InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Til Death Do Us Part ❯ The Revelation ( Chapter 18 )

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, do you really think I would be here writing fanfiction? Thought so.

AN: This is a very long chapter as you all can plainly see. I hope you're proud of me. ::grins:: Be proud of Kimmie too for proofing and editing it in two hours and sending it back to me at 2 am. ::hand bouquet of flowers to beta:: Thank you Kimmie. And thanks to everyone who reviewed on this story and told me they loved it. ::blushes:: I've never felt so liked before. All of this, all twenty nine pages is for you guys. And if I had the time and energy I'd give a shout out to all, but I'm going back to sleep. Enjoy!

The Revelation

The next couple of days went by without much excitement for a bed ridden Kagome. Staying cooped up in a hospital while the world passed her by within the sterilized walls of her room that at times seemed to be closing in on her was no barrel of laughs. She would've surely gone crazy if Inuyasha and her friends hadn't visited her occasionally and provided her with some form of fun and amusement.

Whatever friction or hostility there had been between Sango and Ayame had resolved itself overnight after she and the wolf youkai had sat down and talked, which was a relief since Kagome hated it when they fought. It felt good being amongst her friends after a week of being stranded on an island and returned some of the normality to her life that had been lost over the last couple of weeks, though it was hard not to miss the not so subtle indications that things would not be the same for a very long time.

Ever since the day they were told that there was still a lingering threat that some sick, demented person in the world posed a menace to their safety, guards had been stationed in her room, outside the door, and around the perimeter of the building. Whenever Inuyasha came to visit, he was always accompanied by at least two gruff looking bodyguards who looked as though they could snap your neck in the blink of an eye, which made it difficult to carry on a private conversation with each other when you had a burly guardian breathing down over your shoulder listening to your every word.

Personally, Kagome was grateful that her parents were looking out for their well being. Inuyasha, on the other hand, was pissed and very much offended that he had to have bodyguards defend him when he believed he could protect himself and his mate without the help of outsiders. But their protection was not only extended to them and their manor, but to their friends as well. Although, Shippou and Miroku didn't mind being escorted, especially when one of their wardens turned out to be a pretty female, Ayame and Sango weren't too keen on the idea of being protected by strangers when they were capable of defending themselves, coming from a family of warriors and fighters.

When the time came for Kagome to be discharged from the hospital, she was absolutely ecstatic, partially due to the fact that hospital food paled considerably in comparison to Kaede's home cooked meals, which she sorely missed while being away. She had also missed bathing in her own shower, which is why her squeals of delight and happiness as the limo pulled into the driveway to her home didn't come as a surprise. If anything, her glee and enthusiasm significantly lightened the gloomy atmosphere that had shrouded the lives of the people around her at being a potential target of the murderer that could possibly be stalking them.

"Gods, it feels so good to be back." Kagome grin threatened to split her lips as she promptly jumped out of the still moving vehicle to go meet Kaede, who stood waiting atop the stairs of the manor with a pleasant smile uplifting the harsh lines of her wrinkled face, along with Shippou and Sango, who had opted not to go with the hanyou to pick up her friend when she learned she would be riding in the same limo with the lecher.

"Am I the only one that finds it disturbing when that old hag smiles?" Inuyasha grumbled to the other occupants of the vehicle.

"What's your problem?" Ayame inquired with a quirked brow.

"He's just frustrated because he has been married for a good three weeks and has yet to have sexual relations with his wife," Miroku put simply giving the hanyou a sympathetic smile.

"It is not that!" he snapped and got out of the limo as soon as it had come to a halt, slamming the door shut before his personal bodyguard had a chance to follow his lead. Sex was the last thing on his fucking mind. Inuyasha walked to the trunk and took out Kagome's bag, the tic in his jaw twitching with agitation. Ok, so maybe it wasn't, but his sexual inactivity was the least of his problems.

He slammed the trunk close and spun around so quickly he accidentally bumped into his robust bodyguard who had come up behind him so surreptitiously that it had escaped his acute hearing. Growling, Inuyasha suppressed with a great deal of will power the sudden urge to rake his claws across the inuyoukai's stoic face and instead chose to step around the tall, domineering figure and began the short distance to the entrance of his home.

That was what pissed him off to no end; those dickwad bodyguards thinking they were the shit walking around like they owned the place. Amber eyes narrowed in jealousy when he saw his mate joking with her keeper in a familiar manner that had him inwardly seething. Who the hell did they think they were? It was bad enough that they were here in the first place, but now they were interposing on his relationship with his mate and his territory. Possessiveness and anger raged through his blood, sending his youki rocketing skyward. Fucking obtrusive bastards.

"Calm down little one," came the cocky voice of the male behind him as they walked up the concrete staircase. "Nobody is taking over anything. We're just here for your protection."

The hanyou whipped around and grabbed the inuyoukai by his shirt, his features twisted in fury, red beginning to creep into his retinas. "Don't tell me to fucking calm down shitface! I do as I fucking please and no two bit rent-a-cop will tell me different! Got that asswipe?"

