(I didn't reread it for typos 'cause I was too caught up in the story- so if you spot any, you know what happened.)

Chapter Eight

Mood Breakers

They had traveled most of the day in near silence, but- unlike their previous travel together thus far- that silence was not strained, nor awkward. The mood in the air between them was instead comfortable, almost light-hearted; Kagome had even felt like skipping several times. And perhaps she would have . . . if she wasn’t worried that Sesshomaru would think that she was acting like Rin.

The sun was beginning to sink low in the sky, sending a gorgeous orange-red light through the trees as she trailed only a step or two behind him, a bit of delicious anxiety weaving its way through her as she realized night was drawing near.

“Umm, Sesshomaru?” she ventured, breaking the silence for the first time since their heart-to-heart that morning.

“Mm,” he breathed the sound in a bored, even tone so that it barely held a lift of questioning.

“It’s getting late, shouldn’t . . .” she paused for a moment, trying to keep the hopefulness out of her voice, “shouldn’t we make camp soon?”

Narrowing his golden eyes at the setting sun, Sesshomaru sniffed at the air- it was not that he was unable to feel the slowly building desire within the miko, but that he had found that he rather enjoyed that hint of arousal lacing her scent. Yes, he even found that he enjoyed the reminder that she would only ever smell this way for him. However, he knew that if he dragged their journey on longer than necessary, that bothersome hanyou would undoubtedly come in search of them. He did not imagine such an interruption to the nighttime activities he and the miko were to share would put him in a terribly good mood, and although he would enjoy at last tearing the wretch’s head from his shoulders, he enjoyed the notion of an uninterrupted evening more.

“There is yet more daylight, we shall travel a short while longer,” he replied.

Feeling a little disappointed, Kagome hung her head, repressing a sigh. She really didn’t want to feel so urgent about it, but . . . when they got back to everyone . . . weren’t things going to have to go back to the way they used to be between them? She wanted to have as much time as she could with him- wanted to share more nights with him like last night- before circumstances forced them to separate.

“Oh, o- okay,” she muttered, trying not to sound sad, but failing miserably.

“Tell me, miko,” Kagome raised her head, surprised to find him looking at her over his shoulder, that corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly, “are you truly so anxious for night to fall?

The miko halted in her tracks suddenly, her blue eyes wide and looking for all the world like a frightened rabbit. “No, I . . . I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Hmph,” was all he said, though Kagome could swear she heard a hint of barely audible amusement in his tone.

Really . . . what had last night done to her? She picked up her pace again, attempting to collect her thoughts. Her body wasn’t sore at all, but . . . wasn’t a girl supposed to be sore after her first time? She still hadn’t thought about the fact that the act itself hadn’t hurt like it was supposed to, either; or about her miraculously healed arms, or that her neck didn’t hurt at all where he’d bitten her- or even the way that she could feel what he felt. So many other things she should be focusing on and yet . . . all she could think about was wanting to feel Sesshomaru inside of her again.

Blushing furiously, she bit deep into her lightly swollen bottom lip. Think about something else, Kagome! Raising her eyes, her gaze rested on his graceful, clawed fingers for a minute. Maybe . . . maybe if she touched him- if she felt his skin against hers- that sweet ache inside of her might subside for a few minutes.

Sesshomaru blinked, glancing down at the feel of her little fingers lacing through his. He simply looked at their intertwined hands for a long moment before returning his gaze to the forest-path before them.

“I- I’m sorry,” the miko stammered uncertainly, “Would you like me not to?”

Was she really still so nervous that he might turn her away? “It is fine. You will explain to me what the purpose of it is.”

“Um,” Kagome racked her brain for a moment, trying to think of it in terms he would understand, since ‘boyfriend-girlfriend stuff’ was both something he wasn’t likely to comprehend and incredibly lame sounding. “Well, were I’m from people hold hands as a sign of affection, especially when they’re . . . um, courting.”

Ah, yes, he had forgotten entirely about a proper courtship, a moot point now, was it not? “Courting,” he echoed, his voice as level and casual as always, “that is a step we missed, but we are beyond such things now.”

Kagome blinked rapidly a few times, attempting to digest the meaning of his words. “Beyond . . . what do you mean?”

He let out a breath that almost sounded like a sigh- wait, did Sesshomaru sigh, like . . . like normal people sigh? “Due to what occurred last evening we are mated, miko.”

Mated? Her heart skipped a beat. Wait, wait . . . wasn’t that the youkai way of saying married? Somehow, though, she wasn’t as shocked by this bit of newfound knowledge as she should have been; it was more like part of her already knew. Why wasn’t she alarmed by it? However jarring his words should have been, they simply ended up being pushed to the back of her mind with all the other things she should have been thinking about.

