InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Secret Lovers ❯ Last Issue - Part 2 ( Chapter 29 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Part 29: Last Issue – Part 2

A/N: Woot woot! Despite all the trials and tribulations, we’ve made it to the last chapter. There will just be a short epilogue posted next. This chapter is super long, and I worked on it as quickly as possible, so it’s probably full of typos, for which I apologize in advance! Oh and the last lemon of the story is here, so tread at your own risk.

Disclaimer: Sadly even though I love writing AU stories on my OTP, they don't belong to me. I tried to buy them, but all I could afford were plushies. Oh well better than nothing lol.

“Talking”
'Thoughts'

Kagura nervously tapped the heel of her shoes against the plush carpeted floor. She was presently waiting to be ushered into a meeting that she guessed could change her life. As he had suggested a week earlier, Sesshoumaru had set up a meeting between her and Shiyounin Katsuyama in the hopes that she would take the position that had been offered to him previously. Normally Kagura would have been excited at the idea of meeting a media mogul such as Katsuyama, but at the moment she was just too nervous. Ever since she had graduated from university, she had only worked at Shikon Magazine, and the prospect of starting over somewhere new was a bit daunting. Not to mention that she was still reeling from the confrontation with her father. She pushed out of her head the thoughts of Naraku slowly encroaching into her mind; she had sworn to herself she would forget about it. She squared her shoulders, and focused on the matter at hand.

‘In the past few days I managed to keep the bastard out of my thoughts, and I have to keep doing just that.’ Instead of focusing on Naraku, she instead thought about her boyfriend. Earlier that day, her lover had been flown over to have a meeting with, Kaito, the boss of his old friend Jaken. It was an occasion for both sides to evaluate if Sesshoumaru would be the right fit for the job he was being offered. As she had promised to keep Sesshoumaru abreast of her job interview with Katsuyama, she penned her boyfriend a quick text message.

‘In the waiting room. Will give you a call when I get out. Hope your meeting goes well.’

She hit send then turned off her smartphone, she did not want any distractions to corrupt her chances with Katsuyama. While she waited for the grey haired secretary to call her inside, her crimson eyes looked over her posh surrounding, and she had to admit she was impressed. The inside of Katsuyama’s office was a reflection of the luxurious downtown skyscraper they were located in. She was aware that he was part owner of one of the biggest media conglomerate in the country, and his headquarters were a reflection of that.

While Sesshoumaru had told her that originally Katsuyama needed an editor for a new magazine venture, a small part of her hoped he might be interested in hiring her instead for Sengoku Today!, a publication he was part owner of. She was certain she could be a good fit for the publication. The magazine was a direct competitor of Shikon, so she had spent a large amount of time perusing its glossy pages, looking for ways to top it to ensure that Shikon would become number one.

‘Stealing readers away from Shikon Magazine through its direct competition would be a great way to drive Naraku mad with envy.’ As much as she had promised herself not to let her father have any influence on her, she could not help but search for some sort of retribution.

“Mr. Katsuyama will see you now.”

Kagura smiled at the secretary and stood up from the leather armchair to head towards the big wooden door that guarded the mogul’s office.

“Miss Jiyuu! A pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.” The older man said, a welcoming smile on his lips and a warm look in his hazel eyes. “Please have a seat.”

Kagura did as told, and sat across the older man’s desk. She was honestly taken aback by Katsuyama’s eagerness. She had assumed that since Touga had wanted his old friend to give his son a job, he would not have wanted her to take the position.

“To be honest, I looked over your resume and did some digging, and was really impressed with the results you achieved at your previous position. Shikon is finally a real contender to Sengoku Today!, and from what I’ve been told it’s been mostly thanks to you. Sesshoumaru also assured me that you were the one who should be given the credit for the success of Shikon’s online platform. I don’t know if he told you, but we’re launching a monthly online magazine as an offshoot of our Musahi Weekly. If the venture is a success we will consider giving it a print outlet as well. We need someone to start immediately, so if you accept, I can send you over to our HR team to discuss compensation and other details including your relocation allotment.”

Kagura was still having a hard time wrapping her head around everything. She had an interest in digital publishing as she saw the potential in it, and being sole editor of a new publication was of course also attractive. While moving away might have seem like a hardship a few weeks ago, the idea of being far away from Naraku and the Shikon Magazine main offices was appealing. Besides the Musahi headquarters were much closer to her hometown, and the prospect of being closer to Kanna and her aunt Kaede were also positives.

‘The only remaining obstacle might have been Sesshoumaru, but even he is the one who wants me to take the job. He did promise that we would not let our relationship be impacted by our new jobs.’ She silently weighed all the arguments in her mind before making her decision.

“Well Mr. Katsuyama, you’ve got yourself a new editor.” Just speaking the words made Kagura feel as if she had finally shattered the last ties she had with Shikon Magazine and her father. Now that she was working for the competition, there was no going back. ‘Not that I would want to. It’s high time for me to move on with my life.’

“Splendid, we can iron out the details now if you don’t mind.” Shiyounin grinned before hitting a button on the intercom to speak to his secretary. “Emi, please have Cho from HR come up here with Miss Jiyuu’s paperwork, and bring us some tea.”

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“I refuse your offer.”

Sesshoumaru had spoken the words with a clear voice. Now that he had had a chance to think about it, he had come to the conclusion that the job being offered was not for him. Earlier that morning when Kagura had dropped him off at the airport, he had been sure he was going to accept the position being offered to him. The two of them had discussed the possibility, and had agreed that they could make their relationship work no matter where his new job would take him. They swore they would stay together no mater what. In the plane he had taken the time to review the informational package Jaken had sent him, and Sesshoumaru had thought that the publication could be a good fit for him. Both Jaken and his boss had pulled all the stops to try to schmooze Sesshoumaru, and convince him to take the job. A free air round trip in first class, a luxury rental car waiting at his arrival at the airport, and tour of the fancy offices he knew were a part of an attempt to impress him.

‘When I was writing the piece on the Miko Powder, I had no idea I would win an award for it, or that all of a sudden so many publications would be interested in hiring me.’ Sesshoumaru was no fool, and he suspected that just like Naraku, Jaken’s boss was more interested in the award attached to his name, more so than in his journalistic abilities. On several occasions, when he had brought up potential ideas for future assignments, he had been assured that such ‘details’ could be dealt with once he signed the contract.

“Is it a question of money? We can increase the proposed salary.” The words spoken by Kaito, Jaken’s elderly boss, brought Sesshoumaru out of his thoughts. The statement surprised him. The amount of money being already thrown at him was humongous, so being offered more was simply astonishing. He could tell that Jaken and his boss were salivating at the prospect of hiring him, but despite how much money he was being offered, the proposition simply did not enthrall him.

“I will take my leave now.” Without giving a chance to either Jaken or his boss to provide any other arguments in their fruitful attempt to sway him, Sesshoumaru took to his feet, walked out of the meeting room, and headed straight for the elevators; he had a plane to catch.

“You can kiss our offer goodbye! We will never offer you a job again.” Sesshoumaru ignored the angry puffing coming from the old man. His threats did not affect him in any way.

“Sesshoumaru, wait!” The call coming form his college friend did not in any way make Sesshoumaru halt, on the contrary, now that the exit was in sight, he could not wait to get to the elevators and out of the building.

“Why? I just don’t get it. I thought you wanted to be an investigative journalist? That’s what you always said you wanted to be!” Jaken croaked out as he struggled to keep pace with his former college roommate’s much longer strides. “You’re not working at Shikon Magazine anymore, and now you say you won’t work here for us, so what will you do then?”

Sesshoumaru paused briefly as he thought about it. In the past two weeks, he had had no one to answer to professionally, and he had really enjoyed it. He had always been a bit of a lone wolf, and the idea of not being restricted to an office, and not having to deal with impatient and obtuse bosses and annoying co-workers was very attractive to him. Not to mention that he was getting older; he realized it was high time for him to finally decide what he was going to do with the rest of his professional life. Even as all these thoughts were rushing through his mind, he spoke words he had not expected.