The other male's expression remained lax and disinterested, his pale green eyes staring into the hanyou's in boredom. "Are you done with your little temper tantrum pup, because frankly I don't have time to play babysitter to some snobby kid who's afraid of a little authority."

Crimson bled into his eyes as jagged purple lines etched onto the side of his face, his fangs beginning to elongate and emerge from the cavern of his mouth in a hostile manner. The vicious grin that curved on his lips had a tremor of trepidation shooting down the inuyoukai's spine, a flicker of fear flashing within his pale depths. "You're going to fucking regret that," the red-eyed hanyou growled in a purely guttural tone and in one fluid motion, picked the startled bodyguard up, and vehemently hurled him down the concrete steps with surprisingly little effort.

"Sit boy!"

A howl of rage escaped the hanyou before the potent pull of the rosary around his neck yanked him down to the ground with a powerful slam.

Fear gripped Kagome's chest as she ran over to her fallen husband and bent down next to him, completely forgetting about the other youkai that was sprawled in a stunned daze at the bottom of the steps. "Inuyasha, are you ok?" she asked pushing his hair away from his face, half afraid that he was still in full youkai mode.

He didn't respond immediately to her inquiry in his facedown position and for a moment had her believing that he had sustained a traumatic head injury or something of that sort. A wave of relief washed over her when he stirred and slowly began picking himself up from off the ground. Her brows creased in concern as she latched onto his arm and helped him stand to his feet. "Inuyasha?"

Instead of answering her, the hanyou spat out the acrid taste of blood that had gathered in his mouth after unintentionally biting his tongue when he was pulled down. He grabbed her wrist and led her inside; disregarding all the stares they were receiving as they left.

"Where are we going?" Kagome asked while he tugged her in the direction of the library.

Again, he chose not to answer her question through words, but by action. Inuyasha swiftly closed the double glass painted doors behind them and locked it so that they wouldn't be interrupted by unwanted intruders, then proceeded with drawing the blinds so that nobody would be able to peek in.

"Inu-," His lips crushed against hers fervently, the query forgotten in the heat of the moment as his arms snaked around her waist and wrenched her forcefully into his chest, their bodies molding together perfectly. He sucked at and teased her lower lip with his fangs, growling in satisfaction when her lips parted as she moaned in response, allowing him to slip his tongue inside her moist cavern.

Kagome's breath hitched in her throat as his hot tongue swept along the roof of her mouth, his claws gliding up her shirt to fondle the soft skin of her stomach. She fisted her hands in white tresses and pulled him closer if that were even possible as their tongues battled for dominance in a frenzied clash of wills and persistence.

"Mine," he growled lowly and tugged her backwards until the back of his knees met the leather couch that was placed in the center of the room. With their tongues still feverishly exploring one another's mouths, Inuyasha skillfully maneuvered her onto the couch so that he lay on top of her, breaking apart from her only to pull her shirt over her head.

There was no measure to how frustrated he was with their predicament. He hadn't had a moment's peace with her since they had returned to Japan, and now he would have even less privacy with all of the fucking guards stationed all around the house and the grounds. He poured all of his frustration, all of his anger, all of the turbulent emotions that raged on a continual basis within him into his kisses and his caresses.

Kagome could feel his intense emotions and feelings through his almost urgent and passionate kisses that were turning her insides to mush. She drew in a sharp breath when his mouth left hers and working its way downward, his burning tongue leaving a trail of wetness along the smooth span of her neck to her bra-clad breasts. Her fingers itched to touch his skin, to feel the contours of his chest. Not caring that she was being rather bold and that the other youkai in the house could probably hear their activities, Kagome reached up and slid his shirt over his head.

"Kagome," he moaned as her soft, slender fingers glided across his chest timidly, his body tightening in response as her hands moved lower to stroke his abdomen, as if memorizing the curves of his body.

Her heart skipped a beat when their eyes met and she saw the dark, chaotic emotions swirling in his smoldering gaze, the utter intensity and passion spiraling in their depths fueling her own desire to unfathomable heights. Gods, he was beautiful. With her pulse thrumming vigorously in her veins, Kagome brought her trembling hands from his chest to cup his face, her pants becoming less strenuous as her lungs filled with much needed air. A light sheen of sweat covered his face; slightly damp locks of hair were plastered unevenly to his face, the remainder of his wild mane spilling gracefully over his shoulders, effectively trapping both their faces in his curtain of hair.

Inuyasha stared down the lithe creature ensnared between his body and the leather couch, his heart overflowing with undiluted love. He found himself enthralled by her alluring blue eyes, blue eyes that caused his heart to beat three times its normal pace whenever he looked into them, hypnotic blue eyes that he found himself easily lost within and could render all of his motor functions immobile, blue eyes that understood and cared for him with as much conviction as he had for her.

