After the last remnants of Byakuya disappeared, it was like a dam burst. Creatures of all shapes and sizes swarmed the throne room, words soon unintelligible above the din. Shippou and the children were nowhere to be seen, safely tucked away inside Bokuseno's hideaway, but Jaken made himself known, squawking at their feet.
"What have you done now?" he demanded, ignoring how the king's arm was firmly placed around her shoulders. "The land is in an uproar! Nothing is as it once was. The king will have your head for this!"
Sesshoumaru's sigh wafted by her ear a moment before the tip of its boot lodged itself in the side of the vassal's skull. "The king will do no such thing," he said. "And you will show your queen some respect or face banishment." The command silenced the crowd, feathers and fangs pausing in their tirade as eyes of all colours stared up at him.
Kagome's were included, paired with a raised eyebrow as she waited for him to continue. The longer she stared, the darker his stripes became. "You do not plan on leaving," he said softly, lips brushing her ear.
She flipped her ash-covered hair over her shoulder. "Maybe I should. No one's actually asked me to stay." His grip on her tightened, claws digging into her arm as she struggled not to laugh. "It would serve you right if I did," she continued. "My work here is done. What reason do I have to stay?"
"You love me."
She placed a finger to her chin, head tilted to the side. "Do I? Could just be some weird hero complex brought on by fighting off your brother."
Amber eyes blazed, chest heaving as he seethed, but she held her ground. Fae spent their lives in the shadows, using their expertise to swindle and sway those who didn't know better. But she did, and she wasn't making any moves without a definite answer.
Rules be damned.
She raised her chin, unrelenting, and she finally saw panic in his gaze. His hand settled against her cheek. "The children will miss you," he whispered.
"And?" she probed.
"And the land will wither without you," he replied.
"And?"
"And I cannot live without you."
"Should've led with that one," she murmured, tugging slightly on his hair before claiming his lips. Amber eyes widened at the audacity, but quickly fluttered shut as he pulled her close, bending her at the waist as he sought more contact. Kagome buried her hands in his hair, power swirling around them before coiling together and crashing against the edge of the walls.
The cheer was deafening.
She knew she'd pay for the defiance, but the feel of his relief as he twirled her around was worth it.
She would stay.
"I don't remember this being part of the ceremony," Kagome said, twisting and turning in the mirror. "Aren't you at least supposed to wait until I leave the room?"
Sesshoumaru smirked, legs crossed at the knees as he met her gaze in the reflection. "Since when do you adhere to the rules?" he retorted.
She blew him a kiss before fluffing out the material of her veil. It was longer than her dress—and likely the only reason she remained fully clothed, outlining each angle in an added layer of magic. The flowers atop her head had been grown by Jinenji, one of the many gifts prior to their union.
Few gifts were allowed near her. Sesshoumaru permitted the children to inspect—and sometimes destroy—anything suspicious that could potentially harm his new bride. His brother's attack had left lasting scars, paranoia and protection morphing into an impenetrable shield that few had permission to cross.
She'd tried to reassure him, staying by his side more than usual, but she knew nothing would quell his worry except for time—of which they now had an abundance.
The lingering vestiges of her existence had worried her, though not in the way he assumed. Her job as an artist had left her with few real connections, and aside from Souta, her family had stopped believing in magic a long time ago. Gramps' claims about demons came with the territory of running a shrine, and though he'd labelled her a prodigy, it wasn't like she was the only one who could wield reiki.
He'd never truly understood her power, anyway.
A wayward breeze ruffled her hair through her veil, and Kagome closed her eyes. Breathing deeply, she let her power sink into the floor, answering Meikyuu's call. It was like an entity all its own, sometimes acting like an excitable toddler, luring her out to play. Other times, it was like an old friend, gratitude settling around her shoulders in a warm caress that had her falling asleep in random places.
The children had turned it into a strange version of hide and seek, tugging her out of her slumber and having her guess which of them found her first. Sesshoumaru had tried to talk them out of it, but napping in an open field was a far cry from her time in the dungeon, so she'd eventually convinced him to let them be.
When she opened her eyes, he was standing behind her, eyes downcast as he traced the lines of her hands. She shivered at the contact, eventually intertwining their fingers. "I thought you were trying to control yourself," she murmured.
