People, this is the last chapter.

No more chapters after this. No epilogue. No sequel. This is it. Maybe, if I get enough people that want it, I'll either write a Kikyo/Inuyasha one-shot, where we get to see what happened to them, or a Rin and Sesshouamru story, where we see more of Sesshoumaru's past. In the first, there would be some Kag/Sess, and in the second no. It's up to you. You decide if you want the one-shot, but I will definitly not add more chapter to this.

I will, however, write another story that is already being planned, but I will not post it until december because I have lots of work, almost no time, and I would only be able to update like once evey month or maybe two months, and I don't want to do that to you. However, I will put an advance at the end of this. Be warned, it's going to be a bit darker than this one.

To my lovely editors that made this story possible…

Fluffy's lady – Thank you so much for your help! And I'd be so honored to have you as my beta for my next story!

Collette – If someone has helped me with this story, it has been you. You've done so much for it, and I can't ever thank you enough, and we'll work on the next story and wow, can you believe this is over?

Victoria – You too have been a great help, and thank you so very, very much for my stressing over chapters and all that! Thanks for your patience.

Thank you three for making this story better, and making me a better writer. Those things can not ever be thanked for enough times.

My last thank you's…

jaylin cage – Oh my, I loved that last part of your review. So…emotional.

ReedyRulz – Yey! So happy this was your first story!

TrueGemini – Definitely worth it.

MidNite Phoenix – I totally agree with you on the 'Edward' actor, and I'm dying to read 'Breaking Dawn'.

Hattaru – To make people like Sess/Kag is my price, and I'm glad I did it with you!

Spirit's Fire – You bet I'll write another one!

Lady Sann – I know! I was, am, so not ready to let go of this story!

Autumn Misery – It's part of me, too, and it is over, but hopefully you'll leave with a good taste in your mouth?

Sakura Taisho – We all weep L

Mlmonty – Thanks for the congrats, and…you'll have to read to find the happy ending.

Angelo Mist – Oh, that song is…yeah, and thank you for finding such interest in the story that you related it to a song! Really, thanks.

Kelly Locise – Thanks for the vote of confidence in my abilities.

Dawns Heart – Your review is, by far, one of the best I've ever gotten, and I can only hope this last chapter is worth of such a great reader.

Poisonflower – Thanks for the add. Really. And I'll add write another Sess/Kag story, so maybe you can read that one.

Lovemeprincesskagome – As a writer, I appreciate your reviews, and I'm pleased you love it enough to print it.

Attackedbyangrysocks – I know! I just couldn't see him asking her to marry her. He had to do it with that question.

Zero-serenity – I love that passage, too, especially the last lines.

Sayuri-girl . I wanted Kagome's love for Sesshoumaru to be different from her love for Inuyasha. I wanted it to be special, to be something she could only feel with one man and not ever feel it for another one. I wanted it to be the love of a woman, and not a teenager.

REWOFF – Thanks for being such a loyal fan.

Shakespeareismyhero – Every single review you gave me has been…educational and moving and simply wonderful. As for Kag/Sess…I think for their love to be truly transcendental, they have to realize that no, they won't die without each other, but yes, they're better when they're together, and they have the choice to not want to be in a world without the other. It's a decision, not a necessity, and isn't that love? Choosing to be with someone because you want to and not because you need it? In my opinion, that is what Sess/Kag could have, and what Inu/Kag could never.

Sesshy's Princess Kagome – You live in Montreal? I was born there! And I love that city! I plan to move there after I finish my career, but yey, it must be great to live there!

Kelly – Thank YOU for reading it and appreciating everything I've put into this story.

EnchantressXofsouls – Of course I'll read your stories! Just give me a bit of time. I'm extra busy right now, but as soon as I find time, I'll give them some thought.

condemned-2-fate – Thank you for your offer. Right now, I won't need one (I'm not planning on starting a new, long story for a few months) But as soon as I do, I'll see how my editor situation is.

anime4mealways – oops, didn't mean to make anyone cry…maybe just a little, but hey, maybe you won't cry at the end of this, if I was in a good mood when I wrote this.

Jamilia Isabekova – You founf a way to make your review get to me! I can not say how wonderful that felt, and I truly do hope you enjoy this story from the first to the last word, and wow, it truly is amazing to find such wonderful reader and person!

Melantao: Sorry I couldn't update sooner, but this had to be edited, and some things (you'll see at the end) had to be done, but I did try. Just wanted you to know that.