The hanyou dipped his head in low and inhaled her wonderful scent that could easily satiate his appetite any day. "I love you, Kagome," he whispered against her lips, his hands coming to entrench themselves within her raven colored tresses, his eyes never leaving her own.

Kagome smiled up at him, her heart hammering so hard in her chest she thought her ribs would crack. "I love you too, Inuyasha."

"Forever?" he murmured nuzzling the sweep of her neck with his nose.

Her breath caught. "Always and forever."

The tender moment was shattered by the furious pounding of someone at the double doors, jolting the young lovers out of their world and back to reality with an abruptness that had them both growling in annoyance.

"I'm going to fucking kill someone in a second!" Inuyasha barked at whoever was beating on the doors, murder gleaming in his fierce amber eyes.

Kagome grabbed the sides of his faces before he could get up and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, one that instantly calmed the fire raging in his blood and melted his furious expression to one of contentment. She broke the exchange slowly, ignoring the insistent thumps on the door, her eyes never straying from his molten pools of adoration and love. "Remember your manners, Inuyasha," she grinned and flicked one of his ears.

Growling playfully, he nipped at her lips before grudgingly leaving the warmth of her body. "Can I at least scratch him? Just once?" he pleaded throwing his shirt back over his head.

"Maybe one, but not too deep that you'd kill the poor guy." `Though it would be well deserved for breaking up our romantic interlude,' she considered wryly as she slipped into her shirt.

The pounding at the door became louder and more unrelenting.

Grinding his teeth together, he waited until Kagome had her shirt on before wrenching open the door, ready to tear someone's throat out with his fangs if need be. "What the fuck do you want?"

"Keep your barking at a minimum mutt face. I've just had a tiring flight and the last thing I want to see is your ugly face. Now where is my Kagome?"

Kagome's head snapped up at the mention of her name. There was only one person who would ever refer to her as `theirs'. "Kouga! You're back. Did you have a nice flight?" she plastered on the fakest of smiles and stood to greet her old friend while internally mulling over how she was going to go about breaking his heart once more.

His nostrils flared as the intermingled arousals of both his woman and the mutt wafted heavily in the air, causing his stomach to roll in contempt and disgust. His face scrunched in confusion as he shifted his glance from the slightly damp and tousled façade of the hanyou to the equally flustered girl.

"Uh, Inuyasha, could you leave me and Kouga alone for a sec?" She stared earnestly at him when he started growling again. "So I can break the news to him."

"What news?" the wolf youkai looked between them, his confusion intensifying by the second.

A knowing smirked tugged at Inuyasha's lips. "Fine. Five fucking minutes and that's it."

Kouga glowered and walked past the cocky hanyou into the library, suitcases still in hand, and over to where Kagome sat on the black couch, a nervous smile gracing her features. The blue eyed youkai started to take a seat beside her, but the overwhelming scent of their arousals proved to be too strong and too nauseating for his liking, so he opted to stand. "Kagome, what the hell is going on?"

"We're back together moron. So fuck off and get your own damn woman."

Kagome glared at the silver haired hanyou that was leaning casually in the threshold. "Inuyasha, you do realize that I wanted to talk to him alone."

He shot daggers at the back of Kouga's head before closing double doors and leaving them be, though a loitering shadow that could be seen under the cracks informed her that he indeed had not left and was probably eavesdropping as usual. Rolling her eyes, Kagome turned her attention back to Kouga who was presently resting against the lamp table across from her, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I take it you two kissed and made up on the island," he spoke first, keeping his voice quiet so she wouldn't take heed of the hurt he was feeling.

"I guess you could say that," she replied in an equally soft tone.

A brief silence followed her response, one that was filled with tension that only thickened as time spanned on.

Kouga dropped his luggage and drew a startled Kagome into an embrace. "You know you scared me shitless when I got to Hawaii and they told me that you never arrived." Ignoring the pungent stench of the half breed that clung to her skin, he buried his nose into her sweet smelling hair and pulled her against him. "I thought I'd never see you again."

Kagome stiffened in his semi tight hold, irresolute about if she should accept the friendly gesture or try to squirm her way out of his embrace since Inuyasha was likely to blow a gasket if he caught them in the position. "Kouga." With a great deal of strength, she pushed him away far enough so that she could look him in the eye. "I love Inuyasha."

The brightness in his cobalt orbs dimmed a bit, a bitter smile playing at his lips as his arms loosened from around her. "I know."

Her face scrunched up in perplexity. "Come again?" Perhaps, she had heard him wrong.

With a heavy hearted sigh, Kouga plopped down on the couch next to her. "I said I know," he reiterated softly, his eyes wistful. "I think I've always known, subconsciously speaking, even when you said you hated him after you two had that falling out at the pool. But I thought that if I showered you with all of my affection, all of my love, that you would one way or another, come to love me the way I loved you, and not just as a friend. I've always loved you Kagome, from the first time I laid eyes on you and I wanted you to be mine, but that idiot mutt had already laid claim to you."