“A book. I will write a book.”

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“Hum this does not look like the picture.” Kagura muttered. She was standing in her kitchen, cradling her cell phone against her cheek with the help of her left shoulder. Her crimson eyes were lowered to the cooling dish she had taken out of the oven not too long beforehand.

“It’s alright, you can cover it all up in icing.”

Kanna was on the other side of the line, giving her older sister step by step instructions on the recipe she had sent Kagura earlier. When her sister had called her in a panic asking for the recipe of her chocolate cake, Kanna had happily answered the call. Ever since she had been discharged from the hospital, she had waited for a chance to thank her sister, and this was a small boon she could do for her.

“Kagura wait for a second.” Kanna placed the phone down as she peeked over her shoulder to make sure her husband properly secured their newborn son’s diaper.

“Why do I have to do this?” She heard Yukiyo mumble under his breath.

“Because I just got stitches out from where I was cut open to bring this baby into the world. Now shoo! I’m talking Kagura through a delicate step, so take the baby and go check on Haku and Akago. They aren’t screaming, so something must be up.” Without a second to spare, her husband did as told, taking the baby in tow.

Kagura chuckled. Any doubts she might have had about her sister’s post surgery condition were alleviated. ‘If she has enough energy to keep Yukiyo on his toes, then she’s doing better than I thought.’

“Well at least it doesn’t look raw anymore. I hope that once I cover it up, it will look delicious.” Kagura smiled gleefully. All her previous attempts at baking had been complete disasters, but she was glad that for once it turned out okay.

‘The one time it actually counts.’ She looked up at the clock on her wall and groaned. She was running out of time.

“Kanna, thanks for everything. I think I can handle the rest on my own. I’ve got to go now. Sesshoumaru texted me when his plane landed, and he will be home in a bit.”

Even if she would not say it aloud, Kanna was really impressed by the lengths her cooking phobic sister was willing to go to in order to please her boyfriend. “I hope Sesshoumaru likes his surprise. Call me later to let me know how it went. Oh and congratulations again on the job. I can’t wait for you to move closer to me. Love you, bye!”

The older sister smiled fondly. When she had told Kanna she would be relocating closer to her, the white haired woman had been ecstatic. Kagura was certain that her sister’s joy was also due to the realization that her sibling really would not be going back to work for their father now that she had a new job.

Kagura put down her phone, and rushed over to the bedroom to change in the outfit she had prepared for the special occasion of that evening before pulling a skintight green strapless dress over it. A quick refresher of her makeup, and a small smoothing of her hair bun later, she was all ready to go.

‘Dinner is keeping warm in the oven… I just need to finish up my little project and I will be all done.’ After strolling back into her kitchen, Kagura gave her masterpiece a critical once over.

“Okay. Icing a cake, how difficult can that be?” She wondered as she picket up a spatula, and scooped up some of the dark brown mixture she had whipped up earlier under her sister’s instructions.

“What are you doing?”

The unexpected question startled Kagura, and the next thing she knew, she had dropped the kitchen utensil, and had chocolate frosting splashed all over the kitchen counter. Her crimson eyes lowered to her dress, and she saw with relief that her outfit had been spared by the chocolate.

She turned around, and was not surprised to see none other than her boyfriend standing right behind her, an inquisitive look on his face.

“Geez Sesshoumaru, you scared the shit out of me.” She complained reaching for a kitchen towel to wipe her now sticky hands.

“What is this?” He pointed a long finger to the confection she had spent all afternoon making.

Kagura frowned. She thought it was obvious. She decided not to let his words dampen her enthusiasm.

“It’s a birthday cake I just baked for you. I bet you thought I forgot about your special day.” Due to their argument and Kanna’s health scare she had almost forgotten, but when she had been getting ready for her interview with Katsuyama, she had checked her calendar, and seen she had noted down the date of Sesshoumaru’s birthday. With little time to prepare she had had to think about an easy way to show him how much she cared about him.

‘I may not have set up a romantic dinner in a fancy restaurant, but I think I’m doing well.’ She had picked up a meal from a restaurant he loved along with two bottles of his favorite red wine, and of course had baked him a cake. ‘Something tells me he’ll also enjoy my other little surprise.’ The mere thought of the lacy underwear hidden beneath her green sheath dress made her smile naughtily.

Both of Sesshoumaru’s eyebrows arched in surprise. He had guessed something was up; after all the usually thoughtful Kagura did not offer to pick him up at airport as he would have expected her to do. In fact she had dropped him off in the morning. He however had not anticipated she would have thought about planning something for his birthday.

“I hope you’ll like it. I haven’t baked a cake in years.”

That bit of knowledge did not surprise Sesshoumaru one bit. As much as Kagura loved eating food, cooking, cleaning and other house chores were not her forte. He was all the more touched by her efforts. He stepped forward and dipped a finger in the bowl of chocolate frosting before putting it in his mouth.

“Thank you.” Sesshoumaru said before leaning down to press a brief kiss to her lips. The faint hint of sweetness she tasted in his kiss reassured her that she surely had not completely messed up her cake.

“So how were your flights and your interview? Did they offer you the job?” Now that she had done mopping off the mess Sesshoumaru startling her earlier had created, she worked towards finishing up her birthday cake. Even as she smoothed the chocolate mixture, she hoped that she did not look like a fool. She had no actual idea as to how one went about icing a cake, but hoped she was doing well enough. Feeling Sesshoumaru’s piercing golden gaze on her back was making her feel even more self-conscious.

‘I promise to learn how to cook by next year. Now that I’ll be moving closer to Kanna, she can finally give me these cooking tutoring sessions she’s wanted to have with me.’ Kagura silently vowed to herself.

Sesshoumaru did his very best to suppress a smile. He knew that mocking her would be mean on his part. Despite her current struggle with applying lumpy frosting on an unevenly shaped cake, he could tell she had made a lot of efforts to present to him a birthday surprise.

‘Considering that our kitchen looks like a battlefield, she must have been working on this all afternoon.’ He thought to himself. He could not remember the last time someone had taken the time and effort to make him a gift, or even celebrated his birthday with him. If he ever needed any confirmation of Kagura’s feelings for him, this was it.

“Why don’t you go first? How was the meeting with Katsuyama?” He then added aloud.

“It went very well. You’re looking at the new editor in-chief of Musahi online.” She paused in her task to look at her lover. He had an unreadable expression in his eyes, which she did not like one bit. “You’re really okay with this right? We agreed we’d figure out how to make my new position work with the location and schedule of your new job.”

“That will not be a problem. In fact I turned down the job offer. For now we can focus on launching you on your new job, finding a new place and relocating.”

Having made his declaration, Sesshoumaru headed towards their shared bedroom. After taking two flights and going through a long interview, he really felt like taking a long relaxing shower before sitting down to dinner with his beloved.

“You did what?!” Kagura’s shocked gasp followed him. She quickly dumped the spatula she had been using and caught up with him. “I thought we agreed we would both take the jobs?” She was genuinely confused by her boyfriend’s sudden change of heart. “What happened? Was their offer that bad?”

“No.” Sesshoumaru shrugged off his jacket, loosened his tie and started unbuttoning his shirt before answering. “In fact they offered me even more money than before.”

Before Kagura could hold it in, she let out a shocked gasp. While usually seeing her boyfriend undress was a real treat for her, this time around she was too stunned by his words to fully appreciate his half naked form. The young woman was not sure what to say. While her new salary and their savings would ensure they would be safe financially, she knew Sesshoumaru too well, and knew he would never be satisfied staying home alone doing nothing while she worked.

“Do not worry, I was merely joking last time when I said I wanted to be a kept man. I fully intend to keep occupied.” He commented as he noticed the worried look on his beloved’s face.