To all those who read this story, cried, laughed, and loved with it. To you, who spent hours reading it, and hours wondering when the crazy writer would post again. To the people who have read this story from the beginning, or at the middle, or anywhere, really. To all the reviewers. To those who I did not reply back (trust me, I read every single review, and every one was read with care, and all of them made me smile, and wow, more than 2500 reviews). To all of you, who took the chance to find out what 'Twisted Hearts' was all about.

And finally, so that no one takes this story from fanfiction…

This contains a lemon. There is nothing signaling where it starts because it ruined the fluency of the story, but you have been warned.

Twisted Hearts

…if this isn't love

So here I am, and there you are, and only a few centimeters separate us, so let us stop wasting time, for even if we live forever, time will still not be enough for all the love we have.

ooOOoo

Life did not go on for Sesshoumaru.

True, his company had grown bigger in the last months, but it was as if his life was suspended. He only seemed to do two things now days: work and think of Kagome.

He hated that.

He figured distance was all he needed to forget her, and it was becoming obvious that not even distance would do the trick. He was also sure that time would not do it either.

Years went fast for youkai. Months were nothing to them. The last three months had been eternal to Sesshoumaru, and he was beginning to conclude that maybe he had made the wrong decision.

This did not please him at all.

He always did the right thing. He was never wrong. He could not be wrong about leaving Kagome. Because of him, she had been tortured, and it was for the best that he left. Except his body found it hard to sleep when she wasn't next to him, and he missed his midnight snacks. He tried to do them himself, but after a week, two stoves broken, and one exploded microwave, Sesshoumaru had to admit that cooking was the only thing in the world that he could not do.

In addition, the stupid hotel did not serve midnight meals. When he had finally gotten them available so he would stop terrorizing the employees, he was so disappointed that he gave up on midnight snacks.

He blamed it on Kagome.

That did not make her absence better. If anything, it made it worse.

So there he was, Sesshoumaru expanding Taisho Company to Canada, and he felt no satisfaction because all he wanted was to annoy the miko and touch the miko and kiss the miko. Well, he wanted to do more than kiss her, but Sesshoumaru refused to go there because that only made him more nostalgic, and he had never been nostalgic of anything in his life.

Except Rin, but that was another matter.

Because Rin had been a small light in his very dark world. She had been the innocence he had crushed when his father dismissed him with a look. She had been the tenderness he had forgotten, and she had, without trying at all, given him the one thing he had never had.

She had allowed him to take care of her.

Never, in all his life, had he ever taken care of someone. He had been the center of his own universe. He had forgotten his mother, his father, whatever friends he might have had. He did not know what taken care of someone meant. He hadn't wanted it.

But Rin had not cared.

Whatever he thought, whatever he felt about her, it did not matter to her. She had been dropped at his door, wounded and on the brick of dead, probably left there because the idiots had not had the courage to end her. They'd let her at his door, so he would finish what others could not.

He hadn't been able to end her, either. She had looked at him, smiled, and fainted, like she could finally let go because he was there, and everything would be alright, and how could anything go wrong if he was there?

Just like that, she had trusted him of sight. He had never been trusted in all his life, not by anyone that had not known him from when he was a child. Respected, feared, yes. Trusted? No.

She had. Something in him had refused to kill her.

She had become his adopted daughter, and for a while, having her had been enough. She had made him a bit more…human, and a bit less demon-like.

The small, brief, light of his darkened life. And when she had gone, when all his light was turned off, he had become even colder than before, refusing to ever again commit the mistake of caring after someone. Never again would he feel the devastating pain of having someone you cared for being taken away. Never again would he lose someone else because he would never again care for someone.

He was done with emotions. They did nothing but spat at his face. His admiration for his father had let to deception. His love to his mother had ended in devastation. The care he held for Rin left him blind in a world full of color-

If emotions liked to laugh at him, then he would laugh at them even more.

What good help it had done, what with Kagome in his life.

The woman respected no rules, no barriers, no self imposed codes.

He missed her, but he refused to go back for he had made his decision, and backing away from it would mean that he was wrong. Being wrong made Kouga and Inuyasha right, and he would rather never sleep well again than give them that satisfaction. They would not be right if he was wrong.

But he missed her.

Sesshoumaru was not happy at all, and the only thing that comforted him was that his half brother was not happy either. He was looking for his mate. He hadn't found her. Sesshoumaru thought he would never find her, and that was Inuyasha's problem. Sesshoumaru had enough problems of his own, like figuring out ways to stop missing Kagome. In the past, he never had problems with happiness. He had not felt it, never touched by it, except for the few years that felt like seconds when he took care of Rin.