Kagome's throat tightened, her eyes beginning to well up with unshed tears. "Kouga-"

He placed a finger on her lips to silence her words. "No, just let me finish. You can imagine how happy I was when you two broke up and I was your knight in shining armor. I knew you never felt the same way I did for you by the look in your eyes. Your eyes never held the same glow, the same sparkle that you used to look at him with. I tried to deny the fact that you would never look at me with the same irrefutable look of love and passion and created a fantasy world in my mind where everything was how I wanted to see it. Ignorance is bliss, is it not?"

A couple of tears trickled down her cheek. "Kouga, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt your feelings or lead you on. I guess after what happened with Inuyasha, I was ready to do anything to forget about him and what he did to me." She looked down shamefacedly. "I took advantage of your kindness and love. Do you think you could find it in your heart to forgive me?" She placed a hesitant hand on his arm.

"I could never be angry at you, Kagome," he said with a small smile, his eyes conveying a sadness that made her heart constrict painfully in her chest. "It will just take me some time to get used to the idea of you and turd face back together again."

"So you do know that Ayame is not an obsessive fan girl of yours?" she inquired, a glint of mischief dancing in her eyes in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

He groaned and rubbed his eyes. "I know. I kind of took my frustration out on her before I left. Is she pissed at me?"

"Au contraire, she is devastated since she thinks that you hate her and her life has been a downward spiral of misery ever since you left her here." She peered into his indigo irises. "She really loves you."

"I know." He winced when she slapped him on the arm.

"And you didn't say anything?"

"What was I supposed to say?" he argued back. "I don't feel that way about her."

"You could try and get to know her better," she suggested.

"We have no chemistry," he pointed out.

"How would you know? You two haven't spent enough time together to know."

"We always argue."

"So do Inuyasha and I and our love is strong."

Kouga bristled at the statement but didn't comment. "Fine," he grumbled, his brows creased in a frown, "We will go on one date and one date only. If there is absolutely no chemistry or spark whatsoever, you will stop trying to force me to get with her."

Kagome squealed in delight and wrapped her arms around his neck in an appreciative hug. "Thank you Kouga." She planted a chaste kiss on his cheek and jumped up. "I'm going to go tell Ayame."

"Don't make me regret this," he complained as she bounced out of the library.

"You won't," she called back and threw open the doors just in time to see Inuyasha scurry to the staircase, an expression of innocence gracing his features. "Inuyasha, you know nothing of subtlety," Kagome teased walking over to where he sat and tweaked his ear.

He growled and pulled her into arms, his eyes narrowing when he smelled the other male's scent on her. "That fucking wolf touched you." A predatory flicker flashed through his amber depths, a wicked grin uplifting the corners of his mouth. "And I know the perfect way of getting rid of his odor."

Before she could question his intentions, he picked her up bridal style and in one single bound, leapt to the top of the stairs and sprinted down the corridor until they were at his room. His lips met hers in yet another feverish kiss that had the butterflies in her stomach swirling in excitement. With Kagome still in his arms, Inuyasha entered the giant bedroom and kicked the doors shut without ever removing his mouth from hers.

His need for her was obvious by the exigency in his actions as he backed her into his bed, his claws ripping off her shirt without regard for how much it cost and tossed it aside.

Kagome broke the kiss to glare at him. "Hey, that was my favorite shirt."

"I'll buy you another," he said, his voice low and husky with want, his eyes darkening with passion and lust as he stared into her soul, pausing only long enough to rip off his own shirt. He needed to mark her as his for all time and to ward off other snooping males. Long, ivory fangs projected from his mouth as he pushed her onto the bed and began ravaging her lips with his own, his pointed teeth grazing the tip of her tongue in such a sensual manner that it had her moaning in response, her back instinctively arching to press against his chest.

With one flick of the wrist, he sliced the front of her bra and flung it on the floor, his mouth swallowing her protests as he hungrily assaulted her sweetness with his tongue, her whimpers and moans music to his ears. Abandoning her swollen lips, for her neck, his tongue flicked out and tasted the sweep of her neck to the juncture where her neck met her shoulder, the place where he would mark her and permanently make her his for all time's sake. He substituted his fangs for his tongue, the sharp incisors scraping in an agonizingly slow motion that it had her trembling and writhing beneath his body.

The shrill ringing of the phone on the nightstand beside his king size bed ruined the sheer rhapsody and rapture that the two lovers had been caught up in.

Kagome struggled to catch her breath as Inuyasha rolled off of her, spewing a multitude of colorful phrases and slashing with extended claws at his comforter in aggravation and anger.

Since he was too upset and swearing so harshly it would scare a sailor off, Kagome took it upon herself to answer his phone. "Hello?" she said into the receiver while shooting a warning glare to lower his voice.

"Kagome? Good you're home. How does it feel to be out of the hospital?" Megumi asked brightly.