“It’s not money I am worried about…”

Sesshoumaru had unbuttoned his pants, sat on the bed while he took off his shoes and socks, and looked up from his task to look at her. His furrowed eyebrows let her know he wanted her to elaborate.

“We both know you would never be able to stay home and brood while you think about what to do next.”

He took the time to put away his clothes before answering. He was curious to see how Kagura would react to his sudden revelation. “I decided to write a book.”

She was so shocked by his declaration that it took her a few moments to recollect her thoughts. “A book? Where in the hell did that come from? I thought you wanted to be an investigative journalist?” Sesshoumaru had never come across as fickle to her, so she had a hard time figuring out his seemingly sudden change of plans.

The fact that his girlfriend was asking him a question similar to the one Jaken had formulated earlier caught his attention. However he knew that he owed Kagura an explanation, something he had not bothered to provide to his old roommate.

“Kagura, not too long ago, you spoke about your wish to move forward in your professional life; I feel the same way. I am almost 40 years old.” He ran his hand through his bangs. “This decision did not come out of thin air. I have toyed with the idea of writing a book for a long time. I just believe now is the perfect time to bring it to fruition.”

He knew that he needed to use the opportunity of the award he had received to market himself to a publishing industry. He was aware that winning had been a coveted achievement, but he had not realized just how much until Naraku and Jaken’s boss had been willing to throw buckets of money towards him to have him on their respective payroll.

Sesshoumaru took the time to slip on his robe over his boxer shorts before walking over to their shared home office. He reached for the drawers of the main desk, annoyed to find himself pause in hesitation. He had never shared his secret ambition with anyone, and the thought of doing so now was still unnerving, no matter how much he trusted Kagura or loved her. Shaking doubts out of his head, he retrieved the green folder he had hidden there the previous week.

When her lover came back into their room, Kagura expected more information, what she had not been expecting was to be handed a thick folder.

“Read it.”

She looked up at her boyfriend with surprise before doing as asked. As she started scanning the first few handwritten pages, she could not keep in her gasp of shock.

“This is…”

“My notes.” He supplied. “I have been collecting them on and off over the past few years.”

The more she read, the more incredulous Kagura grew. When Sesshoumaru had mentioned he wished to write a book, she had imagined it would be a non-fiction and probably an investigation into a newsworthy event. After all his usual writing style was explanatory, unemotional and some might even call clinical. Not to mention that as long as she had known him, she had never seen Sesshoumaru read anything other than nonfiction.

“You want to write a novel? A historical fiction crime novel?”

“Is there something wrong with that?” As neutral as he attempted to sound, he was a bit disappointed by her lack of reaction. He had expected for her to be a bit more enthused by him sharing such a secret aspiration with her.

Kagura mulled over her boyfriend’s question for a bit. “If this is really what you want to do, then I’ll support you any way I can.” She was still pleasantly surprised as to how supportive he was of her own career. Kouga had never been able to understand her ambition, but Sesshoumaru not only shared a similar drive, but also encouraged her to reach higher. He had after all turned down Katsuyama’s offer, and put Kagura in contact with him to see if she could get the position.

‘He helped me get my dream job, and I intend to help him make his dreams come true in return.’

“Nope, nothing’s wrong. I believe in you, and I know you can do anything you set your mind to. If there’s anything I can do to help, you can count on me.” She knew how determined Sesshoumaru could be, and had no doubt that he would make a success out of any endeavor he took on; including writing a novel.

‘And I will be with him every step of the way.’ She vowed to herself. They had confessed their love for one another, and she had no intention of letting anything else come between them.

“Now enough serious talk. It’s your birthday, and we have to celebrate!” She knew that the next few weeks would be full of planning. She would be sad to leave her beloved condo behind, but house hunting with Sesshoumaru, and moving to a new city together would be a new adventure she was looking forward to.

‘No more looking back, it’s time to face the future.’

“Thank you.”

At hearing his words, she smiled sweetly at him. Sesshoumaru was usually so sure of himself, and for most of their relationship he had been her support system and her rock. It was therefore a nice change of pace to be able to bring him some reassurance.

Kagura walked over to the armchair in the corner of their room, and placed down on it the thick green folder Sesshoumaru had handed to her earlier. She took the opportunity of facing away from him to inconspicuously fix her hair. She had great plans for the evening and did not intend to let them be derailed. Kagura turned around, and saw that while she had been putting away his folder, Sesshoumaru had finished undressing. He was standing in the middle of their room with only his underwear and a flimsy silk robe on. The sight caused her temperature to go up a few notches.

If strutting and puffing up his chest were in his nature, Sesshoumaru would presently be doing so. The hunger in Kagura’s eyes was really flattering. She caught herself, and shook herself out of her stupor. She was the one who was supposed to instigate a seduction, not the other way around. Kagura walked towards her boyfriend, her hips swaying. When she reached him, she appreciatively ran her hands all over his naked chest before slipping his silk robe off of his shoulders.

“The cake is not the only gift I have for you.” Her words had been whispered against the skin of his neck. She had spoken close enough to make him feel her breath tickling him, but not quite enough to actually touch him.

“Really?” He reached for the hair clip holding together her bun, and removed it, causing her long, dark, wavy tresses to fall in a mess around her shoulders.

However Kagura was not in the mood to tease for very long. Taking Sesshoumaru completely by surprise, she took a step back before placing her hand in the middle of his chest and giving him a good shove. Before he had a chance to realize what was happening to him, he was lying flat on his back in the middle of their bed. He quickly scrambled up, but before he had a chance to get back on his feet, she surprised him once more.

With a smirk on her ruby lips, Kagura undid the side zipper of her dress, and let the shimmery green satin material fall down her body and pool at her feet before she kicked it away along with her shoes.

“I intended to keep this for Valentine’s Day, but decided your birthday would be a better option.”

Sesshoumaru intended to let out an appreciative comment, but he was too mesmerized by the sight to do so. In the past year, he had seen Kagura in all states of undress and even on a few occasions in lingerie, but nothing like the titillating outfit she had on. He knew she favored red, and considering her previous mention of Valentine’s Day, he had expected for her to wear something of that color, but to his surprise, she was instead clad in his favorite color: white. The short dress she had one earlier had displayed her white stockings, but had not let him guess the rest of what was hidden underneath the green satin. She had one a lace trimmed white corset with matching garters holding her stockings in place. He was certain his heart missed a beat when he saw that she was not wearing any panties under her corset. It wasn’t the first time he had been victim to his girlfriend’s tendency to go commando. He could still vividly recall the effect her lack of underwear had had on him the first night they had come together in their hotel room during the festival they were supposed to cover for Shikon Magazine.

Focusing back on the matter at hand, his golden gaze scanned her beautiful form.

‘All this white makes her look almost… bridal.’ He was surprised by the direction where his thoughts were taking him, but before he could dwell on it, she regained his attention.

“I take it you like your surprise, there’s plenty more coming.” The words had barely left Kagura’s lips that she kneeled between his splayed legs.

Usually while he enjoyed playing with her, and delighted in toying with her body, he almost never allowed her to reciprocate. Being at the mercy of someone or being put in a vulnerable position was not something he relished; he however decided to make an exception, and see where she would take things. It was his birthday after all.

The young woman paused briefly as she attempted to gage her boyfriend’s reaction. She had half expected for him to push her away as he did usually, and was surprised when he did not. When Sesshoumaru leaned back on his elbows, she showed outward surprise, but then grinned. That was all the encouragement she needed, and she did not intend to waste any more time.

Kagura gently slipped his boxers down his legs before throwing the now useless piece of fabric over her shoulder. She boldly placed her hands on his hardening flesh and gently caressed him, her crimson eyes staring right into his golden ones. The wicked look in her eyes and mischievous smile at the corner of her lips silently dared him to stop her, but the enticing way in which she kneaded his flesh made sure he would not want to.