But the happiness Kagome brought him could never be compared to Rin's. Where Rin had been like the light breeze, Kagome was a storm, fireworks, warmth that threatened to burn him. He wanted nothing but to be burnt by it.

He was not making any progress.

Work did not do the trick for forgetting. His mind always seemed to find time to distract itself and start strolling to Kagome. He refused to entertain himself with other women. The thought alone made him nauseous, he would be looking for Kagome in them, no one would ever be Kagome, and he would just end up angry and kill someone. Kagome would not appreciate that. Even if Kagome wasn't with him, he was sure she would not take it kindly if he killed a human.

Drinking was also out of the question. Contrary to popular belief, Sesshoumaru did not like pain. He liked inflicting pain to others, but not pain to himself. He got enormous hangovers, and those included pain, so no drinking for him.

He was haunted by the image of Kagome.

Sometimes, he hated her for it. Most of the time, he just missed her more. Sesshoumaru thought if things kept going as they were, he would have to admit that he was wrong, and he had made a horrible decision.

Then, what would he prove going back? Kagome would stay by his side, he was sure. She had, after all, gone through so much for him. She cared, but if he went back, would she stay by his side because it was the easiest thing? Because there was nothing else for her?

Kagome cared for him, but did she care more than she had for Inuyasha?

He could not believe how insecure he felt. He could not believe that insecurity was part of why he was not going back.

He needed her to find him. He needed her to come to him this one time. He yearned for Kagome to finally look at only him, and he needed proof to that. How lame could he get?

Sesshoumaru could not believe what that small, clumsy, fragile, annoying, absurd, human woman had done to him. But he wanted and needed her to come to him, so he refused to go to her.

Kagome would be the end of him.

Life, too, seemed reluctant go on for Kagome, but she had known that since the beginning.

That would probably explain why she was in Montreal, had threatened a poor woman to tell her which room was Sesshoumaru's, and was currently trying to break in.

Sesshoumaru was a bad influence on her. Kagome wasn't concerned, but she did know one thing.

She did not want to be free of Sesshoumaru.

It had not taken a lot of thinking to get to this conclusion. Her body refused to let go of him. It longed to feel him by her side, to the point where she could not even sleep well in his absence. Her head kept going back to thoughts of him. Her heart just wouldn't allow itself to forget him.

In Kagome's mind, this was exactly where she was supposed to be. Of course, it would be better if she didn't have to break some laws to get to the annoying youkai.

"Excuse me; did you forget your key?"

Kagome turned, mentally swearing having been caught, but smiled at the young man in front of her.

"Ah…" She wondered just how suspicious she looked. "Yes?" Now she had blown it. To her utter relief, he smiled.

"Here, let me open the door for you."

Kagome's jaw dropped. "Really?"

"You're Mr. Taisho's wife," he said, unlocking the door. "I recognized you from some pictures of the wedding."

Kagome still could not get her mouth to close.

"So…" he said as the door to his room opened, "I hope you surprise him." He winked at her. "He hasn't been in a good mood. I bet he misses you."

He eyed her sensually, but Kagome was feeling too thankful to care. She was just glad Sesshoumaru wasn't there; he'd end the poor boy's life in the most horrible way.

"I would miss you."

Such a horrible death this boy would get. Kagome gave him a warning look, but he laughed.

"Good luck, Mrs. Taisho." He left, and Kagome stared into the room. Quietly, she entered it and closed the door behind her. She walked around, looked at the few things Sesshoumaru kept then promptly jumped in the bed he slept in.

She let out a loud laugh. The room smelled like him; she finally felt like she was home. She felt right where she needed to be. She felt closer to Sesshoumaru. She smiled. Now, all she had to do was wait.

Kagome was tired of waiting, and she would make damn sure to make Sesshoumaru understand that.

She would never wait for him again because he was not leaving her ever again. She'd be damned before she allowed it.

And she would give that dumb, stupid youkai a piece of her mind.

Her scent hit him before he was even close to the hotel.

At first, it was so, so meek he didn't pay it much attention. After all, he was used to thinking he smelled her scent, watching her black hair, or hearing her laughter. He supposed his mind was playing tricks on him again. But as he drew closer, the scent intensified, becoming stronger as the limousine got closer to its destination.

He ignored it. He refused to give into his mind games. His face went blank, like it had been since he left Kagome three months ago, as it had been before he met her. He kept his eyes on the view, but his expressionless eyes had a bit of a shine, an edge to them.