“Oh, wow,” she said, feeling like an idiot for saying it, “I guess . . . that really does make this a honeymoon.”

“You said such a word earlier; you will explain this to me.”

WHAT? He wasn’t upset or shocked about their sudden change in marital status, either? But then . . . she didn’t quite feel shocked, even though this was the first time it was crossing her mind. Maybe . . . maybe it was because despite how fast things had happened between them none of it- not a single second- felt wrong.

“Well,” she began, forcing her mind back on track as she kept her eyes on his hand around hers, “a honeymoon is when two people who’ve just been married . . . um, mated I mean. Alright, after the courting is done and the two people truly accept eachother as mates,” yeah, okay, that sounded feudal-era-youkai-ish enough, “they go away for a time just by themselves and spend the time . . . well,” she was suddenly blushing again, “pretty much the way we spent last night.”

His steps stilled and Kagome halted instantly beside him, his gaze meeting hers over his shoulder. “Then your logic is correct, miko. This journey is our honeymoon.”

That familiar heat was filling his eyes again, forcing her teeth to nibble furiously on her poor, bruised lower lip. Was it mentioning last night- suggesting that those sorts of things were going to dominate their travel to Edo- that had him suddenly looking like he wanted to devour her whole? Wow, never thought an idea like that could sound so nice.

Instantly Kagome tasted coppery wetness in her mouth. Dropping her gaze from his for a moment, she ran the tip of her tongue along her lip to find that she had accidentally torn the still-healing little wound open again. That sweet ache inside spiked sharply, as she remembered his tongue lapping at her blood, and she couldn’t help the tiny moan it forced from her lips as she brought her eyes back to his.

Sesshomaru’s attention was entirely focused on her torn lip; she thought she could even see the color of her blood reflecting against the gold of his eyes. Suddenly his mouth came crashing down on hers, capturing the wounded bit of flesh between his teeth and lapping at it as his arms wrapped around her hips, pulling her tightly up against him. Kagome clasped her hands behind his neck, clinging to him as he lifted her slightly so that the toes of her shoes brushed the forest floor and walked, carrying her until she felt her back press against a tree.

Setting her on her feet once more, Sesshomaru forced himself to release her mouth. “What,” the miko said, opening her eyes and he almost felt it a reward to see that nearly drowsy-seeming heat in them, “what’s with the tree?”

He was already removing his swords, followed rather quickly by his armor and pelt as he replied evenly, “In a moment, miko, you will be in need of such support.”

Suddenly he was on his knees before her, long, clawed fingers reaching beneath her skirt to slide her panties down, allowing them to drop around her ankles. Cupping the calf of one leg, he pulled it free of the bothersome ring of white fabric and brought it up to settle over his shoulder. The scent of her arousal washed over Sesshomaru, intoxicating him and he could no longer resist, burying his face between her thighs.

Kagome gasped, her entire frame giving into a violent tremor as she felt his teeth scraping gently over her, the tip of his tongue flicking in those wonderful, teasing circles again. Her little hands clutched at his hair as she allowed her head to roll back against the tree, her hips beginning to move of their own accord.

The miko let out a little, whimpering moan as the motions of her body fell into perfect rhythm with the stroking of his tongue and he could not help the purring growl that it forced out from deep in the back of his throat. He was so very hard already . . . aching to slide himself inside of her, to feel that moist warmth within the miko tightening around him. Growling again, he sealed his lips around the sensitive little bead, suckling and lapping at it.

Kagome trembled beneath his ministrations, crying out softly as the ache tore through her. She needed him to fill her- could sense that he needed it, too. Oh, why wouldn’t he at least use his hand? She rocked her hips harder, pressing herself more firmly against his tongue, feeling her body clenching tightly around nothingness, like it was begging for him. Suddenly she felt the shifting of fabric beneath her leg and then skin was pressing against skin.

Forcing her hazy eyes open, she looked down to see that he was undressing himself; the motion of his tongue never once faltering. Kagome watched in a daze, her muscles beginning to tense as he- already out of his haori- began pushing his hakama down his legs. She clamped her mouth shut, screaming behind closed lips as he suckled harder, pulling on her, drawing her more forcibly into his mouth, between his teeth, against his tongue.

Please, Sesshomaru! Please, please, don’t make me wait anymore! Her mind cried, feeling her body clenching hard once more. Suddenly he tore his mouth from her, uttering a sound like a snarl, the shock of it forcing Kagome’s eyes to open again. Before she could meet his gaze, he was already standing, his hands grasping her hips and spinning her to face the tree. She didn’t have time to question him as he pulled her back from it a few steps and pushed her shoulders forward. Bracing her forearms against the tree, she felt him brushing her skirt up over her hips as he positioned himself behind her.