Her crimson eyes strayed to the side and saw that his right hand was clenching the bed covers. She could tell he was trying to reign in his emotions, but she would have none of it. Eager to drive him wild, she kicked things up a notch. She leaned forward, placing little kisses all over his smooth skin before putting his length in her mouth. While she was trying to get a reaction out of him, she was surprised to feel shivers running down her own spine. It was not often that she had Sesshoumaru all at her mercy, and she thoroughly enjoyed the delicious thrill of power her present situation gave her.

Sesshoumaru screwed his eyes shut, threw his head back, and let the pleasurable sensations wash over him. He heard a low growl resonating around the room, and he was shocked to see the sound was coming out of his own throat. At the precise moment he mentally damned his pride and self-control, which usually pushed him to thwart Kagura when she wanted to please him in such a way.

‘Losing control with her once in a while would not be too bad.’

He felt his lover shift position, and before he knew it, his right hand left the bed covers and found itself tangled in Kagura’s hair, pinning her in place. His action caught her attention. Kagura looked up from her task, and saw that instead of pushing her away, he had taken a hold of her to encourage her to move faster. Had her mouth not been otherwise occupied, Kagura would have been smiling to herself.

Sesshoumaru could feel his control slipping, but he would be damned before he reached his climax without letting Kagura get hers. Two decades ago he would have been able to recuperate quickly with no problem after such a ministration, and been able to join with her afterwards, but that was not the case anymore. He knew he had to make her stop immediately lest he embarrassed himself. It was with reluctance that he sat back up and moved his hand from the top of Kagura’s head to reach under her chin.

Kagura knew exactly what Sesshoumaru wanted, and she was willing to deliver; she too was ready for the main event. She released him from her mouth, and climbed up on the bed to straddle his body. He helped her get settled over him but stopped her when she positioned herself over his. He then lowered his fingers to gently rub her pleasure button, aiming to make sure she was ready before they joined as one. His constant consideration for her and her pleasure always warmed her heart. Once he was satisfied, he removed his fingers, and she in turn quickly impaled herself on his length.

Unlike their usual couplings, she was in charge, and she set the pace of their rocking; hard and fast. Playing with Sesshoumaru earlier had aroused her greatly, and she was eager to get to her peak. He worked with her in tandem, meeting every single one of her downward strokes with a pump of his own hips. As much as Sesshoumaru enjoyed Kagura’s underwear, and considered her one of the best birthday gifts he had ever received, the corset prevented him from getting to her breasts, which were one of the parts of her body he favored the most. As a consolation prize, he looked straight into his absolute favorite part of her anatomy: her eyes. Amber and ruby clashed as they stared straight in each other’s gaze.

Kagura felt her heart flutter. The intensity in which Sesshoumaru was looking at her made her feel like the most desirable woman on earth. She briefly paused to shift and clung to him like a vine. She hooked her legs around his waist, looped her arms around his neck, and fused their lips together in a deep kiss. She chuckled against his lips when Sesshoumaru reached back to take a hold of her backside. The action allowed him to accentuate the pumping movement of her hips, which coupled with his own upward moved resulted in deeper thrusting.

After his girlfriend’s earlier treat, Sesshoumaru’s control was wearing thin. However he simply refused to reach bliss without taking her along. He moved up his left hand to cradle her hip, and the fingers of his right one sneaked in between their bodies to the place where they were joined and toyed with the center of her pleasure. Her reaction was immediate. Kagura threw her head back and let out a keen moan. As soon as he felt her shake and her legs squeeze him, he gave a silent prayer of thanks; as he knew he could finally let go. He let the wave of ecstasy crash over him. Sesshoumaru gave a few more pumps then went still as his seed shot into her.

As the two of them descended from their climaxes, they stared at each other in the eyes and smiled. Kagura sighed happily before dropping her arms from his neck, and placing her head on his shoulder. After a long day, and an exerting evening, Sesshoumaru was exhausted. Kagura’s wavy hair was also tickling his nose, but at the moment he did not want to move for anything in the world. He reached down to gently caress her stockings clad legs.

“I knew you would enjoy this little surprise.” She chuckled then reluctantly separated their bodies, and stepped off of her lover’s lap. As much as she did not want to leave his arms, she knew that she had to go finish taking care of the dinner she had been heating when Sesshoumaru had come home, and of course the cake.

‘Did I turn off the oven?’ She tried to recall, but at the moment her mind was a bit fuzzy. ‘Gah I can check on it later.’

Sesshoumaru lay down on their bed, taking Kagura along with him. All thoughts of their dinner left her mind as she felt him encircle her in his arms.

“Happy birthday. I love you, Sesshoumaru.”

Sesshoumaru hooked his finger under her chin, and brought her lips up to bestow a kiss on them. Once they broke off she sighed appreciatively and placed her head on his sweaty chest. Kagura was satisfied with his answer. He may have not voiced his feelings in return, but they had been clearly expressed in his kiss, and she could feel it in the thundering of his heart against her ear.

The two of them stayed in silence for a long while. He took the opportunity to run his fingers through her long hair. She only rarely took down her bun, so on the few occasions she let her hair down, he took advantage of it and played with the long silky strands.

“Did you fall asleep?” Sesshoumaru finally asked after a long while. He wondered as she for once failed to berate him for messing with her hair.

“No. I wouldn’t fall asleep with that corset on, it might cut off my blood circulation.” She chuckled. Halfway through their coupling the garment had become a bit uncomfortable, as her bouncing on her lover’s lap had dislodged it, causing the boning inside of it to painfully dig into the skin of her sides. However, she had been too wrapped up in the pleasurable feelings coursing through her body and her goal to make Sesshoumaru feel good that she did not do anything about it. Plus at the moment she was feeling too lethargic to take it off.

Sesshoumaru frowned, not at all amused by her joke. He did not like the idea of her being in any kind of discomfort at all. Before she had a chance to protest, he reached for the clasps of the lingerie garment and unfastened it.

His action made her laugh. “Thanks. I guess I should be happy you didn’t just tear it off. You’re so over protective.” She slid off the corset and threw it towards one of the corners of their bedroom. Now that it had served its purpose, she did not really care what happened to it.

“This Sesshoumaru is not a barbarian.” He scoffed at her words.

“No.” She agreed. “You’re a demon.”

He was surprised at hearing her call him by the nickname she used to scream at him at the time when they had not been able to stand each other. “You have not called me that in a long time.”

She raised her head to look at him. “I was just teasing, I don’t see you like that anymore. Besides I had no reason to, you haven’t called me a witch in a long time either.”

“I am no demon, you however are a sorceress… you have somehow managed to bewitch me.”

Kagura thought of how to respond to his words. It was so unlike the ever-controlled Sesshoumaru to plainly speak about his feelings for her. She thought about mocking him, or responding with endearing words in return, but before she could check herself, something else entirely came out.

“Marry me.”

“What?!” The words made her lover sit up abruptly, dislodging her from her comfortable spot on his chest.

‘That was not the reaction I was expecting’ The young woman thought to herself, her eyes fastened on the deepening frown between his brows. ‘Then again that came out of nowhere, and I am a bit surprised myself…’ She had wanted to speak about her own true feelings, and before she knew it, the words had come out. ‘I guess that this is what I really want deep down, even if I wouldn’t admit it to myself before.’

“Well this can’t really be a surprise. We love each other… Besides, remember that evening long ago on the roof of the Shikon headquarters? It was the first time we spoke about the eventuality of getting married and having a baby… You promised me that you would be by my side if I wanted to have a child. Well I do, but I’m old-fashioned and I want to get married beforehand.” She scrambled to put together an explanation for her sudden blurting.

“So you really are proposing to me? Now?” His mind was racing, and at the moment he could not quite find anything else to say.

Kagura frowned. “What if I am? You’re not going to go all macho on me now, are you? It’s the 21st century, women can propose too!”

“I did not say it was wrong… it’s just. Well you have to admit this is quite a… surprise.” He ran a hand through his bangs, a gesture she knew he resorted to every time he was anxious. “Remember, did you not get mad at me when I suggested we move in together without ‘giving us a chance to talk about it’ as you put it then.” He pointed out.