"I am." He met her gaze in the mirror again, and she caught a flash of fangs. "You are lucky your dress remains in one piece."
"I'm lucky about a lot of things," she replied, smiling softly at his reflection and quelling the urge to kiss him. She knew there would be no ceremony if she initiated any contact. "So, how does this work?" she asked, brushing imaginary dust from her skirt. "Do we just get announced together?"
He smirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he turned from her. "I would never do something so mundane." A tentative knock sounded at the door, and she looked at him in question, but he didn't even grant her a backward glance before bidding their guest entrance.
Kagome stiffened as a gnarled hand gripped a just as gnarled cane, the tip scraping against the floor as if the owner was unable to lift it. His wrinkled face was worn but warm, and she had to stop herself from leaping into his arms.
"Good morning, Kagome," Bokuseno greeted, steadying himself in the middle of the room. "You look luminous." He was dressed in a dark green suit, gold thread decorating his shoulders and cuffs like branches, the tails from his coat trailing off into actual leaves.
"So do you," she blurted.
He smiled. "I have seen better days, but I thought a nice walk through the gardens would be lovely." He offered her his elbow even as his hands shook. "If you will humour an old magnolia."
Tears pricked her eyes, causing Sesshoumaru to scowl. "You promised she would be happy."
"It appears I misspoke, Your Majesty," Bokuseno replied, though his eyes danced as they always had. "Perhaps it is too stuffy in here. Once we get outside, I'm sure she'll be fine."
Kagome nodded, making sure her veil didn't get caught in his foliage as they exited the room. "You honour me with your presence," she whispered.
"Think of it as a debt repaid," he replied, patting her hand.
Her smile widened. "I will do no such thing," she said. "You might never let me back into your glade."
He chuckled. "I think there would be an uprising. I let a boisterous teen in several years ago, and she has been causing the king trouble ever since." Sesshoumaru snorted behind them as they laughed, and Kagome glanced over her shoulder with a smirk.
"I know. Isn't he lucky?" The sting of his power was immediate, but so was the smack of Bokuseno's cane against his shins.
"There'll be none of that, pup. She still has to agree to the bond." Kagome's laughter echoed down the hall and into the garden, the ground warming under their feet. Bokuseno paused, nudging her aside to make room for Sesshoumaru. "Off you go," he said.
Sesshoumaru hesitated, and she gave into the urge from earlier, pressing a kiss to his jaw through her veil. His eyes darkened momentarily before his power washed over them, his body shifting. He let out a feral growl, then bounded outside, quickly followed by the children old enough to control their true form. He led them on an animated parade, some following him into the air while the rest encircled the area at the end of the path.
Toadstools sprouted from the ground, their multi-coloured shells gleaming in the sunlight. Flowers soon followed, lining the path and urging Kagome forward. She took it slowly, not wanting Bokuseno to falter, but he made it without stumbling, remaining on the outside as she stepped into the ring.
The guests in attendance immediately quieted. The children scattered, their humanoid forms taking shape in sparks of coloured smoke. The beast encircled the ring, eying her carefully before stepping inside. She reached under her veil and stroked his face, tracing the moon on his brow before encouraging him to stand.
The shift was flawless, white fur giving way to silver and gold. His markings stood out against alabaster skin, rippling with power as he offered her his hand. Kagome clasped it tightly, allowing him to lure her into the forbidden dance within the ring. Doing so usually meant certain death, but she went willingly, leaning into each turn and dip.
Sesshoumaru kept his face placid, only giving away his pleasure when the sun caught the flecks of amber in his eyes. His movements were flawless, like a well-orchestrated dance meant only for her.
He was magnificent.
"Do not tire yourself out too quickly," he murmured, the arm around her waist tightening as her shoes skimmed the edge of the toadstools. They seemed to sigh, the ring stretching to accommodate their movements.
"If I don't, I'm sure you'll find other ways to do it." He growled in her ear, lowering his voice as he told her of what was to come, but her smile never wavered. "I'll hold you to that, Your Majesty."
She wasn't sure how long they danced or what the protocol was; all she knew was that there was nowhere else she'd rather be. The elements seemed to bend and sway along with them, the wind ruffling the trees as his subjects looked on in reverie.
They would have no other as their queen.