Suppressing the urge to slam the phone down, Kagome put as much cheerfulness she could muster into pretending that all was well and she hadn't just interrupted a very intimate moment with her husband. "It feels great. I really have to go; I'm kind of busy…with something." She glared at Inuyasha as he flung a chair into the wall.

"What was that?" her mother-in-law questioned upon hearing the chaos in the background.

"The television," Kagome lied and flung her shoe at Inuyasha to get his attention.

"Oh. Well anyway, the reason I called is because we need both you and Inuyasha to come down to our office so we can settle some business."

"We can't settle it over the phone?" she asked with a beseeching lilt to her tone.

Megumi chuckled. "Oh, Kagome, always the kidder. We'll expect you two in twenty minutes and do tell my son to cut back on the swearing. Goodbye sweetie."

Sighing, Kagome started to put the phone back in its cradle when Inuyasha came out of nowhere and ripped the phone jack out of the wall and sent it hurtling into the door, receiver and all.

"I swear I'm going to fucking kill the next person that can't keep their noses in their own business!" he snarled flexing his claws, red beginning to cloud his vision for the second time that day.

Sliding off of the bed, Kagome hooked her arms freely around his neck and pressed herself against his bare torso, unmindful of her current state of dress. "Come on Inuyasha; let's get this over quickly so we can get back sooner." She laid a sweet kiss on his chest, her warm breath tickling and torturing him simultaneously, and then rested her cheek along his exposed skin.

The crimson in his eyes receded before it could overtake his retinas completely, his longing to maim gradually ebbing away until all that was left was exasperation with the entire situation. "When will they leave us the hell alone," he whined into her hair, his hands caressing the small of her back.

"Hopefully after the next month has passed," she answered thinking back to what their parents had told them about the possibility that someone might want to kill them so the company would be broken back into the original two.

"I don't think I can wait that long," Inuyasha griped sourly.

Kagome stood on her tip toes and licked his lips, a shy blush staining her cheeks at the gesture. "You'll have what you want soon enough."

He grinned wolfishly and brought a hand to tilt her chin towards his. "Damn straight I will." He kissed her again.

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Ayame tried to keep her amusement in check as she glanced between the silent monk and taijiya at separate ends of the dining room table, the tension in the air heavy laden with unspoken resentment and irritation, mostly on Sango's part. She glared at Miroku from the opposite end as he sipped his tea with the utmost of nonchalance and relaxation, the vein in her temple twitching every so often.

"Sango, how about you act your age and not your shoe size?" Ayame suggested. "Then, maybe you will find it in your heart to forgive him for his misdeeds and move on. Holding on to anger shows the depth of our immaturity and inability to behave according to the way adults should conduct themselves. Besides," she added with a small grin, "I'm sure Miroku's groping is just his inherent way of showing his affection for you."

"Inherent, my ass!" Sango directed her fuming gaze from the monk to the youkai. "He's just a dirty, perverted lecher that can't control his raging sex drive for more than a few minutes at a time."

"Hey, I object to that accusation!" Miroku yelled indignantly from the end of the long table.

"You, shut up!" Sango snapped at him. "Nobody's talk to you!"

Miroku shamefacedly returned to his tea, not wanting to upset the taijiya any further for fear of the painful consequences.

"Don't you think that it is kind of petty to hang on to something he wrongly did even after he begged on his knees and bestowed you with flowers and cards and candy?" the red headed girl remarked nibbling on the chocolate pocky that was given as compensation for his transgression to her friend.

"No," she grumbled with little certainty, her resolution to stay angry at him beginning to whittle away.

"Do you really think that any other guy would do all of that for you in order to gain your forgiveness? Don't get me wrong or anything, but there are probably hundreds of women prettier and smarter than you in Tokyo alone that would jump at the chance to get one of the country's most eligible bachelors. And out of all of those women, he chose you, a simple taijiya in training who doesn't give a rat's ass about mink coats, make up or expensive jewelry."

"You make me sound like a country bumpkin," Sango commented dryly.

"My point is you should be grateful and thankful that you have someone like Miroku at your beck and call. The man will do anything for you, I've seen so myself. So what, he has a bit of a problem controlling his wandering hands, some guys have worse habits…I think. Just set some ground rules with him so he knows what is appropriate and what isn't.

"When did you become an expert on relationships?"

Ayame grinned. "I happen to be a specialist in the area of relationships."

Sango smirked, her eyes drifting to an approaching figure that had just entered the room. "We'll see how much of a specialist you are in a second."

Ayame was about to question her friend's choice of responses when the smell of rainforests and the open wilderness hit her like a sack of potatoes on the nose. Her heart skipped a beat as Kouga stepped into her line of vision and took a seat next to her. "Uh, hi Kouga," she greeted nervously, fighting the urge to cast her eyes down when his cobalt orbs settled on hers and ignored Sango's silent snicker.