“Well we’re already living together, and we already act like a married couple… and in the eyes of my family we’re as good as married.” Kagura bristled. She could feel her heart pounding, her palms becoming wet and tears prickling the corners of her eyes. Even though this was an impromptu proposal, his lackluster reaction hurt her feelings. After all they had been though, she would have never imagined he would say ‘no’ to marrying her.

Sesshoumaru could clearly see the upset in her crimson eyes, and it killed him. He loved her. He knew he did, but even if he wanted to agree, a small part of him would not let him say the words just yet. As much as he hated it, thoughts of his parents’ relationship intruded his mind.

‘Their relationship was disastrous. Kagura’s parents were also unable to make things work between them. Would things be different between us?’ Even as he thought about these failed marriages, he could not deny that as much as he hated it, his father and Izayoi had apparently been able to make their union work. Not to mention that Kanna and Yukiyo had a strong and loving relationship despite their long years of marriage. Theirs was the kind of marriage he wanted with Kagura.

Unabashed by her naked state, Kagura got off the bed and turned away from him to quickly wipe off the lone tear that had slipped past her control, and had managed to crawl down her cheek.

“You know what, forget it. We can discuss getting married and babies later.” She forced as wide a smile on her lips as she could, and prayed that it appeared sincere. “Right now we’re celebrating your birthday, and shouldn’t be sidetracked by all of this.”

“Come here.” He took her hand in his, and tugged her back on the bed so he could take her in his arms, pressing their naked chests close together. The feeling of panic he had experienced earlier was gone the second he took her in his arms.

‘I love her, and I could not imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone other than her. Things may not be easy in the future, but we can make it work. We will make it work; I will make sure we do.’ He silently vowed to himself.

“Let’s get married.”

Kagura did not allow herself to relax just yet. She pushed away from his embrace to look up into his eyes, eager to see if he was being honest. “You’re sure? Don’t say it just because you don’t want to get into a fight. Just tell the truth and let me know how you really feel. I don’t want you to pretend only because…”

He did not allow her to finish voicing her thought, and put a finger to her lips

“This Sesshoumaru does not lie, nor do I ever do things just to please others. You should know by now that I always do as I wish. Isn’t this the reason why you used to call me a demon?” He removed his finger form her lips. “I do have one stipulation however.”

His interjection caused her heart to pick up speed once again. “What is it?” She stayed as still as possible, waiting for him to reject her after all.

“I want to get married as soon as possible.”

His words made her sag in relief and chuckle in happiness. “What kind of timetable are we talking about here?”

“Six months at the most.” He replied after mulling over the problem. “This delay is only because we are going to move, and you will be starting a new job.”

Sesshoumaru leaned forward to seal his promise with a kiss, but suddenly stopped short of reaching her lips. He paused and sniffed.

“What is that smell?” The question had barely left his lips that the sound of the fire alarm rung out from the main living area of the condo.

“Of fuck, dinner!” Kagura jumped out of bed and ran towards the kitchen.

Sesshoumaru shook his head and slid off the bed to put some clothes on before joining his fiancée in the kitchen to help her clean up the mess he was sure to find there. On his way he did pause to pick up his robe. In her haste, Kagura had forgotten to take something to cover herself with. When the adrenaline wore off, he knew she would be embarrassed about running around to attend to dinner with only garters and stockings on.

‘I also wouldn’t put it past that old bat from downstairs to call the fire department only so she can create some excitement.’ As he thought about their elderly neighbor, the image of a fire squad rushing into their apartment popped in his head. The idea of any man other than him seeing his beloved virtually naked did not sit well with him. He who usually did things at his own pace rushed outside of their room in record time.

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“Stop pulling on your veil!”

“Yes, mother.”

Kanna sent her sister a glare cold enough to freeze hell. The two of them were in the master bedroom of Kagura’s new house, which had been requisitioned for the bride and her entourage, putting together the last details before she was to walk down the aisle in just an hour.

“I just want your special day to be perfect, so I take my job as matron of honor very seriously.” The youngest of the Jiyuu sisters pointed out as she reached down to smooth the train of her sister’s bridal gown.

“I know you do, and I love you for it.” Kagura smiled down at her sister. “Now stop messing with my dress it looks just fine.”

The past six months had gone past in a blur. In hindsight Kagura realized that finding a new place, moving to a new city and starting a new job while at the same time planning a wedding had not been her best idea. She had been swamped, so her sister had been a godsend. Kanna had taken care of most of the wedding details to her sister’s relief.

‘I don’t know what I would have done in the past months without Kanna… now only if I could get her to decorate the house too…’ Kagura reflected as she scanned the room with her crimson eyes.

She had not often paused to imagine what her dream wedding day would look like, but she was sure it would have not involved getting ready in a half furnished room surrounded by moving boxes. The living room and kitchen as the most used rooms had been completed first, but Kagura knew she needed to put things in high gear if she wanted their house to be ready in the coming months. She had been pleasantly surprised by the support Sesshoumaru had been giving her over the course of the past months with decorating the house; even if getting his home office ready was his own priority, he was still helping with unpacking their room. Just thinking about her husband-to-be put a smile on her face.

‘Today I will tell him.’ She promised to herself as she ran a hand over her flat stomach.

They had discussed having a baby after her unexpected proposal, and had ended up agreeing to wait for a bit. Not too long considering their age and eagerness to start a family of their own, but they wanted to have time to settle in their new home as well as fix their respective professional situations.

‘Sesshoumaru has been so stressed out lately about pitching his book to those publishing houses. I hope he won’t freak out too much over this little surprise baby.’

When her fiancé had taken her away for a surprise romantic weekend getaway to celebrate her 35th birthday, she had forgotten to take her birth control pills along. By the time they had come back, she had been confronted by her first major crisis at work, which had resulted in her doing several business trips over the ensuing weeks. While she shuttled between home and some of the Musahi regional offices, her pills had been the last thing on her mind. By the time the situation had calmed down and she had gotten home, she realized her mistake, and had resumed taking her pills, but it had been too late. Afterwards she had been so stressed out and busy that at first she had not noticed the signs, but as soon as she did rushed over to her doctor’s office where she had gotten the final confirmation. She was surprised that the ever-attentive Sesshoumaru had not noticed however.

‘Then again we haven’t seen much of each other lately because of Kanna and her old fashioned ways’ As the date of the wedding approached, Kanna had made her sister move in with her and her family, claiming that it would only make for a better and more romantic honeymoon period when the newlyweds would be reunited. Considering that Kagura had not had to go to the Musahi main offices, she had been able to fulfill her position via telecommuting, she had agreed to it. Sesshoumaru was also currently in the midst of prepping for a meeting with a top publishing organization, and as he worked from home for the time being, she was sure he had enjoyed having the house to himself for a bit.

The separation had not been as relaxing for his fiancée though. After work hours, Kanna had kept Kagura busy with cooking lessons. The decision had been prompted by Sesshoumaru telling the Jiyuu-Saito family about Kagura almost burning down their apartment by forgetting the food of his birthday dinner in the oven. At first everyone making fun of her lack of culinary skill had annoyed her; however, now that she was going to be a mother, she was grateful for Kanna’s tutelage. A toddler could after all not survive on Kagura’s specialty diet of take out boxes and frozen foods.

A flash going off in her face brought the young woman out of her reminiscing. She looked up and was surprised to see that the culprit was not the overpriced photographer hired to document the special day, but Kagome. Kagura and Sesshoumaru had ended up inviting Inuyasha to their wedding, and he had had asked if he could bring along his long time girlfriend. Since Inuyasha was the only one of his relatives Sesshoumaru associated with, Kagura had suggested her fiancé find a way to involve his younger half brother in their wedding. In the hopes that including Kagome too would make the two Tashio brothers more receptive to the idea, Kagura had stated she wanted the younger woman to be her bridesmaid. After all she only had Kanna to stand by her side so having an extra person wouldn’t hurt. Getting Kagome on board had been a piece of cake, and to Kagura’s shock, getting Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha to agree had not been the hassle that she had anticipated. To her knowledge, her fiancé had seen Inuyasha only twice over the past six months, and while their relationship was not as loving as the one she had with her own sister, the rapport between the two men was warming up.