"You will be the death of me," he growled, towering over her.
"I doubt it," Kagome replied, squirming against his hold. "Besides, didn't you promise me eternity?" He had her pinned against the bed, having escaped the celebration in favour of some alone time. She hadn't argued, half tugging him out the door even as denizens of Meikyuu continued to congratulate and thank her for purifying their home.
The feral gleam returned to his eyes as she arched against the bed, her breasts barely covered by her dress. "I have promised you many things."
"And you'd never break a promise," she said, half-heartedly pulling at the grip around her wrists. She didn't really want him to let her go, but the slight struggle kept him on his toes—and his attention on her.
"Fae never go back on their word." Gods, she hoped not. Their dance had concluded inside the throne room—now turned banquet hall—for anyone wanting to join in their union. She'd smiled and played the part of the newly smitten wife, but his whispered words from the ceremony had haunted her for hours, soon proving too much.
Out there, he was the Killing Perfection, the King of the Fae. In here, he was just Sesshoumaru, and she whimpered his name as he pulled the bodice away from her skin with his teeth. He looked like he wanted to devour her, and she was all for it. If he would only let her go so she could prove she wanted him just as much.
She wriggled again as his breath fanned over her chest, fangs dragging against bare skin. "You are not going anywhere," he said, tightening his hold.
"I'm not trying to go anywhere," she half-wailed, kicking at the layers of tule covering her feet. Her dress had become a prison, tangling her limbs when all she wanted was the freedom to touch him.
"Yet, you continue to fight." He flicked a tongue out at her breast, catching the tip of a pert nipple, and Kagome sucked in a gasp, nails biting into her palms.
"Get me out of this thing, and I won't!"
Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow, pinning her wrists with a single hand as the other trailed down her body, taking in every curve the fabric emphasized. "I find you look quite ravishing in it." Considering it was currently bunched around her hips on both ends, Kagome was inclined to disagree, but she couldn't hide the blush at his compliment.
"I find it's getting in the way," she groused. She kicked at the skirt again. "I'll put it back on after if you want, but right now, I want to be naked!" She said the magic words, the fabric disappearing to leave her completely bare. Goosebumps roughened her flesh, but she couldn't tell if it was from the sudden lack of covering or the way he was looking at her.
"Better?" he asked, his fangs showing through his smirk.
"Much," she agreed. She traced the line of his pants with one foot. "Now you."
He traced the curve of her hip, delving into the junction between her thighs without touching anything vital, and her hips bucked, searching for more friction. "I have never known you to be so desperate," he whispered, wedging himself between her legs as he continued to tease.
"You wouldn't know desperation if it—" The rest of her rant was cut off as he claimed her mouth, quickly shoving his tongue down her throat. If he thought to intimidate her, he had another thing coming. Kagome's power rose, caressing his senses as she gave just as much as he did, her tongue curling around his as she kissed him back with vigour.
The pressure from his body increased as he focused on her mouth, eventually releasing her in favour of pressing her further into the bed. Kagome moaned in relief, wrapping her arms around his neck as she took her fill. He was so infuriating, but she knew she wouldn't take him any other way.
He might actually succeed in his teasing if she did.
He eventually pulled back, pupils blown wide as his clothes shimmered out of existence. She tried to pull him down but was quickly flipped onto her stomach, his hands sliding along her arms to keep her contained. "You have no understanding of what desperation truly is," he said, voice guttural. "Not until the same image appears in your dreams over and over again, only to be kept out of reach."
He kept her upper body pinned against the bed, his chest pressed into her back as he pulled her hips up. She was spread wide, face buried against the sheets as claws dragged up her thighs. She could feel him, the length of his cock sliding through slick folds but never penetrating. She tried to push back, to readjust, but he growled in her ear, forcing her to keep still.
"You were always such an elusive creature," he cooed, hands everywhere. He remained bent over her, claws digging into her hips as he left marks on her neck. "You escaped me the first time as you were underestimated, your power unchecked, but each time you appeared, I got a little better, a little closer to unravelling the mystery that was Kagome." She moaned, heat shooting through her at the sound of her name. She would never tire of hearing him say it.