Kagome, or even the imaginary Kagome, tended to bring out reactions in him he did not even know he was capable of.

He arrived at the hotel, the scent hitting him so hard he had to stop for a moment. The limousine driver even had time to open the door for him, which snapped him out of his fantasy of Kagome being in this hotel, and he got out of the car, passing everyone without a glance as he went to his room.

And the scent found him every step of the way, stronger with each step he took.

He stared at the door, the key in his hand, unable to open it. He couldn't believe he didn't dare open the door to his own room.

If she was…maybe…really here…

She could very well not be here, and then Sesshoumaru would consider himself a fool, and he was no fool.

He would stay outside his room, or book at another hotel, or something.

He would not enter his room.

And he was not a fool.

Except, all his things were inside. Besides, Kagome was clumsy as hell. There was no way she could have opened the door by herself, and no one would dare help her.

So there, his imagination had finally gotten out of control, but there was nothing to fear, except perhaps finally becoming insane. Other than that, nothing. Kagome was not on his room.

End of discussion.

His heart did a funny thing, practically squeezing itself, as if the thought of not being able to see Kagome could almost stop it.

He entered his room after twenty minutes of staring at it. The scent surrounded him the moment he opened the door. He ignored it, and then he raised his head, and…He could do nothing but stare…again.

His eyes refused to leave her figure, taking in all of her. Her long, black, hair, those blue, intense eyes, that pale skin, her small hands, the rosy tinge on her cheeks, he took it all in.

Kagome.

His Kagome.

He almost smiled at the way she had decided to wait for him, except he was not sure if he had finally lost it because she was too good to be real.

He stared at her, and he did not know if he was dreaming, hallucinating or if his mind had decided to play a joke on him. He didn't think that was very funny.

Kagome was there, in front of him, sitting on the couch like he had been the first time he saw her. Her scent, a mix between vanilla and something else, overwhelmed his senses. And he could not move because, for once, he was scared she would disappear.

He could only look at her.

Kagome could not believe he was finally before her. She had passed hours trying to decide what she would say to him and, now that he was here, she found that she could not do anything but stare at him, and her mouth would not work, and her eyes were fixed on him, and her body would not move. They both stayed right where they were, neither of them moving. They were both taking each other in, as if not believing the other was in front of them.

This was stupid on Kagome's part because she had flown here, and she had waited for him for hours.

Still…

They were there, immobilized by each other's presence.

'So like us', Kagome thought, 'not to run into each other's arms, or kiss, or say something cheesy. So like us. So like him…'

Then Kagome snapped.

"You ungrateful idiot!" She shouted at him because she did not know what to do, and shouting was the only thing that came to her mind. She yelled because it seemed like the thing to do if she wasn't going to through herself at him, and he would hear what she had to say, and he would pay attention, and she'd be damned if she didn't get it through his thick head the fact that she was staying by his side, even if he didn't want her to. "I can't believe you left me like that! And with that stupid note, as if, as if…"

Her eyes found his.

"As if I could move on, as if I would want to move on! Don't you know me at all?"

Sesshoumaru felt like laughing, which was weird and would only make her angrier. Still, to hear her voice again… It was just like her to shout at him instead of a confession, so like them to meet in the heat of an argument rather than the relief of reunion.

Of course, he had known she would probably not listen or do a thing he had told her to in the note. She never did. In the back of his mind, he was actually grateful that she had not followed his suggestions. He was sure he would have killed any of her suitors. Then she would have been mad at him.

"…you truly are something! You didn't even wait to see if I was okay!"

"I did." Sesshoumaru intervened, bringing his attention back to her. He hadn't been able to decide if he wanted to concentrate on the sound of her voice or what she was saying. Her last statement made the decision. Lies were unfair.

He had gone only after the doctor had told her she would be okay, after his half brother wanted a word with him and only after he had made Kouga keep him updated on everything she did. Of course, the wolf had somehow forgotten to tell him Kagome was coming. He would make sure to have a word with the youkai.

Or maybe not. His mind was running with thought of abducting Kagome and taking her somewhere where there would only be the two of them.

Kagome shot him a deadly glare, as if reading his mind.

"That's not the point! So you made sure I was okay. The deal is that you left, and I…" And Kagome wanted to throw herself at him, and kiss him, and assure herself that he would never let got of her. She was tired of not having what she wanted.

"I only want you, and if I can't have you, I might as well cease to exist," she finally said, anger leaving her body, a small plea in her last word and her eyes fixed on the only youkai that would ever hold her entire being.