"Hey Ayame. I just wanted to, uh, ask you if…" He ran an uneasy hand through his hair, suddenly wishing Kagome was here to lessen the awkwardness.

"Ask me what?" the female wolf youkai questioned delicately, confused as to why he was on edge in her presence.

Taking a deep breath, Kouga calmed his nerves and placed his fidgeting hands on the table, folding them to keep them occupied. "I acted like an asshole the last time I saw you. I was frustrated that Kagome was leaving me to go off to Hawaii with Inuyasha for a month and I took that out on you. I didn't mean those God awful things I said to you. I tend to say stupid shit when I'm angry and aggravated-"

"Don't worry about it," Ayame interjected with a shy smile. "Everybody has their bad days."

He smiled hesitantly at her in return, some of the strain in his facial features slackening as he relaxed. "Thanks. And I wanted to know if you would like to accompany me to dinner tomorrow night."

Miroku choked on his tea upon hearing this, the green liquid spewing out of his mouth and onto the satin table cloth. The harsh coughs that wracked his body shattered Sango's stunned daze and she instantly ran to the monk to help him, her anger towards him forgotten in her concern for his wellbeing.

Ayame heard and saw none of what transpired, her heart having stopped. Was she hearing things? Did her one and only love, who had never once acknowledged her existence when he was around Kagome and whose love for her friend blinded him from her love for him, just ask her out on a date? "Come again?" she asked, not bothering to conceal her shock.

Kouga chuckled. "I said, would you care to join me for dinner tomorrow?"

"Are you serious, or is this some kind of cruel joke?" she questioned cautiously. Her heart was in too fragile a state to take any more heartbreak.

"I'm dead serious. Kagome and I talked earlier and have come to terms with our relationship, which we both have agreed to remain only friends. Kagome will always be my first love, but I won't pine over her lost for the rest of my life. It's time to move on and I plan on doing such with you, if you allow me to."

"Sure," Ayame squeaked in an uncharacteristic high pitched voice, a bright grin spreading across her face, her emerald eyes lighting up with unrestrained mirth. "I mean, of course, I'd love to." Gods, she sounded like an idiot.

Kouga smiled and stood. "Then I'll see you tomorrow, say around seven-ish?"

She nodded vigorously, unable to trust her voice to come out right.

"Great. Be dressed to impress. I'll be in the pool if anybody needs me. See you later." With a wave of the hand, he sauntered out, leaving a watery eyed Ayame in his wake.

Once she was sure he was out of earshot, she jumped onto the table and squealed in delight, absolute euphoria overtaking her entire soul. "He asked me on a date! He asked me on a date! He asked me on a date!"

"Ok Ayame, I think we get the point," Sango grinned still absently rubbing Miroku's back from when he had started coughing. "Congrats."

"Oh Sango, this is the happiest day of my life," she said undauntedly scrambling off the table. "I can't wait until Kagome gets back so I can tell her the good news. I must be dreaming. Never in a million years did I think that he would actually go out with me, well not since he fell in love with Kagome, but that's all in the past." She stopped her rant momentarily as another obvious fact dawned on her. Kouga said he was going swimming. The image of him dripping wet with rivulets of water trailing down his physique making her face heat up and desire spike. "I am going for a swim too," she suddenly decided and hurried out of the room to go change into her bikini. No way was she going to give up the chance to see his half naked form.

"I think I'll go swimming as well," Sango murmured, the idea of seeing Kouga glimmering with water not seeming like a bad idea. The thought was deserted when she felt a certain someone's hand stroking her backside. All of the previous vexation she felt towards him came back with a force. Growling, she whirled around, intent on slapping his face for his immoral action, but was stopped in millimeters away from his skin by a firm grip on her wrist.

There was no playful glint in his mauve colored eyes this time. "Sango," he began softly, his voice all seriousness, his grip tightening when she struggled to extricate herself from his grasp. "Do you only think of me as a dirty, perverted lecher?" he asked, a tinge of sadness lacing his words.

She faltered in her response, slightly aback by the gravity and forwardness of his query. "I…" `No,' Sango shook her head and steeled her nerves, `I won't let him make me into the bad guy here.' "That is what you are, is it not?" she glared at him. "All you care about is the physical attribute of a relationship. I don't think that this is going to work between us because obviously we are too different and-"

He cut her off in the most unlikely of ways with an action she would have never assumed he was capable of pulling off. His lips burned into hers with such ferociousness, that it caught her off guard completely. Of all the worst case scenarios where she imagined him kissing her, Sango had always envisaged their first kiss would be gentle and hesitant, not on the brink of anguish and so intense that it overrode all coherent thought and speech.

Soon,she found herself lost in his kiss upon submitting to his fervent lips and parted her own, granting him access to the moist chambers of her mouth. The instant she felt his tongue upon her own, a groan escaped her mouth as she welcomed his stroking organ. No guy had ever made her feel so alive, so wanted, so needy for their touch.

