not to moan and encourage the daiyoukai gently caressing her sensitive flesh. Then a thought struck her and she turned her head to glare at him. "And just how is this a punishment?" She snorted. "Getting me off is more like a reward."

Humming in amusement, Sesshomaru flipped her and pinned her arms behind her head. "Call it a lesson, then. A lesson in self-restraint, megami. For if you move an inch, this Sesshomaru will cease to touch you." It would also be a lesson for him, and he would learn what pleased her, what would make her moan and writhe for more, since she was sure to move a few times throughout the ordeal. "Hopefully this will teach you to control your tongue as well as it teaches you to control your body."

Oh yeah. Lime ahoy! Next chapter bumps us up to rated M, ladies! So R&R and I'll post it! I want some reviews, damn it! …and if I don't get a lot, I'll have someone bust in and interrupt before he's even properly teasing her! :P Mwuhahahahahahaha! If I do, someone will knock after she's gotten dressed. :D