She had once loved his brother, but that was in the past, and Kagome only cared about the present and the future. Sesshoumaru was just that to her. He was her present and her future.

"So you either take me or leave me, but make it definite, Sesshoumaru, because… I'm very tired of simply waiting."

Kagome finished her speech, crossed her arms over her chest, and waited for Sesshoumaru to say anything to assure her that she had not crossed an ocean for nothing. She waited for him to do something that would make her trip worth it.

To her utter surprise, he laughed.

He tilted his head back and laughed. Laughter… She had come all the way from Japan, poured her heart out to him, and he…laughed.

She wanted to cry, but, instead, she just smiled.

Because this was Sesshoumaru, and laughing was so rare of him, so strange and comforting, that she could only close her eyes for a second and surround herself with the strangeness of laughs.

Sesshoumaru could not believe her. It was very like Kagome to just say something like that and give him an ultimatum. She had to be the only living being that was brave enough to do that, and Sesshoumaru could hear any words that came out her mouth.

She was here.

She wanted him.

That was all that mattered. Sesshoumaru was tired of waiting for what he wanted. He would have her.

"Stupid miko," he said and Kagome's eyes snapped back to him.

Insults…

"Who the hell are you calling stupid, idiot?"

Sesshoumaru walked towards her. The distance between them was almost unbearable.

"Will you marry me?" he asked her, his eyes deathly serious on her blue ones.

Questions long ago asked…

Kagome thought he had probably gone mad in the last months. "I'm already married to you."

"But would you marry me now?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Would you?"

And it suddenly became clear just what Sesshoumaru was asking. She looked into his golden eyes.

The first time she had seen them, she had thought they looked like Inuyasha's. The thought nearly crushed her, back then. Soon, Kagome had decided that his eyes weren't like his brother's; Sesshoumaru's were cold like ice. As time passed, Kagome saw emotion in them. After that, she had seen his eyes grow warm when he looked at her, and Kagome had learned to trust them. She felt safe knowing those eyes followed her everywhere. And now…

Now…

"Why would you want to marry me?" she asked her, her voice soft and warm and in need of some sort of confession.

"Because…"

Kagome just had to look into his eyes to find the words that had never been said.

"I would marry you," she said. Then she smiled. "If you mate me." God, what she wouldn't do for him.

Her hand slowly went to his cheek, shaking as she felt the skin under her touch, caressing it, and he grabbed it and brought it to his lips.

"But only if you promise me forever," she told him.

And he gave her the warmest of smiles, such a big smile that it reached his eyes, and Kagome thought if he said no, it would be okay. Everything was worthy of that one smile.

Just to see him this happy.

She would be tortured repeatedly if he promised to give her that smile at the end.

"I would not give you less," he said, his voice as warm as happy as his smile.

Tortured again and again for that answer. For him. For them. For this.

Different answers…

And then Sesshoumaru pulled her closer to him, and the next thing she knew he was kissing her fiercely, their lips meeting again after so long, and Kagome could do nothing but get lost in the kiss and give him all the passion she had. His tongue was dancing with hers. His hand was going up and down her arms, on her neck, before settling at both sides of her face, cupping it. Kagome could feel all the love he had for her in that one kiss and she could only hope he felt the immense love she had for him and only him.

Forever for him and no one else.

She would forever belong to him, just as he would forever belong to her. This time, they would be together until he died. She was surrendering her whole being to him, but it wasn't that bad. It was not bad to go to the unknown with him. It wasn't bad to give in to him.

She had been his a long time ago, anyway.

"You are so pompous," she mumbled between kisses. Her hands were at his chest, feeling the strong muscles under them, at his powerful back, at every part of him that she could get. His hands, she noted, were exploring again, and Kagome arched against them, wanting him to touch more, to touch everything, to just touch…

"I knew you'd come for me."

Kagome could imagine his smirk, but he was kissing her neck, and her blouse was being opened by his elegant hands. Kagome's mind was becoming more incoherent with each caress. He was melting her very thought by just being there.

This, Sesshoumaru thought as he felt her soft skin beneath his fingers, was what he wanted. Her breath was hard, becoming harder. Her chest went up and down. He pulled back to watch her. He let her unbutton his shirt and kept his eyes on her as it slid off his shoulders and onto the ground. Her eyes, darker with lust, traveled over his well-toned chest. She blushed, and Sesshoumaru chuckled at her reaction, at the innocence she seemed to carry around her no matter their situation.

He would have her do more than blush.