“Sorry! Didn’t mean to blind you… I’m just taking some shots for my uhm… personal files.” Kagome said, a furious blush on her face.

Kagura could see right through the other woman.

“It’s for Touga, isn’t it? Go ahead you can take a picture.” She plastered a bright smile and posed for Kagome. Kagura had no idea if Sesshoumaru would ever make up with his parents, but considering that they still cared enough about him to want to find out about his whereabouts, she felt like she should help them a bit.

‘Caring parents is not that easy to come by. I should know, after all Naraku doesn’t give a damn about me.’ Ever since she had quit Shikon, she had not heard from her father. She was not entirely sure whether she even wanted to or not.

“Kagura, you look so beautiful.” Kanna’s interjection mercifully brought Kagura out of her thoughts about her absentee father. “Aunt Kaede would be so proud if she could see you right now.” Thinking about how the woman who had raised them had beamed when she had married Yukiyo, Kanna could not help but feel her eyes sting. She wished her older sister could have gotten a similar chance.

Kagura was also feeling emotional. Even if her beloved aunt was not there, she consoled herself with the thought that she had at least met Sesshoumaru, and as Kagura had predicted she had loved him. Kaede had declared that Sesshoumaru was exactly who Kagura needed, and she was so looking forward to their wedding. Unfortunately not long after their visit, her aunt’s condition had deteriorated.

‘I hope she will be able to at least see my child.’ Kagura thought to herself before speaking aloud. “Damn it, I can’t cry! That make-up lady tortured my eye to put on those stupid eye lashes on, and I won’t have them fall out!”

“Here you go.” Kanna handed her sister a much-needed tissue before picking up Musou, her youngest son.

“We should head out soon or we’ll be late.” Kagome observed, her eyes stuck on her wristwatch.

“Let’s go then. If I’m late to the wedding, my control freak of a husband will never let me live it down.” Kagura picked up her ornamental fan, a gift from Sesshoumaru for her birthday. As she had not wanted him to get her an engagement ring, he had instead offered her a beautiful intricate incrusted fan. She had loved the original gift so much that she had decided to carry it along with her as a part of her wedding attire.

The three women rushed out of the room; they had a wedding to get to.

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‘Today is my wedding day…’

Sesshoumaru still had a hard time coming to grasps with the idea. If someone had told him two years ago that he would be getting married, to Kagura Jiyuu nonetheless, and that he would be looking forward to it, he never would have believed it. Big celebratory events had never been to his taste but he of course was willing to make an exception for this special day. It meant a lot to Kagura, and he wanted to make her happy, so he would do everything in his power to see that all went along well.

He was presently in the side room of the church with his groomsman and best man, waiting for Kagura and her bridal party to meet them so that they could get married. His golden eyes scanned his surrounding with curiosity. The last time he could recall being in a religious institution had been when his mother was still alive. The late Mrs. Ayaka Tashio prided herself in being a pillar of the community, which included attending church charity events. Sesshoumaru decided not to dwell on his mother; he had more important things to focus on.

‘Not that being here today was of my own choosing…’ He reflected, pushing all thoughts of his late mother out of his mind.

Kanna had insisted that the wedding had to take place in the same church where she had married her beloved Yukiyo over a decade ago. If it had been up to Sesshoumaru, he and Kagura would have gone to the city hall downtown to be married. No fuss and no parading. Expressing his opinion had resulted in him receiving a punch to the arm courtesy of Kanna. He would never admit it aloud, but Kanna’s diminutive size did in no way affect the strength of her punch. It had taken quite a bit of self-control not to massage his arm after her painful blow. His sister in-law had blown up at him merely voicing the idea of foregoing an elaborate ceremony, and since then he had wisely learned not to contradict Kanna or Kagura when it came to wedding plans, including having his beloved move in with her sister until the nuptials took place.

‘Although I was able to get some good work done on my book without Kagura distracting me.’ He now felt ready to take on the meeting he had scheduled with the publishing house of his choice the following week.

“You two look great, your mom will be thrilled.” Yukiyo said happily as he critically looked over his sons’ appearance. At the behest of Kanna, Hakudoushi and Akago were sharing the responsibility of ring bearer at their aunt’s wedding.

“When can we take it off? It’s itchy.” Hakudoushi complained, tugging on the collar of his shirt.

“Keh! I’m wondering the same thing.” Inuyasha was sore pressed to also undo his tie, but knew Kagome would kill him if he did. He was not entirely sure how he ended up being a groomsman in his semi-estranged brother’s wedding, but he knew his girlfriend was responsible.

‘After Kagura asked, Kagome started rubbing my ears in the way I like, and before I knew it I said yes… then again at least I can look forward to the buffet at the reception. Also since Sesshoumaru didn’t invite the old man, I guess it’s a good thing I’m here to represent the Tashio family.’ He did not dare admit to himself that he was secretly glad and honored to stand besides his brother on that special day. A year ago he never would have imagined that he and Sesshoumaru would become this close, and even now he still struggled with the realization.

“Here boys, you two can go play with this until it’s time to go inside.” Yukiyo handed his sons their handheld video games. It was the only way he could think of getting the two children to spend time without messing up their clothes. As expected, they each snatched their games from their father’s hands and rushed over to the seats placed against the wall.

“Well now that the kids are out of earshot, we can get on to the serious side of things.” Yukiyo paused to slip a hidden flask out of his pocket, and swigged down a small sip. He then pointed the alcohol recipient towards both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, who declined. Yukiyo shrugged and took a second sip for good measure. He needed some liquid courage to help with what he was about to do. Even if his wife had assured him that Sesshoumaru considered him his best friend; hence, his title of best man at the wedding, Yukiyo still found the other man intimidating.

“You know Sesshoumaru, now that I’ve been married to Kanna for ten years, I can give you some advice on how to have a successful marriage with one of those Jiyuu sisters.” Yukiyo stepped closer to the man he was addressing. “Number one: she’s always right. Number two: never tell her she looks anything other than magnificent. Number 3: Do not ever…”

“I have known Kagura for years.” Sesshoumaru interrupted the unnecessary lecture. “We worked together for a long time before we became involved; I know how to handle her. Why don’t you go check if the women have finally arrived.” Sesshoumaru glance at his watch and sighed; Kagura and her attendants were ten minutes late.

“Alright, don’t say I didn’t warn you though.” Yukiyp shrugged before walking towards his sons. “Come on boys let’s go see what’s holding up your aunt.” The trio exited the small room.

Inuyasha gulped. He had not anticipated that during the wedding he would be left alone with his brother. Considering how special the occasion was, he felt like he should be saying something, but he did not quite know what.

“Uhm by the way, thanks for hooking me up with an internship with your old college pal. It’s going well so far.”

When Kagura had invited Kagome and Inuyasha for dinner a few months earlier, Inuyasha had mentioned that his earlier work prospect had fallen though, and he was currently looking for an internship. Sesshoumaru admired his brother’s refusal to lean on their father or his connections, so he decided to interfere. He had asked Jaken if he could find a position for his brother. The fact that the diminutive man had agreed to help him out had comforted Sesshoumaru in his suspicion that his former roommate liked him a little too much. Despite the fact that Sesshoumaru had rejected Jaken’s earlier job offer, the small man had been entirely too gleeful at the idea of hiring Sesshoumaru’s younger brother.

“Good.”

The two of them stayed in silence not quite knowing what to say. Inuyasha finally broke the silence to address something that had been plaguing him since Kagome had relayed Kagura’s wish to have both he and his girlfriend involved in the wedding.