She felt the very tip of his length push inside of her, almost crying when he paused, holding himself there. She tried to push herself back, to force his entry, but his hands on her hips held her still.

“Please, Sesshomaru . . .” she whispered, reaching a hand back to delicately wander the length of him.

The tone in the miko’s voice tore at him, the gentle fingers caressing him making him want to fill her entirely. But, though he’d not meant to tease her, it brought him an unexpected pleasure to know she desired him this much- to see exactly how much his mate needed him to take her. The knowledge was nearly as pleasurable as the act itself, but only nearly.

“Then miko,” he said, a hint of gruffness beneath his even tone, “you will need to remove your hand.”

“But . . .” her voice was trembling, and suddenly he felt it- the ache with in her was becoming so fierce it bordered on painful, that exquisite suffering that only this sort of need could create.

“I cannot fill you if your fingers are in the way,” he responded, almost amused with how quickly she responded, placing her hand against the tree once more.

He slid into her slowly, allowing her to feel every inch of him as he entered her completely. Kagome whispered a silent thank you, leaning heavily into the bark as he withdrew only to fill her again. Her legs felt warm and weak, as though they would go out from under her at any second even as she stood on her toes, her back arching, trying to push him even more deeply inside of her.

He groaned and she thought she felt him tremble as he grated out the words, “I fear I cannot be as gentle in this moment as I was previously.”

Kagome understood . . . she could feel a need suddenly raging through him. He wanted to force himself forward, to slam his length into her fast and hard and suddenly . . . she needed that same wonderful, violent penetration as much as he did.

“Then don’t be,” she muttered, her body tightening around him.

She felt his length sliding out of her before he paused yet again. “Are you certain, miko?”

“Yes! Just, please,” she’d never heard her own voice sound so pleading and distant as she whispered, “please just take me, Sesshomaru!”

Instantly he thrust into her fast and hard and as deep as he could bury himself. Kagome cried out, pushing herself against him before he withdrew, immediately forcing himself forward again, falling into a hard, nearly ferocious rhythm that had her gasping sharply at each stroke, her already closed eyes squeezing even more tightly shut. There was a delicate edge of pain to each of his thrusts, but it only mixed with that warm, spiraling pleasure flooding her body, adding to it- making into exactly what she needed.

He lifted one hand from her hips- the motions of the miko’s body need no such guidance- and tangled his clawed fingers into a fist in the hair at the back of her head. Leaning forward over her, Sesshomaru tilted her head to the side, exposing the healing bite mark he had left on her throat. He stopped just short of bring his mouth to the marred flesh, suddenly losing himself almost entirely in the feeling of being inside of her again, of that moist, delicious warmth of her tightening so fiercely around him. To think that he would fit inside this small, human miko so perfectly seemed a wonder all its own.

Kagome felt the pinch of his fangs through the wound in her throat, but it was oddly gentle- only enough to scrape the surface, to let her blood trickle out onto his waiting tongue. The soft lapping against the broken flesh such a jarring contrast to his hard, deep, wonderfully violent thrusts that it threw her body into chaos and she felt herself suddenly on the edge of an orgasm.

“Oh- oh, gods, Sesshomaru!” she grated the words out from behind clenched teeth, groaning loudly as she felt her body starting to tense, her hips stilling- allowing the feel of his hard length slamming into her again and again to consume her.

But . . . she couldn’t quite reach it. She wanted, needed, him to make her come so badly. It wasn’t fair; why couldn’t she push her body just a little further? She could sense that he needed her to orgasm as much as she did . . . he needed to feel her body tighten even more, quivering and clenching around his thrusting length.

What . . . she thought, surprised that she could think at all with Sesshomaru driving himself into with such delicious, thundering force, what’s . . . missing? Why was it so . . . easy in the dreams? His clawed fingers on her hip tightened, digging into her flesh and she remembered suddenly.

Sesshomaru felt a shiver run through the miko’s body. Opening his eyes he noticed that one of her hands had slipped from the tree. Still nursing her blood gently from the wound, he could not help that his thrusts became sharper, more fierce and jerking than before- nor the purring growl that rumbled up from deep in the back of his throat- as he realized her arm had disappeared beneath her own body, as he glanced to one side to see the back-and-forth motion of her elbow peeking out from under her abdomen. She would only ever experience such reckless abandon with him.

Kagome cried out, unable to feel ashamed that it was her own fingers working between her legs as the orgasm finally crashed over her. The sensation of her entire body clenching so, so tightly around him coursed through her, forcing her to push back against him, she needed it harder and harder, still.