He pulled her close against his naked chest, and she moaned when they met. He trailed kisses down her neck, to her chest, his hand at one of his breasts. She moaned and arched against him.

"Sesshoumaru…" she breathed, her voice husky, making him harden like rock.

She had always been a fire to him.

He lifted her up, putting her legs around his waist.

They stayed there for a moment, just looking at each other.

Kagome was blushing furiously. She could feel every part of him against her body, and he was definitely ready for her, and…

God, what if I'm not good?

What if she didn't give him what he wanted? What if…

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice tender, caring, for his soon to be mate. Kagome melted at the tone of his voice, and she had to put her arms around his neck to not fall.

Like he would ever let her fall.

"Yes," she managed to answer.

"Do you want this?" She pulled back to look at him with incredulous eyes. Did she? Did she want to join him forever? Did she want to make love to him? Did she want to give her body, the last thing left to give, to him?

But the question warmed her very heart, and she was sure, in that moment, that if she said no, he would stop, deny himself his very wish and instinct just for her.

She had never felt more loved.

"Idiot, as if I would say no."

His eyes warmed, then his face got serious. "This is forever."

And she laughed, her body moving with it and against Sesshoumaru's.

"I won't take anything under forever."

He maneuvered her to the bed and let her fall on it. Slowly, he undressed himself, letting Kagome's eyes wander as each piece of cloth fell. Kagome gulped as the last part of his clothing fell to the floor. Her eyes grew wide as she finally managed to see just how big he was, and how perfect all of him was, and how those purple marks only brought out his beauty.

He was perfection, and Kagome had no idea how she had ended up with him, but she wasn't complaining. Besides, she was worrying about something else entirely.

'How will he fit in me?' She asked herself as she gulped, but she had no time to think much. After all, Sesshoumaru was completely naked in front of her, letting her take him in.

His purple marks stood against his pale body. His muscles moved as he breathed. His white hair surrounded his impeccable face. His golden eyes were obscured with desire.

He was gorgeous, godlike gorgeous.

Kagome felt inadequate compared to him.

He moved to her, slowly, as if to not scare her. Once he reached her side, his hands went towards her unbutton blouse to remove it.

Her hand went to his to stop him instantly

"I…I don't want you to…" She didn't know how to explain this. "I mean, you won't like it, and I…"

He stopped her by delivering a small kiss to her lips. Kagome looked down, refusing to look at him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I…" She fidgeted with the cover. "My back…" How could she show him how bad her back was after…after Naraku was done with her? How could she show him all her scars when he had this unmarked body that was just so…perfect?

How could she expect him to conceal the disgust by it all? He had felt them, earlier, and had not said anything, but feeling and seeing were not the same. She did not want to see the disgust in his eyes.

He pushed her hand away from her blouse.

"No…" she answered immediately, but he ignored her, slowly removing the blouse from her body.

It fell from her shoulders.

Kagome burrowed her face against his shoulders.

"Don't…" She wanted to beg him not to feel disappointed or appalled. She would not be able to get over it if he did not want her because of…

She stopped thinking when she felt his hands over her marks. She looked up to him, but he was already moving to stand behind her, kissing every single one of the horrible marks with such tenderness that Kagome could not help but be reassured.

Sesshoumaru was horrified.

He was disgusted.

But it was not because of what she was thinking.

Every single scar was his fault. Each one had been pain she had endured because of him, for him. This was the representation of her torture.

He hated himself at that moment as he had never before, and he wished he could bring Naraku back to life, only to kill him in a more painful way this time.

He concentrated on her, though, because he could not bring Naraku back to life, but he could treat her as she deserved. He traced every one of them, laid his lips on them, as tender and reassuring as he could be.

He would not have his mate feel wrong about something that was not her fault. He would do everything to make her feel loved and cared for.

She was perfect, and her scars were just proof of how much they deserved to be together. This proved how much they suffered before being able to find their complement.

Kagome closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his lips against her back, the way his finger moved and the pains he was taking to make her feel okay within her own skin and with him.

"Sesshoumaru…"

He was at her lips again.

"You are beautiful," he told her simply, purring against her neck.

Kagome felt her heart beat faster. She smiled. "You are not so bad yourself…"

He started kissing her and touching her again and Kagome could not stop touching either, and she brought his lips to hers and their tongues met, fighting for control, not letting the other win.

…It doesn't matter, our differences…

He finally managed to get the bra undone, and his mouth found her left breast while his hand played with the other. Kagome gasped, moaned and arched against him, one of her hands running past his back while the other hung onto his shoulder for support.