“Keh, I don’t really know why you invited me to be in your wedding, but thanks. I never imagined the day would come when you’d ask me to stand by you, but I got to admit it feels… nice. I am really happy for you. I think Kagura is a great lady and the two of you look good together. I just wish the two of you the best of happiness.”

When Inuyasha had started speaking, Sesshoumaru had feared his brother might bring up their father, and the fact that Sesshoumaru had purposely not invited Touga to his wedding, so his brother’s gratitude was an unexpected pleasure.

“Thank you… brother.” The older man was tempted to mock Inuyasha for the crimson tinge his face had taken on, but he decided against it. He was certain it had taken his younger brother all of his courage to dare speak about his feelings so openly, and Sesshoumaru could respect that.

Inuyasha blushed even more at the words, but quickly regained his senses. A phone vibrating brought an end to the pregnant silence. Inuyasha reached into his pocket and checked the text message he had just received. Rarely had he been so happy to hear his phone.

“That was Kagome, they’re all ready. Come, we should get going before your bride decides to change her mind.”

Sesshoumaru frowned. In the past two weeks his fiancée had been acting strangely. He would not exactly call it being distant, but she was just not as warm as she usually was. Apart from when they had been fighting or she had been travelling it had for example been the longest period of time they had spent without making love. He could tell something was weighting on her mind, but she had dismissed any probe he had attempted to conduct. As she had been living with her sister during that period, he had not seen as much of her as he would have wanted,

‘As soon as this wedding thing is concluded, I will get to the bottom of things.’ He vowed to himself before putting on his tuxedo jacket and heading for the door.

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“Ugh my feet at killing me.” Kagura muttered to herself. The vows had been pronounced, and the ceremony had gone off without a glitch; dinner and drinks had been served, the wedding cake cut and while the guests danced, she and Sesshoumaru had gone around the room to greet the few guests they had invited. Coming up with a list of guests had made her realize how little the two of them actually socialized. Other than her sister’s family she did not really have that many close people, and Sesshoumaru was even worse than her. Their small social circle had made for a small wedding, which the couple actually enjoyed.

Kagura had not invited any of her new co-workers. Even thought she had started working at Musahi six months earlier, she did not know them that well, and she wanted her wedding to be intimate. She also thought that the fact that she was their boss might make things awkward. Out of Shikon Magazine the only people she had invited had been Shippou and Kouga. She had been secretly relieved when her ex-boyfriend had declined her invitation. He and Ayame apparently had a schedule conflict, but he had sent the newlyweds a lovely gift. Kagura was willing to bet that Ayame’s insecurities had pushed her to make up an excuse so that she and her husband would not be able to attend. Not that the young bride truly minded. Inviting Kouga had been more about proving to herself and to Sesshoumaru that she had no lingering feelings towards her former flame, than really wanting him to be there.

Kagura was however glad to see Shippou had been able to attend, and that he had brought his girlfriend Souten. When the newlyweds had gone around earlier to greet them, plain spoken Souten had told her that now that Shippou was done with his studies, he was having a hard time finding a job, but had been too embarrassed to ask Kagura, whom he considered his mentor. Kagura, who recalled how hard-working the former intern was, and the kindness Shippou had extended towards her at a moment when she needed a shoulder to cry on, made a promise to get in touch with Shippou when she would get back to the office. She was looking for an assistant and he would make good fit.

‘Besides soon I’ll have to take some time off, and I only want people in the office that I can trust completely.’ She unconsciously briefly placed her hand on her stomach.

Kagura was once again called to attention by the bright flash of Kagome snapping another picture of her. A sputtering Inuyasha suddenly dragged the young woman towards the buffet, preventing her from snapping more shots. He knew what his girlfriend was up to, and he did not want her to become even more involved in his messy family affairs.

At the moment all Kagura wanted was to jump in the limo go to the hotel, take off her constricting dress and go soak into the hot tub before making love to her husband then passing out of exhaustion.

‘Speak of the devil. Here comes my husband.’ She thought to herself as Sesshoumaru strode towards her, two champagne flutes in hand. Using the term ‘husband’ while referring to the man she loved made her heart flutter. She took the glass he extended towards her, but placed it down on one of the side tables closest to her.

Sesshoumaru frowned. He had noticed that during the entire reception Kagura had eaten very little, and not drunk any alcohol. His keen gaze had noticed that during the toasts, she had merely pretended to sip on her champagne.

‘This is so unlike her… something really must be going on.’ He was worried about her, but feared that if he asked her outright if she was okay, she would once again dismiss his concern. He decided to use a different technique this time around.

‘I know the witch too well, she will not be able to resist if I poke her just right.’

“Kagura, are you okay? You have not had a drop of alcohol. Being this sober on a special occasion is so unlike you.”

Kagura bristled at his words. “You make me sound like an alcoholic! I can go days without drinking… even my wedding day if I freaking feel like it!”

If his worry had not been genuine, he would have smirked at how easy it was to get a rise out of her.

“This Sesshoumaru simply made the observation because it seems to me as if alcohol consumption was involved on your part at momentous times in our relationship. At the hotel when things started between us you emptied out the minibar… at the office party for Ayame’s baby when we decided to give ‘us’ a go, you almost downed a bottle of whisky all by yourself…”

“Alright I got it!” She raised a hand to interrupt him. She picked up the hem of her veil, nervously twirled the white gauzy material between her fingers then decided to come clean.

‘This was not the setting I had envisaged, but it will do.’

“If you must know, the reason I’ve been acting… differently lately is that I just found out I’m pregnant. Surprise!”

Her sudden revelation stunned him. In the plan they had designed and agreed upon, he would have had a few months to acclimate himself with the idea of being a husband before thinking about becoming a father. Despite that, before he could check himself, he felt a smile form at the corner of his mouth.

To Kagura’s surprise Sesshoumaru suddenly sprang forward and enveloped her in a hug. She felt as if he was crushing her, but she did not mind, this was what happiness felt like.

“I take it you’re happy.” She finally spoke against the skin of his neck.

“How could you doubt I would be?” He pushed away from her to look down in her eyes. “Is this why you were worried? Did you think I would not want our child?” He was confused by her words.

“No I’ve rather been thinking about what happened the last time I was pregnant… what if…” She paused briefly. Letting the words out was hard. “What if I do something wrong and end up losing our baby?” Voicing her concerns aloud made the possibilities of it becoming a reality even greater in her mind. Her heart hammered painfully in her chest as her nervousness increased. She had been so devastated the last time by her loss, and she did not know how she would be able to ever pick up the pieces of herself if something went wrong with this pregnancy too.

He wished there was a way for him reassure her, and knew he would have to count on his words for now, and hoped they would be enough. “Kagura, you have to forgive yourself. We both know you were not to blame for your previous miscarriage. Besides this time around you have me. I will take care of you. We will go to your doctor, and find out about all the precautions we can take. If you thought I was a controlling demon tyrant before, just wait and see…”

‘I will do everything in my power to make sure Kagura and our baby are safe.’ The mere thought that the woman he loved, now his wife, would soon have his child made his heart squeeze in a wondrous way. It was a feeling he had never experienced in the past. ‘I guess this is what happiness feels like.’

Normally hearing him threaten to be meddling would have caused her to rage at him. She was a strong, modern, hardworking woman who relished her independence, but in this instance she decided to make an exception.

‘Being pampered would be a nice change of pace. Besides it’s his baby too, no wonder he wants to look after me.’

Sesshoumaru trailed his hands down her body to rest on her stomach. He still had a hard time grasping the fact that his child was growing there. He was certain it would become more of a reality when she started showing.

Kagura laughed at his action. “I’m only five weeks along, this will stay flat for a while.” Her teasing words were interrupted when she let out a big yawn.

“Are you tired?” His hands went back up to her shoulders, his thumbs gently massaging her bare skin.

“I’m exhausted.” She sighed. “Who knew getting married was this much work.” ‘Or maybe just like Kanna I will have low energy during my pregnancy… something to look forward to I guess.’