"I wasn't—"
"Oh, but you were," he retorted, one hand fisting in her hair. "You pranced around the garden as if you owned it, then dared to save me in the dungeon." He gave a sharp tug, forcing her back to arch, and he came deliciously close to pushing inside, the bulbous head rubbing against her entrance.
A plea was on the tip of her tongue, but she bit down on it, wanting him to continue his sweet torture. Every part of her was sensitized, electricity skittering along her skin until she could barely breathe.
"But unlike your predecessors, you did not disappear." He smacked her ass, the pleasurable sting making her jerk, her body swallowing the tip of his cock. He soothed the red mark on her skin but didn't push forward like she'd hoped. "I was left with nothing but a phantom memory and an unfulfilled soul." He leaned forward, another inch slipping inside her. "You were dazzling in your defiance."
Kagome's fingers dug into the sheets, pulling the fabric taut between her hands as she struggled to focus. She couldn't tell if his words or his touch were more important, but the combination made her head spin.
"And you were still there when I woke." There was a change in his voice, and Kagome chanced looking over her shoulder, eyes widening at the sombre expression on his face. His eyes had gone out of focus, and deciding to push her luck once more, she forced herself onto her hands before straightening. The tip was still lodged inside her, but she wrapped an arm back around his neck, kissing the underside of his jaw.
"I'm not going anywhere," she reminded him, her other hand covering his as she encouraged him to stroke her body. The touching helped, eventually pulling him out of the downward spiral as he refocused. Her plea was audible this time, muscles clenching around him as best she could, and with a snarl, he yanked her back against him, spearing himself the rest of the way inside her.
Kagome cried out, her arm tightening around his neck as her body bowed further with each thrust. Heat pooled low and hot, the fangs at her neck only serving to increase its potency. She could feel every inch of him, the head somehow finding an overly sensitive spot each time his hips rose off his heels.
She breathed his name against his neck, which was both the right and wrong thing to do, as another snarl sounded in her ear a moment before she found herself face-first into the sheets again. He rode her through one orgasm into another, unrelenting in his claim as the song of their mixed moans echoed off the walls.
Nothing was enough for him. The clench of her muscles, the way she pushed back, the scream that was ripped from her as release tore through her. Claws punctured her thighs as he lifted her from the bed, stabbing into her as he sought his own ecstasy. He knew he would find her—there was no other that could handle him—and as the burn of his power left her reeling, his fangs sunk into her shoulder.
It was like a bubble popped.
The room was oddly quiet as power surged out of her, entangling with his as it engulfed her. Air left her lungs as she felt him swell, the added pressure making her see stars. But perhaps that was just the combination of their power, souls intertwining in an intricate display of fireworks. The sparks flew around the room, changing colour as they collided, and it wasn't until the last light found its mate that time started moving again.
Kagome sucked in a breath, whimpering into the sheets, and his tongue slid over the wound on her shoulder. It sizzled with a new power—a combined power—and the ground below them shuddered in relief. Managing to turn her head, she peeked at him through tangled curls. "You didn't tell me it would be like that."
Another pass of his tongue had her shivering. "You speak as if I would know such things."
Her body warmed at the thought that she'd been the only one to elicit that response from him. "And here I thought you knew everything."
He brushed her hair away from her neck, their bodies still locked together. "I cannot fathom a world where that is true when you are near."
"Because I'm just as smart as you?" she asked.
He snorted. "Because you challenge me on everything."
She let the barb lie, though she found a lock of his hair and yanked on it. "And don't you forget it."
He nuzzled her shoulder, his lips slowly working up to the base of her ear. "If you recall, even in the deepest vestiges of my brother's spell, your voice found me." His mouth moulded to her skin in its urgency, eventually turning her enough to kiss her deeply. Kagome was left gasping. "You have always refused to kneel. And I thank you for it."
Her mouth fell open. The king of the fae was thanking her?
Words wouldn't form, and their link eventually softened enough so he could roll her onto her back, still buried within her. Kagome automatically wrapped her legs around his waist. The haughty gleam returned to his eyes, and he started moving again; it did not take long before they were lost in the throes of passion, eagerly clinging to each other as the celebration continued to rage down the hall.
Everyone knew why the king and queen had disappeared from their own wedding, but none were foolish enough to disturb them. The land was thriving, their combined power eradicating the toxin from the very core of Meikyuu.
They deserved their privacy.