She had never felt such pleasure. This was beyond anything he could imagine. She moaned again and he growled approvingly.

How he had dreamed to do this…

How he had dreamed to have her, to feel her, to possess her. She felt so good against his hands and her taste went beyond anything he could imagine; she was the heaven he had never believed in. Her scent clouded his mind as much as her moans did.

Kagome was feeling too much, could not think clearly at all and just wanted him to never stop doing those wonderful things but, of course, he stopped. When his eyes met hers, Kagome gasped. They were intense with lust, but beneath all the raw lust, there was another kind of warmth that Kagome had longed to see reflected on those eyes. Her hands went from his strong abs, following the marks on his chest, to his face.

"Will it hurt?" She couldn't help but ask. He chuckled a little.

"I'll make it so it doesn't hurt that much."

"You'll have to deal with me for eternity."

"Unfortunately." There was a smile on his face.

Love and hate…

"You are everything I never wanted."

"You are everything that irritated me."

He lowered her to the mattress, slowly taking off the rest of her clothes. His mouth traveled from her foot to her leg to her thigh, while his hand followed the mouth's path.

Kagome closed her eyes, not knowing what to expect next…

She let out a gasp as she felt one of his fingers entering her.

Kagome couldn't help it. She let out one loud moan, and arched against him. Sesshoumaru pushed her down, keeping her against the mattress as he started to move his finger.

"Oh God…!" Her nails clawed at his back, leaving red trails. It was all she could do to keep from exploding with all she felt. He growled again and entered a second finger, followed shortly by a third, hitting her in all the right spots.

"God, Sesshoumaru…"

He only smiled. Today, it was all about her, and he would make damn certain to put all his experience into giving her the strongest of pleasures.

Disliking, understanding, caring, loving…

He captured her lips again, not removing the fingers, and Kagome thought it was almost sweet, but it soon turned passionate again, and Kagome went with him, letting him do as he pleased, doing as she pleased herself. His touch was addictive, and his kisses were the only thing that could satiate her hunger.

God, how she had missed him! She had missed how his gaze burned into her, and how he could make her nothing and everything with just one touch.

Her hands felt along his marks, and Sesshoumaru groaned as she touched a sensitive place. She bit him on one of his shoulders, making him groan again.

The fingers left her. Kagome felt disorientated for a second, but before she could ask, she felt him at her entrance.

"Sess…"

He kissed her, his hands at her hips, and entered her in one motion. Kagome closed her eyes, but it did not hurt as much as she thought. She hadn't even had time to think about how much it would hurt. He just kept kissing her, not moving, giving her time to adjust to him. To her surprise, he fit just fine.

Sesshoumaru was in bliss. He had known being with her would be good, but he had never thought it would arouse so many emotions and feelings, or that it would make him this hard, this desperate to take her and make her his.

He felt possessive of her, and he wanted to protect her from everything. His instinct yelled at him to care for her, to look after her every need, and his heart pounded in his chest, begging to never be rid of her. She was the only one he would take as his mate.

"Mine," he murmured.

"Only yours," she agreed before giggling.

The movement almost made Sesshoumaru lose it.

He was desperate to mark her, and Kagome was panting, her lips red, her eyes full of love and lust. He needed to feel more of her.

"Please, please move," she pleaded.

And because Sesshoumaru wanted to go back to what he was doing, he looked at her once more. She groaned a little at his lack of touch, and he smirked, but then his smirk turned into that small smile that was only for her, and if Kagome hadn't been on the bed, with his body over hers and inside her, which, by the way, felt delicious, Kagome thought her knees would have given in.

Her heart skipped a beat anyway.

He started to move slowly while he trailed kisses on her face. She moved with him, meeting each stroke with one of her own. Slowly, at first, faster as time passed, and with each stroke she felt closer to something. She could feel him move, in and out, in and out, faster as the minutes passed. She moaned, he groaned, and they both met each other in perfect synchrony.

Sesshoumaru would not be able to stand it for much longer. Any second now, and he would lose his pace.

"More," Kagome hissed against his neck. Sesshoumaru fastened the pace, and Sesshoumaru moved deeper into her, accelerating the pace, and they could not be closer, they could not feel more.

Sesshoumaru gave one more trust, and Kagome yelled as she felt like something was breaking in her, shaking all of her body. And, as she exploded, she screamed his name.

Sesshoumaru followed her soon after that, finally losing his control over his body. Just before coming, he bit her neck, forever putting his mark on her. Then, he let his orgasm ride him to the very end.