Sesshoumaru’s golden eyes thinned. “Come on. We are leaving, now.” He took his vow of looking after her seriously, and it started with making sure she was getting enough rest. ‘The wedding has been completed. I see no point in sticking around to see all these people eat and get drunk. I would much rather spend my wedding night with Kagura sleeping by my side.’ He did not think he would ever admit it to her, but the past two weeks she had spent at her sister’s house made him realize just how much to him sleeping next to Kagura had become an integral component of having a good night’s sleep.

The thought of going to the hotel room waiting for them was extremely appealing to Kagura too. She was so tired that thinking about the fluffy bed made her want to weep with anticipation. In the hopes of setting up a romantic honeymoon for the newlyweds, Kanna and Yukiyo had booked a special suite in one of the most luxurious hotels of the city. Ideally they had wanted to buy the happy couple a trip abroad, but Kagura was too busy with work, and Sesshoumaru had important meetings lined up, so they had had to contend themselves with a hotel suite for an extended weekend.

“I’m pretty sure, we can sneak out of here now without most people noticing.” Kagura wanted to make as inconspicuous an exit as possible. She did not think she would be able to bear having to greet all the guests once again. “Then again, I shouldn’t worry. We’re pretty good at hiding; we did keep our relationship a secret from everyone for a long time.” Kagura pointed out. Her crimson eyes darted over the guests too busy eating, drinking and dancing to pay any attention to the newlyweds. “That is until my sister caught you in my apartment by yourself.”

Sesshoumaru scoffed at her implication that he was the one to have blown their cover.

“I am discretion personified. I am more than able to keep a secret unlike a certain someone… I do recall you telling Kagome about my feelings towards Inuyasha, and the chain of events that put in motion, including an impromptu visit from my dear old dad.”

Kagura flushed at her husband’s words before petulantly sticking her tongue at him, to his amusement. They both knew there was no way she could offer a retort to his words. Glad to have gotten in the last word, Sesshoumaru decided to engineer an exit plan. The sooner they got out of there, the sooner he could get Kagura to bed so she could get some much deserved rest.

“We should leave soon. I see Kagome heading towards us with that infernal camera of hers.”

The fact that his brother’s girlfriend had spent the entire day snapping pictures of him and Kagura had not escaped Sesshoumaru’s notice. He had a pretty good idea as to what the young woman was up to, but did not call her to task about it; for Kagura’s sake, he wanted their wedding to go on as seamlessly as possible. He also did not want his father or Izayoi to be brought up under any circumstances on this special day.

“Ugh, I see her. Let’s make a run for it, and go to the car then.” Kagura commented even as she reached down to slip off her heels. While the shoes had looked wonderful with her curve hugging beaded wedding gown, they were not the most practical footwear, and she had been looking forward to discarding them for hours.

Just as Sesshoumaru was about to remind Kagura that he never ran away as he found the action disgraceful, she picked up her shoes, and bolted as fast as her bare feet could carry her.

‘Well I guess that for her I can make a few exceptions. She already made me change so much, what’s another concession at this point?’ This last thought coursing through his mind, Sesshoumaru rushed after his bride and headed to the back exit.

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"Kagome, you've got to try these steaks, they're amazing!"
Her boyfriend's words caused the young woman to avert her gaze from Kagura and Sesshoumaru to Inuyasha. The fact that her date was speaking even as he wolfed down a slab of meat big enough to feed two amazed her.
"Hum, no thanks. You can have my share." She shook her head in amusement, and turned to look for her query once more. When she had told Touga and Izayoi that she and Inuyasha would be a part of Sesshoumaru's wedding, while neither of them were invited, she had not missed the look of pain and longing in the golden eyes of her father figure. It had wrenched her heart, so she had quickly promised to take as many pictures as possible to give Touga a taste of one of the most important days in his eldest son's life. Both he and Izayoi had been grateful to Kagome for her offer, and it had only cemented the young woman's will to do well in her mission.
'Damn it, where did those two disappear two?' Kagome swung her brown eyes all over the room, and sighed once she caught a glimpse of Kagura in her white wedding gown slipping through the exit door at the other end of the reception hall, closely followed by her groom.
"Inuyasha, you baka! Because of you distracting me I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the two of them kissing!" When they had exchanged their vows at the altar, and exchanged a kiss, Kagome had been too overcome with emotion to think about taking out her camera. When the couple had opened up the dance floor with a solo dance, and exchanged a kiss in front of everyone, Kagome had been in the bathroom to relieve her bladder. She had tried to hold it in as much as possible, but had reached a critical level at this point.
"Keh! Don't blame me. It's not my fault they sneaked out before you had a chance to catch up with them." He shrugged in response to his girlfriend's accusation, and engulfed another forkful of the tender steak. 'Feh! It's a miracle Sessh and Kagura did not run away sooner. When I get married, there won't be any of all that posturing. Don't know how Sessshoumaru put up with it. No matter how much Kagome will beg me, I ain't doing it!.' He cut off his thoughts once he realized where his mind had taken him. While in the past he had thought about the future of his relationship with his childhood friend, he had never considered things so concretely. To his own surprise the thought of marrying Kagome did not instill fear, only pure joy. 'Damn weddings and their mushy atmosphere, I'm losing my damn mind.'
“Sneaked out?! Ugh, I knew Kagura would take advantage of me being distracted to ruin things.” Kanna walked towards her new extended family, a scowl on her face. She had just momentarily left to go change baby Musou’s diaper, and was shocked to see that in the short span of time the newlyweds had left.

“I don’t think leaving the reception early means things are ‘ruined’. Remember our own wedding? We sneaked out too.” Yukiyo recalled with fondness. “They’re newlyweds, so it’s no wonder they’d want to enjoy their honeymoon. Come on let’s go gather the gifts, load them up in our car, and go home too. The boys want to take off this suits, Musou needs a nap, and I want to have some fun with my wife too.”

Her husband’s words made Kanna bush slightly. She loved the fact that after over a decade, he still desired her that much. ‘Well Kagura is not working for Naraku anymore, she’s married to a great man, and if my intuition is right, she’ll soon tell me she’s going to have a baby. My job as a sister is done. I can relax and enjoy mu husband too.’

“You’re right Yuki, let’s go home.” Kanna balanced her baby, and used her free arm to take hold of her husband. “Bye you two, see you at the next family function.”

Inuyasha curiously looked at the retreating couple. “Are we supposed to do something too, or can we just leave? I also want to remove that stupid tie.” He swallowed down the last piece of meat on his plate before reluctantly putting the dish away. As much as he enjoyed the food, he would rather go home and change in more comfortable clothes.
“I guess so…” Kagome muttered. She also did not see any reason for them to stick around.

“Unless you want to get a third piece of cake. There are still some slices on the desert table you haven’t gotten to yet.” He snickered. It was not unusual for him to mock Kagome and her sweet tooth.

“Coming from the guy who just ate an entire cow, now that’s rich!” She angrily placed her hands on her hips.

“Well, unlike you I have a fast metabolism.” Unfazed by the fires burning in his girlfriend’s eyes, Inuyasha added. He was not one to give compliments otherwise he would have told her that he liked her curves just fine.

“Did you just call me fat?!” She shoved him, causing him to ungracefully fall on his rump. “Inuyasha, you baka!” She threw over her shoulder as stomped to the parking lot. She was glad they had come separately because she was in no mood to commute back home with her idiotic boyfriend.

‘Damn, what did I do? Maybe I should ask Sesshoumaru some advice on how to handle crazy females…’ The younger Tashio reflected as he scrambled to his feet, and also headed for the exit.

To be continued…

A/N: Ta-da! The grand finale has been completed. I hope you enjoyed! The last couple of scenes were supposed to be a part of the epilogue, but I decided to give you another treat for the epilogue. It will be posted very soon as I already started working on it. It will be fittingly named Out of Print.