Miroku broke apart first, the need for air becoming too great to ignore any longer. He watched her as she tried to regain her composure, his eyes never leaving her flushed face. "Sango," he murmured drawing her into a loose embrace and brought a hand to her chin to tilt back her head so that he could stare into her mesmerizing brown eyes, "Can you believe that I've wanted to do that ever since I've laid eyes on you."

Her heart thumped rapidly in her chest, the intensity of his gaze burning into her soul. She tried to shift her eyes to anywhere other than his hungry purple orbs, but found that she was unable to do so and too speechless to say anything about it.

He bent down to rest his head against her forehead, his breath beginning to even out again. "My dearest Sango, if you don't want me to touch you in public ever again, I'll comply with your wishes. I'll even walk ten feet away from you if that is what you desire. Forgive me for embarrassing you at the hospital. I never meant to hurt you in-"

She effectively cut him off with a soul searing kiss of her own, entrenching her hands in his short locks and pressing herself against his hard form. "Forgiven," she broke apart only to say the one word.

A lecherous grin curved on his mouth, an amused glint shining in his eyes. "My, my, Sango, I had no idea you were so-"

`If this is the only way to get him to shut up, then so be it,' she thought smirking inwardly as she nibbled on his lower lip, `I could get used to this.'

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"This has got to be the shittiest day I've ever had in my life," Inuyasha grimaced upon entering the house after coming from a thirty minute session with their parents at the office.

"It wasn't so bad," Kagome commented offering him a smile.

He slanted her a look which clearly expressed his view on the subject.

"Hey kid, you should be happy that your parents care so much about your future,"came a deep voice from behind them.

"Koji, when I want your fucking opinion, I'll give it to you! Now leave us the hell alone or next time I'll do more than just throw you down some steps!" he snarled at his bodyguard.

Shrugging uncaringly, the inuyoukai bypassed the seething hanyou and ambled to the kitchen area for some food being that it was a full time job watching out for his hot headed ward.

Inuyasha yelped when a foot slammed down on his own. "What the hell was that for?" he glared at his wife.

"That was uncalled for," she glared right back at him. "You should be happy that I didn't s-i-t you for your rudeness."

"Hi Kagome!" Before she had a chance to react Shippou launched himself into her arms, clad only in swimming shorts and goggles atop his head. "Everybody's going swimming. Do you want to come?" He stared at her hopefully, a goofy smile adorning his face as his bushy tail twitched anxiously.

"Sure, let me go get changed first and then I'll be right out." Kagome ruffled his orange hair and set him back on the floor.

"Ok, see you soon. Bye!" The small kitsune scuttled down the hall, the cute clicking of his claws against the marble floors as he departed bringing a smile to her face. She glanced at her husband, who was muttering to himself, a firm scowl implanted on his face.

Kagome stood on her tip toes and placed a kiss on his cheek before departing, heading off to her room. "When you're done pouting and grumbling, come join us in the pool."

"Keh, I'm not going to some stupid pool with those idiots."

Fifteen minutes later Inuyasha sat, still grumbling to himself sitting at the patio table with the other occupants of the house, one of whom was diving into the pool.

"What's his problem?" Ayame inquired with an arched brow in the hanyou's direction.

Kagome sighed. "Our parents are making us carry out the rest of our so-called internship at their company. So for the past half an hour they briefed us over protocol, what's expected of us, so on and so forth."

"Wow, that really sucks," Shippou said taking a sip of his raspberry smoothie Kaede had concocted and brought out a couple of minutes ago. "Why don't you just say no?"

"Because they'll take away his allowance," Kouga smirked climbing out of the pool and shaking the water out of his soaking wet mane in a manner similar to that of a wet canine.

Inuyasha bristled in irritation as the cold water splattered on him. "Nobody was fucking talking to you, wolf," he spat glaring at him.

"Don't be mad at me because you rely on your mommy and daddy to wipe your ass and spoon feed you," Kouga laughed.

"Inuyasha, no!" Kagome yelled a moment too late and had to watch as the brash hanyou shoved the wolf youkai into the pool. "Remind me to sign you up for anger management classes first thing tomorrow morning."

"I don't have anger problems!" he shouted at her, "People just always seem to piss me off when I'm in a bad mood!"

"Don't yell at me because you're always in a rotten mood!" she retorted standing to her feet and coming face to face with him.

"I'm not yelling!"

"Yes you are!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too and don't argue with me! Women are always right!"

Inuyasha recognized the mischievous sparkle in her eye too late. Kagome propelled him into the swimming pool with all of her strength and he would have been able to jump to the other side had not Kouga latched onto his legs and pulled him underneath.

Everybody laughed as the hanyou broke the surface, sputtering and gasping for air. "You bitch, you planned that didn't you?" he growled playfully at her from the water.

"And what if I did?" she countered sticking out her tongue and began backing up just in case he wanted a little payback.