The trembling and hot, moist tightening of the miko’s core around his length overtook him entirely. Tearing his mouth from her throat, he straightened up, returning his other hand to her hips to pull her hard against him, their bodies sealing completely against one another again and again. Still, he waited until he felt that warm pleasure dancing and spiraling through her body begin to fade; until she all but collapsed forward against the tree.

Little, delicious aftershocks of her orgasm pulsed through her as she felt Sesshomaru releasing into her, his hips giving that one last, violent, jarring and unspeakably perfect thrust. She forced her body into motion once more, sliding herself around his length again and again as he came. At last his hands on her hips stilled her motions and he bent forward over her again, delicately running the tip of his tongue over the wound in her throat.

Withdrawing from her, he slowly pulled her away from the tree and set his haori on the ground before it. Seating himself with the rough bark against his back, he scooped up the dazed miko and set her in his lap. Twining her arms around his neck she simply held onto him for a long, quiet moment.

After a time, Kagome lifted her head to find that Sesshomaru was already gazing into her face. One would never be able to tell he’d just completely ravaged a woman from the instant return of that calm and almost bored-seeming expression of his, but then, she thought, breaking into an utterly misplaced shy smile, that’s just Sesshomaru for you. And that was just fine with her because, despite his demeanor, she could feel that soft afterglow simmering beneath his icy exterior.

“What causes you to make such a strange expression, miko?” he said quietly- his tone as always making it seem more of a statement than a question.

“Hmm,” she muttered, realizing she was wearing a goofy little grin, “Oh, it’s nothing, just . . .” her gaze flickered from his for a tiny moment to rest on the tree behind them. “I think that out of all of the forests in the world, this is my favorite tree.”

One corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly as he snorted a sound that came dangerously close to sounding like a chuckle.

Did . . . did Sesshomaru just . . . . “Oh my gods, did you just . . . laugh?”

His expression sobered instantly, whatever trace of amusement might have been there vanishing completely. “I assure you miko that was I ever to utter such a ridiculous sound the fault would rest entirely upon your shoulders.”

“Hmph,” she breathed the sound, mirroring his expression as she propped her hands on her hips, sitting up perfectly straight in his lap. “And it is a blame I accept, gladly.”

“Why is that, miko?”

“Because I,” she couldn’t help smiling gently as she dropped her gaze, watching her own hands as she pushed some of his hair back over his shoulders, “I like seeing you like this; knowing that you almost smile sometimes, that you almost laugh . . . once in a while. It’s like . . . noone else has ever seen this side of you but me and, I don’t know, I just . . . I like that it feels as if you can only be like this with me.”

She met his eyes and just as he opened his mouth to respond he clamped it shut again instantly, the light in his eyes turning from gentle to coldly fierce, instantly. His gaze moved from hers, narrowing as it roved over their surroundings. Nose twitching a protective growl rumbled out of him as he silently lifted her out of his lap to set her on the ground beside him.

“What is it?” she whispered, wide eyed, trying to follow his gaze.

“It would seem we have an intruder who took advantage of our distraction a moment ago.”

Kagome’s breath caught in her throat as she watched him stand, flexing his claws. He stepped in front of her, nude and fiercely deadly and even more heart achingly beautiful to her in that moment than the moon in the sky.

“Come out, ookami,” Sesshomaru hissed.

Ookami! Kagome’s mind shrieked suddenly. Oh no, oh no, oh no, not . . . . Suddenly she found herself meeting the sad, angry pale blue eyes of Kouga.

“What is the meaning of this?” Sesshomaru demanded quietly.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Kouga replied, an audible growl in his voice.

“Kouga,” Kagome interrupted in a trembling near-whisper, “I don’t understand, were . . . were you spying on us?”

“No! I smelled this . . . this act a friggin’ mile away!” He hollered, keeping his gaze locked on Sesshomaru, making Kagome almost feel bad- not for what she’d done, but for his wounded feelings, that he was trying not to direct his anger at her even now showed his unfaltering caring for her.

“But . . . I just couldn’t believe what my senses were telling me. I had to come see it with my own eyes. You and . . . and him, Kagome?” Cracking knuckles, Kouga took a menacing step forward. “Give me one good reason not to tear his fucking head off!”

Miroku let out a heavy sigh as he and the children made camp, Jaken standing uselessly off to one side . . . as usual. Really, why did Sesshomaru keep the imp around? In the distance, he could still hear Sango and Inuyasha sniping at eachother. Yes, that he’d sent them off together to gather water and firewood . . . that had been an excellent idea, hadn’t it?