Kagome smiled as Sesshoumaru came back to bed after washing. He slid under the covers and lay next to her. His hand reached for her, bringing her close to him. Kagome happily snuggled next to him.

Sesshoumaru nuzzled his nose at her neck, right over the purple crescent that had appeared on it, forever marking her as his. His scent was already mixing with hers.

"Mine."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah." Inside, she felt like exploding with all her happiness.

They stayed there, satisfied in each other's presence, in comforting silence for a while.

Kagome could not believe she was finally back in Sesshoumaru's arms, and they had just mated, and she could already feel herself closer than ever before. She was starting to feel his emotions, his presence; his self as she had never thought was possible.

As much as she had loved the sex, she loved this quiet even more.

Until she broke it.

"How did you know I would come?"

"Excuse me?"

"How did you know I would come looking for you?"

"You talk too much."

"To make up for your lack of talking. Please…"

Sesshoumaru looked down at his mate. He looked at the woman that would forever be by his side. A sense of protectiveness and possession invaded him again. "I didn't know," he answered truthfully.

"But…"

"I hoped," he said.

To Kagome, that simple answer meant everything.

Because he had once said that he would never hope for anything, but he had hoped for her, and it made her heart thunder with happiness.

She gave him a small kiss on the lips. "You know, you are great in bed."

He looked almost insulted. "Did you expect anything else?

She just rolled her eyes at him. "Then again, I have no one to compare you with…"

He growled in warning. "There is…"

Kagome laughed, and finished for him. "…no one I would take that is not you. Besides, I'm sure you've had enough practice for the both of us."

"There are a lot of things I can teach you," he told her in a husky tone.

Kagome just laughed. "I would love to learn…"

Sesshoumaru made her more than happy. Kagome made him complete, satisfied in life.

He kissed her feverishly, and what was left of Kagome's mind quite simply crumbled.

And as she kept exploring, and he kept feeling, and they kept finding each other again, she realized he made her ecstatic.

Kagome had never felt better in her whole life.

And she was now his mate, and he was her mate, and everything was just as it had to be.

Sesshoumaru placed a tender kiss on her forehead. Kagome closed her eyes and enjoyed him, her, them.

And, finally, they stopped wasting time.

Morena mía, si esto no es felicidad,

Que baje dios y lo vea,

Y aunque no se lo crea,

Esto es gloria

Love, if this is not happiness,

Let God come down and see it,

And even if He doesn't believe it,

This is glory

ooOOoo

Oh God, this is over! I'm depressed and extremely happy, and still can't believe this is over, after more than a year. It's been one great ride, and we'll meet again for another one in the near future. Review people! This is your last chance, and come one, I finished this incredibly long story, and I believe it deserves for you to review. Love you all, you have been great, and we won prices, got nominated, but over all, we enjoyed this story. We lived through it, with it, and if not, it at least made us past a good time (I hope), and that is the most important thing ever.

Also…

My editor, Collette (you are an angel), made a web page for this story (isn't it existing), and she is also goin to make a video (probably on youtube) about it. So you can go there, because there is where I will tell you when my next stories will come out and all that. I will also post the first chapter of my new story there. You can ask for requests about stories there, and you can tell me there if you want a one-shot or short story about Inu/Kikyo or Sess and Rin (their story), there, I will do it if I get enough people that want me to. And you can make graphs about the story and post them there and all that.

The url is: /eternalfire1/graphics.htm

Ok, so, finally, and to end this, I leave you with a few lines of what's to come…

She lies on a pool of blood, piercing him with her blue eyes. He knows he is too late. Life is already slipping away from her body. Her blood is everywhere. Her eyes are starting to dull, and she has to do a lot of effort to bring air into her lungs.

She isn't fighting back.

He can read her story in her eyes. He can read her pain. He can read how tortured her mind and body is. He can read her want to die, and as he stares at her, he wonders if the trouble of saving her is worthy at all.

He thinks not.

But he promised.

He promised a young girl that was the most important thing to him. He promised his child, who he was too late to save, too late to avenge, to late to do anything.

He promised to save this excuse of a human to a child who will never have the chance to grow up, to love, to live, to have wrinkles, to…

She lies on a pool pf blood, and he stares at her, wondering is the trouble of saving her is worthy at all.

He thinks not.

He takes his father's legacy out anyway, the sword already shaking in its shield.

So, this is it, and it has been fabulous to write this and have you as my readers.

You are the best.

Love,

Eternal Fire