A smirk curled at his lips. "Then I'll have to settle the score." He sprang out the pool like a tightened coil had been released and bound her with his arms in a constricting hold. Wickedness swirled in his amber depths. "Take a deep breath sweetheart," he whispered softly.

A flicker of fear flashed in her blue eyes as she tried to pry his arms off her. "Wait Inuyasha, all I wanted was a tan. I wasn't planning on-" A scream ripped through her lungs as he jumped back into the pool with her in his arms.

The cold water was a shock to her system and had her glaring hatefully at the hanyou that was grinning at her underwater and who had yet to release her from his hold. The more she struggled the tighter his grip became. She froze when he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. Kagome tried to hate him for what he did, but was unable to stop the flood of love that prevailed over all else, clearing her mind of everything but him, his warm embrace, and his kiss. Her legs wrapped effortlessly around his waist in the weightless environment and her arms wound around his neck.

They emerged from the depths of the water seconds later still in each other's arms. Her intoxicating scent of jasmine had Inuyasha taking deep breaths, almost causing hyperventilation. It amazed him to no end the effect she had on him. No woman could compare to his wench. She was perfect.

Having regained her breath, Kagome cocked her head to the side and stared into his distant eyes. "Inuyasha? You ok?"

He blinked, her melodic voice bringing him back to Earth. "Why wouldn't I be ok?" he answered rubbing his nose against her wet neck, his hands cupping her bottom to support her up.

"You look like you were somewhere else for a moment there."

"I was just marveling in your beauty." His golden irises settled on her radiant blue ones.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Kagome grinned.

"Who said I was trying to get anywhere?" he said in a low, husky voice that sent shivers skimming across her wet skin.

"Inuyasha!" Kaede called from the deck. "Ye has a guest waiting for thee in the foyer."

"Tell them to fuck off!" He barked at her, never removing his gaze from his wife's.

"They say it is impertinent that they speak with thee at once."

The hanyou growled in irritation and jumped out of the pool in one bound before setting Kagome on the ground. "I'll be right back." He nipped her earlobe before dashing off into the interior of the house, wanting to get back to his prior activity as soon as possible.

"My, aren't you two cozy with each other," Miroku said with a sly grin.

Kagome cheeks flared with color. "I'm not the only one getting cozy with someone," she responded wryly not to be outdone by a monk, referring to the girl that sat snuggly atop his lap.

Sango buried her face in Miroku's chest to hide her red face. "It's a lapse in sanity," she lied.

Kagome couldn't help but grin at her friends, including the two youkai who were at the shallow end of the pool, talking conversationally and really getting to know each other. It seemed as though everything was finally coming together. She glanced down to where Inuyasha had been sitting to see his towel laying disregarded on the ground. "Kaede is going to throw a fit if she sees him tracking water on the marble floors." Swiftly bending down to pick up the terrycloth towel, Kagome followed the trail of water into the house.

"I'll be right back guys," she said, though doubting if anybody actually heard her.

Barely audible voices could be heard coming from the foyer as she made her way through the maze of corridors to the entrance hall.

"Hey Inuyasha, take your towel so that you don't…" She trailed off upon noticing the guest that had decided to grace them with their presence, apprehension gripping her chest. "Kikyo? What are you doing here?"

"Kagome, go back to the pool," Inuyasha commanded her in a tight voice, his narrowed gaze never leaving the super model, thin female facing him.

"Kagome, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Kikyo said ignoring the hanyou, her painted lips uplifting into an amused smile.

"Yeah, four years," Kagome said, more so to herself than anybody else as she came to stand beside her husband. "Is there a particular reason you're here?" she asked, unsure if she wanted to know the truth. Something told her it wasn't good. The possibility of Inuyasha cheating on her crossed her mind, but was quickly banished. He loved her and only her. There was no other woman, there couldn't be. They had only been home a couple of days and had renewed their love for each other. So the likelihood that he had lied and wasn't completely devoted to her was slim to nil…right?

Seeing the uncertainty and doubt in his wife's eyes, Inuyasha stepped in front of Kagome, fully blocking out the view of the other woman. "Kagome, it is not what you think," he grabbed her arms, "I don't know why the hell this bitch is here. I haven't seen her in years. And," he turned around to glare at the polished woman before them, "if she doesn't give me an answer to why the fuck she set foot in my house, I'm going to throw her out."

Kikyo smirked. "I see you haven't changed a bit since I last saw you, which was about a year ago was it not?"

The muscle in his jaw ticked. "What's your point?"

"My point? My point is this." She turned to the front doors. "Shinju, could you come in here please?"

No sooner had the order left her mouth when a broad-shouldered man with eyes the color of a raging storm stepped in, a package bundled in a blanket in one arm. With his free hand, the raven haired man lowered a section of the cloth to reveal a golden eyed, white haired infant with a pacifier in its mouth as he observed his surroundings with keen interest.

"I think it's about time you pay up for child support, don't you?"

End.

AN: Interesting development, to say the least, wouldn't you say?