And how in the heavens had he come to find himself in charge of the motley little traveling party?

“OI, Sango watch it! That almost hit me!” Miroku just barely heard from somewhere down by the stream they’d passed a short while earlier.

“Perhaps that was the idea,” Sango railed at him.

Really, this was getting ridiculous.

Sango ducked, just missing the bundle of kindling Inuyasha threw back at her. “Dammit, Inuyasha! What the hell has gotten into, lately?”

“Hey now,” he dropped the pail of water and stomped over to stand directly in front of her, “you threw it at me, first! And I could be asking you the same damned question!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Inuyasha,” she replied, throwing down the rest of the kindling and folding her arms under her breasts to glare up at him. “I am perfectly fine and you already know perfectly well why I struck you earlier so, so . . .” in words she’d picked up from Kagome she finished, “just . . . get over it!”

Inuyasha snarled, clenching his fists so tightly that his claws bit into the flesh of his palms. “I already told you it was a slip! I never meant to say anything like that and don’t tell me you’re fine when you’re still clearly angry at me!”

“You think it really matters that it was a slip? You said it, which means you thought it! How the hell can you still be thinking so much about Kikyou? Do you have any idea how much it would have hurt Kagome if she knew you’d said something like that?” Brown eyes narrowing into menacing slits, Sango almost wanted to stop herself- wondering in the back of her mind why she didn’t- as she added, “At this point I really wouldn’t be surprised if she did choose Sesshomaru over you.”

Instantly Inuyasha’s hands were balled into the fabric of her collar as he hollered down into her face, “You take that back!”

“As if I would with you acting like this,” she tried to pull herself free, but he wouldn’t release his hold on her. “Inuyasha, you’re turning into a monster!”

Sango kicked him hard in the knees, trying to force him away from her, but with his hands tangled in her clothes the two ended up in a heap on the ground. The wind knocked out of her, she drew in a deep breath, only to feel to action press her breasts tight against Inuyasha’s chest. Suddenly . . . suddenly this felt . . . different.

“I- Inuyasha,” she stammered, looking up into his face as he, too, attempted to catch his breath, “get . . . get off me.”

“I can’t with your leg wrapped around me knee!” He met her gaze, “You have to move your . . . .”

For a long moment they simply looked at one another, each listening to the other’s slowly steadying breaths. It wasn’t clear who moved first, but suddenly his mouth was on hers. No, no, Sango’s mind was yelling, this is wrong! Push him away, kick him, do something! But her body wouldn’t listen to her commands and she felt her tongue parting his lips, slipping between his fangs to caress the inside of his mouth.

A little growl rumbled out of him as he tore his lips from hers, dragging them down to wander the side of her throat. “Sango,” he muttered, his fangs and tongue grazing and lapping over her pulse as he spoke, “we can’t be doing something like this!”

“I know,” she replied, her eyes drifting closed at the sensations his mouth on her flesh was sending through her, tearing blindly at the opening of his haori. “We- we need to stop!”

His hand slid between their bodies, cupping her breast and beginning to knead it roughly through her clothes. “Why are we doing this?” He asked, capturing her earlobe between his lips and nibbling gently.

“I . . .” her voice trailed off as she moaned softly, “I don’t know. Why can’t we-”

“STOP!” A frantic voice shouted from a few meters away.

The lust-ridden trance that had enveloped them broke suddenly as they both raised their eyes to see Miroku frozen on the hillside. Sango and Inuyasha scrambled away from eachother instantly as the monk's wounded and confused eyes shifted from one to the other and back again.

“Houshi-sama,” Sango began, tears immediately invading her voice as she got to her feet, “I- I’m so sorry! I- I don’t even know what . . .” her words died on her lips as he raised a hand, his head shaking.

“I heard . . .” he said quietly, “I heard what you were both saying. Let’s just . . . let’s just get this stuff back to camp I think . . . we need to talk, all of us.”

Miroku silently helped Sango gather the kindling bundles as Inuyasha stalked off to refill the water. He’d wanted to keep his thoughts on what was happening to all of them to himself until he could speak to Kaede; until he could confirm if what he was thinking could be true. But after what he’d just witnessed, he couldn’t think anything else. This could only be the work of outside forces.

First Kagome was off heavens only knew where- doing heavens only knew what- with Sesshomaru, then Sango and Inuyasha go from trying to kill eachother to ravishing one another in the middle of a forest clearing? What was next- Shippo and Kohaku fighting over Rin; Kirara birthing furry, two-headed dragon kittens from Ah-un?

Why couldn’t it just be something simple, like the world coming to an end? He thought in puzzlement, since that would be easier to handle than this insanity.